Mercy Corps
Job Vacancy
Freelancing for Professionals Program Assistant
Position Type : Regular , Full Time
Location : Mercy Corps -Gaza Sky Geeks/ Gaza Office
Duration : One Year
ABOUT MERCY CORPS
Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
ABOUT GAZA SKY GEEKS
Gaza Sky Geeks, established in 2011 by Mercy Corps and Google, is Palestine’s leading tech hub that trains, nurtures and supports emerging tech talent with the goal of creating a sustainable and inclusive digital job market in Palestine. With 10 years of experience training globally recognized tech talent, Gaza Sky Geeks has served over 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, 45% women, through training programs, workshops and events.
GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE POSITION
The Freelancing for Professionals Program Assistant role is to support Gaza Sky Geeks efforts in increasing the quality and incomes of Palestine freelancers , will play a role in providing administrative support to the Freelance Program including financial and procurement-related paperwork also to contribute to content strategy and iterations of Skylancer Online Portal.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Programmatic Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the portfolio development component of the freelance program including supporting instructors to determine the best items to be included in trainees’ portfolio.
- Provide freelance technical knowledge support including group and 1 on 1 sessions to the program participants as needed during the program, these sessions will revolve around their main complaints and inquiries regarding freelancing.
- Address the problems participants face, followed by working on solutions. Problems include but are not limited to freelancing accounts, payment methods and questions related to the FLA program.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of the freelance curriculum throughout the life of the program.
- Support on building a proper pipeline of potential instructors and facilitators for the Freelance Program
Skylancer Online Portal Responsibilities:
- Host regular webinars for freelance program alumni, participants, and potential participants.
- Support the development, maintenance of Skylancer Online Portal
- Work on the content generation for the portal including articles, videos, etc.
- Lead on communications campaign to position GSG as a thought leader in freelance tech education.
- Coordinate with GSG comms team on the best utilization of Skylancer social media platforms and execute social media plans with them.
Administrative Functions:
- New student paperwork and onboarding procedures (commitment form, background check, collecting stipend information)
- On-going paperwork to administer stipends to students
- Contracting & payments for any paid positions (instructors, facilitators, etc)
- Coordination of logistics related to in-person sessions including halls’ booking, students adhere to office policies esp. COVID-19 related.
- Support freelance program selection process (applicants screening, interviews, etc)
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Freelance Program Officer
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Gaza Sky Geeks Freelance Academy team, Operations team, Community team and Other relevant TechEd team members , and Mercy Corps Operations team
ACCOUNTABILITY TO PARTICIPANTS AND STAKEHOLDERS:
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- University degree in ICT, Science, engineering, business, English or any other related field, with a demonstrated record of interest and contemporary knowledge in his/her field.
- At least 2 years of proven work experience in a professional team-oriented environment
- Strong understanding of the social, political, and economic context of the Gaza Strip.
- Excellent writing skills in both English and Arabic.
- Proficiency in MS Office, Slack, Google products (Drive, Sheets, Docs). GSG does not use email internally. We use Slack.
- At least 1 year of proven work experience as a successful online freelancer on a major online freelancing platform in which work is conducted in English. Profiles will be evaluated online.
- Willingness to work outside of normal business hours as required;
SUCCESS FACTORS:
- Ability to work in a flat, fast paced environment with others who are passionate about supporting Gaza’s technology ecosystem
- Comfort with uncertainty and change—GSG is a small program but growing rapidly. Just like our program, we seek staff who are adaptable and pitch in on what needs to be done.
- Strong listening abilities in order to understand the needs of Gaza’s freelancing community and GSG’s tech community
- Superb attention to detail
- Positive attitude and passion for work
- Proactive, get-stuff-done mentality that always prioritizes outcomes, not just inputs
- Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution and negotiation skills;
- Excellent time and organizational management skills;
- Up to date knowledge of technical and industry developments.
- Excellent ability to work under pressure and carry out multiple tasks simultaneously.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
Qualified persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit an application online HERE
no later than Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Please apply separate application for each position you are interested in.