Reporting to the Director of New Ventures, the Seed Fund Manager will be responsible for the Seed Fund strategy, team, program development, successful implementation, and alignment with the objectives of the New Ventures and KAUST.
Major Responsibilities:
- Manage the Seed Fund team and operations.
- Oversee awarded portfolio projects.
- Ensure continuous alignment with the strategy of New Ventures and KAUST Economic Development and contribute to the overall development of the division as needed.
- Develop, lead and implement seed grant programs and competitions including development of application materials and content, application and scoring criteria, sourcing panel of judges, etc.
- Further develop the Seed Fund operations, policies and business processes.
- Oversee new Seed Fund and Pre-Seed Fund award process Introduce and develop, as needed, new funding mechanisms based on the Seed Fund and New Ventures mission.
- Lead the Seed Fund Oversight Committee meetings and support the Oversight Committee Chairman in holding Seed Fund Investment Committee meetings.
- Work closely with the Entrepreneurship Center in order to provide coaching and mentoring for the seeded projects.
- Further develop support networks, along with other departments in KAUST, for providing further support for the seeded projects.
- Work with other members of KAUST, KAUST Economic Development, affiliated bodies, government and institutional partners to materialize the Seed Fund strategy and objectives.
- Prepare and manage Seed Fund budget Manage and oversee the creation of promotional material for the Seed Fund.
Technical Skills:
- Proficiency in seed fund operations, policies and business processes Knowledge of the investment industry with demonstrated experience in Saudi Arabia and/or the MENA region a plus.
- Demonstrated ability in setting up procedures and processes which would require interfacing with multiple functions and stakeholders.
- Ability to draft and negotiate all aspects of a commercial deal/business plan for start-up opportunities.
- Knowledge of budget management and responsibilities.
- Strong organizational and time management skills.
- Fluency in Arabic and English a plus as the job entails reaching out and dealing with local Saudi organizations.
- Ability to work effectively and efficiently with industry, University affiliated bodies, research faculty, university research administration, graduate students, and with colleagues at all KAUST related organizations fostering a cooperative work environment.
- Strong project management skills Capable of dealing with constantly changing priorities.
- Ability to work within tight timelines and meet deadlines.
Non-Technical Skills or Attributes:
- Strong MENA/KSA startup, university and investment network a plus.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to attract and retain management talent.
- Entrepreneurial mindset, comfortable with ambiguous environments, can-do attitude, over-communicator, team player, flat-organization oriented.
Desired Skills & Experience
Required Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance or Economics and preferably a Master degree in Finance or a similar discipline.
Required Experience:
- Total of 10 working years of experience of which minimum 5 years of experience in running a program in university/government based funding organization or the early stage investment field.
- Previous experience in project management, portfolio reporting and contract and agreement negotiation.
- Previous experience in running a seed funding program or an accelerator/incubator program a plus.
Company Description
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is an international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom, in the region, and around the globe. As an independent, merit-based institution, KAUST’s pioneering matrix structure of academic divisions and interdisciplinary research centers enables top researchers from around the globe and across all cultures to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological issues. The KAUST global research and education networks support diverse talents, both on its campus and at other premier universities and research institutions, through collaborative research agreements, grants, and student scholarship programs. KAUST, open to both men and women from all around the world, is governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The core campus, located on more than 36 million square meters on the Red Sea at Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, was inaugurated on the 23rd of September 2009. For more information about KAUST, visit www.kaust.edu.sa.
