Ashoka Arab World Fellowship Assistant Terms of Reference
Background: Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs—men and women with system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems. Since 1981, we have elected over 3000 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in 80 countries. With our global community, we develop models for collaboration and design infrastructure needed to advance the field of social entrepreneurship and the citizen sector. Our Fellows inspire others to adopt and spread their innovations - demonstrating to all citizens that they too have the potential to be powerful changemakers. In the present political and social state in many of the countries of the Arab world, Ashoka helps leading social entrepreneurs step forward with leadership and ideas for a more open, developed, and democratic future. Ashoka Arab World (AAW) was launched in 2003. We now have over 60 Fellows in seven countries in the region. Background: Fellowship: once a Social Entrepreneur is elected as part of the Ashoka Fellowship, Fellows enter a borderless community of creativity and collective action. Connected through Ashoka’s Fellowship work and by shared identity, values, goals, and approaches to social change, Ashoka Fellows seek support, ideas, inspiration, and motivation from their peers locally and globally. Ashoka supports its Fellows collaborative work so Ashoka Fellows can achieve results more powerful than what they could accomplish on their own, including new initiatives, publicity, or theoretical concepts that will guide their respective fields and advance the citizen sector. Reports To: Venture & Fellowship Officer Employment: Full time Office hours: 9 am to 5 pm (unless assigned to stay later fulfilling work requirements) Working days: Sunday through Thursday, with weekends on Friday and Saturday. Workrelated obligations sometimes require weekend attendance.
Main Objectives:
A. Support, enable and monitor AAW Fellows work in spreading their reach and increasing their impact B. Engage AAW Fellows in Ashoka’s EACH vision through fostering collaboration, cocreation and group entrepreneurship to scale their impact and build the EACH movement C. Create, harvest and manage knowledge from AAW Fellowship to document and monitor Fellow best practices, models, patterns and trends to build AAW’s institutional memory
Main Activities: A. Support, enable and monitor AAW Fellows work in spreading their reach and increasing their impact Integrate and on-board newly elected Fellows and enrol them into Fellowship Program Enrol new Fellows into Ashoka’s global network (Welcome meetings/calls, Ashoka Hub, New Fellows call, etc..). Have all activation documents for newly elected Fellows complete (CoA, FDF, Stipend Agreement and Stipend Approval). Enrol newly elected Fellows into AAW Monitoring and Evaluation tool, through setting key performance indicators and creating Quarterly Report template. Implement AAW Performance Management tool with Fellows through: Annual reports, quarterly reports and needs assessment Field visits Release quarterly stipend to all Fellows on stipend Update and submit Stipend Wire Request to Finance Team Support and follow up on Fellows to submit Quarterly Reports Coordinate with Finance Team to release approved stipends Coordinate capacity building workshops to provide Fellows with the skills and the tools needed Mapping current training providers Coordinating with the Development Team to provide pro-bono assistance to Fellows, according to their needs Coordinate with Media & Marketing to provide Fellows with media exposure through publications, media appearances and social media Keep track and update Media & Marketing with Fellow news, activities and awards Tailor Ashoka’sFellow supporting tools according to Fellow specific needs
Provide Fellows with the support needed with translations, Ashoka presence and/or support
B. Engage AAW Fellows in Ashoka’s EACH vision through fostering collaboration, cocreation and group entrepreneurship to scale their impact and build the EACH movement Engage Ashoka Fellows through hosting different Ashoka events to showcase their ideas and achievements (Ashoka Fellow meetings/salons, AIN, etc...) Update Fellows about Ashoka activities, news and other Fellows’ news through Fellowship Newsletter Nominate and provide Fellows with access to international, regional and national awards and conferences
C. Create, harvest and manage knowledge from AAW Fellowship to document and monitor Fellow best practices, models, patterns and trends to build AAW’s institutional memory Track and document all Fellowship services offered to Fellows by AAW Measure the impact Ashoka Fellowship has had on Fellows Report on Fellowship activities (events, meetings and visits) Maintain Fellowship Folders in soft copies and hard copies Update Fellows’ information on Salesforce.com Maintain and update Fellow Contacts database Supporting with Fellow Selection Panels: During panel preparations, Fellowship Assistant will support the Venture team by taking on different activities, during the panel preparations, candidates retreat and during the panel. Performance Management: Together with her/his supervisor, the staff member will develop a Performance Agreement at the beginning of her/his term. This agreement will include goals, measures and expected results and will be the baseline for the performance review to take place after the first six months and the end of the year. Together with her/his supervisor, the staff member will develop her/his work plan for the year with goals with bi-annual, quarterly and monthly targets.
A monthly report with all activities against objectives and concrete targets to be executed during the month will be sent to Regional Director and supervisor at the end of each month. Qualifications: Education: B.A. in a relevant field, preferably in Social Sciences, Business, Economics, or Political Science. Experience: 2 years of relevant experience is required. Proficiency in research skills Proficiency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, Power Point, etc. Language requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic Ability to type in Arabic Other Qualifications: Initiative, independent with sound judgment, service oriented, excellent communication skills, excellent drafting skills and flexible. Work Conditions: 50% of the work hours are in the office and 50% in the field Official working hours are from 9:00 am till 5:00 pm, five days a week (which represents 50% - 60% of the time). On average we work until 6 or 7 p.m. at least 20 % of the time. During major events we work until 8 or 9 (25 % of the time). Sometimes we work during holidays if needed (10% of the time). After three years of work at AAW, staff members can apply to other Ashoka jobs in the region or abroad. How to apply: Interested candidates should kindly send their application package at recruiting@ashokaarab.org with “Fellowship Assistant” in the subject line. Application package should include: 1. An updated resume in a PDF format.
2. A cover letter explaining why you are interested in Ashoka and why you are fit with our hiring criteria. 3. A writing sample, something that you previously wrote entirely by yourself, in English on any topic of interest and that is not less than one pager. Kindly note that incomplete applications will not be considered and only short listed applicants will be contacted.