Incubation Manager

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop the operational framework and standards for CPMS-supported incubation hubs and Centres of Excellence.
• Define what a functional Centre of Excellence should look like in terms of infrastructure, technology, programmes, people, processes and partnerships.
• Assess institutional readiness and identify infrastructure, operational, curriculum and ecosystem gaps within Centres of Excellence.
• Develop and coordinate a structured incubation pathway covering ideation, validation, pre-incubation, incubation, commercialisation, investment readiness and graduation.
• Work closely with the Learning & Development Lead to understand digital curricula and ensure learning programmes translate into practical innovation and enterprise outcomes.
• Support startups and entrepreneurs with business modelling, product/MVP development, market validation, commercialisation and investment readiness.
• Develop and maintain a startup pipeline to track participants, startups, milestones, business outcomes and graduation.
• Establish measurable performance milestones for incubated startups and conduct periodic portfolio reviews.
• Coordinate relevant ESOs and ensure their capabilities are appropriately matched to incubation and Centre of Excellence requirements.
• Develop and coordinate mentor, founder, investor and ecosystem networks to support incubated ventures.
• Engage participating institutions and support the effective establishment and operation of their Centres of Excellence.
• Analyse incubation and beneficiary performance data, identify gaps and trends, and translate findings into actionable recommendations and improvement plans.
• Prepare periodic incubation reports, Centre of Excellence assessments, dashboards and supporting documentation.
• Travel to Centres of Excellence, participating institutions and other project locations when required.
  

Requirements:

• A minimum of a Bachelor's Degree or HND in any relevant discipline.
• Relevant professional experience in incubation, innovation, entrepreneurship, enterprise development, startup support, programme management or related functions.
• Practical experience working within or supporting an incubation hub, innovation hub, accelerator, Centre of Excellence or entrepreneurship-development programme.
• Demonstrable understanding of how an incubation hub or Centre of Excellence should be designed and operated.
• Experience supporting startups, entrepreneurs, digital talent or early-stage businesses.
• Experience developing or implementing incubation or enterprise-development programmes.
• Experience working with multiple institutional and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Experience working with universities, tertiary institutions, innovation ecosystems or enterprise-development programmes is an advantage.
• Relevant professional certification in entrepreneurship, innovation management, business development, project management or product management is an added advantage.