Your mission

Dogpatch is one of Europe’s leading startup and innovation hubs. Recognised as one of the world’s top fifteen incubators, our core mission is to accelerate the development of Ireland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and ensure that great startups can start locally, but grow globally. Through our international connections to more than 100 hubs worldwide, as well as numerous hubs across Ireland, we act as the primary connector between Ireland’s entrepreneurs and the world beyond our shores.
Located in the CHQ building in Dublin’s docklands, Dogpatch is home of the National Startup Accelerator (NDRC), where we collaborate with regional hubs Portershed, RDI Hub, and Republic of Work. This includes an equity-based accelerator (€100k investment), pre-accelerators, and ecosystem-building activities. We also run Ireland’s National Sustainability Accelerator - 2050 Accelerator, Founders - Ireland’s First Talent Accelerator and manage the operations of HBAN, Ireland’s National Angel Investment Network. More than 500 startups from over 30 countries call Dogpatch their home, as well as our national network of more than 1,700 startups across the island.
Dogpatch Labs has a corporate innovation arm that helps large organisations to ‘work with’ or ‘work like’ startups. Partners include Ireland's national energy utility ESB and the global financial services company Fidelity Investments.

Your profile

The Innovation Program Manager is a key part of the Dogpatch Labs Innovation Team. Working under the guidance of the Director of Innovation Programmes & Operations and alongside our skilled and passionate innovation team you will deliver innovation programmes (accelerators and incubators) to large corporates. Accelerators connect our corporate partners with visionary entrepreneurs who are developing breakthrough solutions and we help establish live pilots and partnerships to test their technologies. Incubators help our corporate partners develop their staff ideas into future revenue streams by showing internal teams how to work like startups to develop their ideas into commercially viable business propositions over the course of 3 months.
Your day-to-day will involve a variety of tasks including project managing the delivery of these innovation programmes, preparing client-facing presentations, leading client meetings, planning workshops and events. You’ll work with great teammates and most importantly, you’ll get to do work that is both meaningful and challenging.
We’re looking for someone who is bright, enthusiastic and capable, with great communication and organisational skills. It’s a busy and challenging position, with tasks and responsibilities growing and changing as the company grows.

Responsibilities:
Project Management & Operations

• Responsible for the logistics, operations, administration, scheduling and planning of innovation programmes.
  
• Ensure programme timelines and deliverables are met.
  
• Oversee the planning and delivery of workshops for these programmes including sourcing mentors and guest speakers.
  
• Responsible for the experience of the participants on the innovation programmes.
  
• Create meaningful client presentations and briefing notes as required in the planning and delivery phase of the programmes.
  
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams such as Marketing and Community to ensure smooth programme execution.
  
• Present and facilitate workshops for participants in the innovation program.
  
• Manage programme budgets ensuring efficient use of resources.
  
• Gather feedback from participants and stakeholders to improve programme design and execution.
  
• Track and analyze programme performance, making data-driven decisions to improve outcomes.
  
• Create templates and playbooks to streamline actions and decision making.
  
• Manage the Innovation Operations Associate to deliver all innovation programmes.
  

Partner Engagement

• Manage all aspects of client satisfaction, ensuring that customer needs are met or exceeded through effective communication, timely problem resolution, and personalized service.
  
• Act as the primary point of contact for clients keep them informed of programme operations, logistics and timelines, regularly gathering feedback and proactively addressing concerns to enhance the client experience.
  

Who You Are:

• 3 years experience in a similar role is essential. You may have run your own startup or worked for an accelerator previously.
  
• You’re highly organised and strong in multi-tasking, planning, priority setting and execution.
  
• You know how to manage projects effectively and engage people to meet milestones.
  
• You have excellent communication skills and have experience interacting with C-Suite executives.
  
• You’re self-motivated, independently driven and thrive in fast-paced environments with a constant curiosity and a desire to learn new things.
  
• You’re a team player who enjoys collaborative work and brings a positive attitude to any task.
  
• You’re passionate about startups and innovation.
  
• You will have a knowledge and/or interest in the energy/sustainability/transport/startup world.
  
• You have strong commercial acumen.
  
• Ability to use modern technology platforms, and learn quickly (Trello, Slack, Google Docs & Slides etc)
  

What You'll Gain:

• Hands-on experience in project management within corporate innovation.
  
• The chance to make a real impact on the future of our innovation ecosystem.
  
• Exposure to the latest technologies shaping the worlds of energy/sustainability/transportation.
  
• The opportunity to meet and learn from top entrepreneurs as they share their knowledge with our teams.
  
• Mentorship and guidance from seasoned professionals in the field.
  

Why us?

Terms:
The role is a full-time, fixed term contract, based on site role based at our offices in the CHQ Building, Custom House Quay, Dublin 1, Ireland. This role offers flexibility, and we are open to discussing hybrid work arrangements to accommodate your needs while ensuring the successful execution of projects.

Benefits:

• Health Insurance
  
• Pension Contribution
  
• 25 Days Annual Leave
  
• Employee Wellbeing Hub
  
• Generous Parental Benefits after 1 year of service
  

How to Apply:
Send us your CV along with a short blurb (< 200 words) summarising why you’re interested in working with our corporate partners on their innovation journey.
Dogpatch Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and mindsets, because we know the strength of our team lies in its diversity.