RS Needs: Work/Intern/Volunteer

August 29, 2009 by RootSpaceOnline

RootSpace is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, and we are trying to maximize our limited resources to achieve as much impact as possible. As such, we welcome volunteers to help us out in any of the following areas. "CARE" volunteers or interns (Capable, Available, Reliable, Engaged) especially welcome!

Current Needs and Positions:
* RootSpace Event Organizer
* RootSpace Program Developer/Organizer
* Intern positions (p/t or f/t), especially to help with website support (Drupal especially!), graphic design (for web/print); event organizing; outreach, fundraising, grant-writing, more!

RootSpace Event Organizer

We are looking for a highly-talented, ambitious, and socially active/passionate person to help us organize several key events over the coming months related to RootSpace's initiatives related to innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology.

PLEASE READ ALL THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS BELOW BEFORE CONTACTING US REGARDING THIS POSITION.

ROOTSPACE/ORGANIZATIONAL TASKS
·    Manage key logistics of the events
·    Identify and pursue sponsorship opportunities, grant opportunities, and creative revenue generation methods to adequate funding for the events and organization
·    Negotiate pro-bono and in-kind agreements with service providers (accountants, lawyers etc.) and suppliers
·    Identify and coordinate with potential organizational and corporate partners
·    Identify and recruit potential participants
·    Recruit and manage a group of interns and volunteers
·    Track expenses / budget

*** top priority between Sep & Nov ***
4SITE Forum & Global Entrepreneurship Week in Lebanon (GEW-Lebanon)
RootSpace is the key organizer of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Lebanon, and the key project related to GEW-Lebanon for 2009 is the organization of the 4SITE Forum: Investing in Sustainability | Innovation | Technology | Entrepreneurship, an exciting, engaging, and innovative forum to promote the growth of sustainable and innovative businesses in the region by bringing together investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs from across various sectors. The 4SITE Forum will build a network of the pivotal participants in these arenas, and build a series of events and activities to promote knowledge-based economic development throughout the region. 4SITE Forum is a collaborative effort between RootSpace (a non-profit organization in Lebanon), Zawya.com, YallaStartup, Cisco, Baraka Group (one of the key organizers of TedX-Dubai), and others (several in discussion regarding specific roles, to be finalized soon).

*** Coordination and assistance with 4SITE Forum will be the first priority for this person until after November 2009. ***

Other program initiatives and responsibilities will continue after November and the 4SITE Forum, including:
* the OpenSesame Initiative (OSI), which aims to promote the development and usage of web and tech services based on open-source software and tools that address Lebanon’s commercial, academic, public service, and civil society sectors;
* other initiatives (in development) to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Lebanon and the region.

REQUIREMENTS
·    Prior experience in the business world (work in academia, non-profit, government, or other sectors okay if related to entrepreneurship, business, innovation, or tech development)
·    Previous experience as an event, program, or project manager
·    Good knowledge of the SME sector in Lebanon / WANA (West Asia/North Africa) region
·    Fluent speaking/writing in English and Arabic
·    Very web/tech aware and able to blog and/or manage sections of the web site
·    Good financial / numerical ability
·    Some experience in planning and managing events
·    Strong knowledge of office tools, technology, web, social media
·    Ability to work a flexible schedule
·    Ability to both lead and delegate
·    An excellent communicator
·    Passionate about entrepreneurship and economic development
·    Passionate about and committed to making an impact in Lebanon
·    Willing to remain in the role for a minimum of 1 year (position will be reviewed after the 4SITE Forum)

BENEFICIAL
·    Previous employment/volunteering at a non-profit beneficial
·    Practical/working skills in French (Arabic & English required)
·    Formal business training (e.g. finance or business administration degree, MBA, etc)
·    Entrepreneurial experience desirable

SALARY: Competitive, plus possible commissions according to funds raised

POSITION AVAILABILITY: Immediately.

TO APPLY
Send the following documents by email to <beirut (at) therootspace <dot> org>, with the email subject line of "RootSpace Event Organizer":
* an updated and well-formatted CV/resume
* a cover letter that explains the candidates qualifications as relates to the above job requirements * a list of relevant websites, work, references, etc

Submissions without the above documents or proper subject line in the email may not be considered.

RootSpace Program Developer/Organizer

We are looking for a highly-talented, ambitious, and socially active/passionate person to help us push RootSpace to be a leading non-profit organization in the region promoting social entrepreneurship, open source tech tools, and innovative, knowledge-based economic development in Lebanon and beyond. This is a unique opportunity to help shape an innovative organization, with considerable opportunity for advancement - an opportunity to develop the perfect role that combines both doing good with doing well. PLEASE READ THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS BELOW BEFORE CONTACTING US REGARDING THIS POSITION.

GENERAL ROOTSPACE/ORGANIZATIONAL TASKS
·    Project management and operations (specifically related to programs below)
·    Raise new funds from various sources, and establish creative revenue generation methods to ensure sustainability and growth of the organization (including monitoring different local and international organizations, grantees, foundations, etc for potentially relevant opportunities, and writing grants)
·    Support/organize events that promote the program and core work of RootSpace
·    Negotiate pro-bono agreements with service providers (accountants, lawyers etc.) for RS programs
·    Locate suitable program participants through work with universities, incubators, and other partners
·    Find and manage a group of interns and volunteers

SPECIFIC PROGRAM TASKS 

Tasks:
·    Assist with efforts to identify speakers, partners, and other content areas
·    Assist with identifying and closing arrangements with sponsors (financial and in-kind)
·    Assist with outreach for participants, participatory activities, etc
·    Coordinate basic event logistics, including volunteers, etc
·    Track expenses / budget

*** Coordination and assistance with 4SITE Forum will be the first priority for this person until after November 2009. ***

OpenSesame Initiative

 The OpenSesame Initiative(OSI) aims to promote the development and usage of web and tech services based on open-source software and tools that address Lebanon’s commercial, academic, public service, and civil society sectors. Open source tools provide substantially more flexibility and control to those using the applications, it supports local tech and IT development at the highest international standards, and open source applications are substantially cheaper than their proprietary alternatives (open source tools are free, and just require technicians to set up and service them).

The OpenSesame Initiative intends to address several pressing and pervasive issues in Lebanon:
* inadequate awareness, understanding and experience of developers and designers regarding open source tools and how they can benefit tech development, business, and different sectors of society
* growing need for the development of strong business opportunities for web developers and designers based on implementing open source tools and websites
* strong demand for trilingual developers and designers and their ability to implement the 3 main languages (English, French, and Arabic) in open source software and applications
* lack of opportunities for science/technology university students in real world programming experience and exposure to domestic and global tech industry.

Tasks:
·    Promote Open Sesame / RootSpace online and in the open source community
·    Devise, execute, and co-ordinate a range of open source projects and events at RootSpace (small trainings, discussions, larger BarCamps, etc)
·    Develop sponsorship relationships with different companies in Lebanon, regionally, and globally
·    Oversee/Support OpenSesame volunteers/interns, who will be working to ...
·    Develop relationships with open source groups globally (Drupal, Firefox/Mozilla, Linux/Ubuntu, etc)
·    Outreach to universities, student groups, faculty, etc...
·    Organize & conduct different workshops, events, etc...
·    Develop BarCamp events

Other programmatic areas of work after November
·    Develop a range of entrepreneurial programs, events, and tools
·    Recruit and manage entrepreneur and corporate mentors
·    Research potential projects and partners
·    Assist with developing internal organizational structure and expanding organizational staff
·    Manage / update the public facing RootSpace website

REQUIREMENTS
·    Prior experience in the business world (work in academia, non-profit, government, or other sectors okay if related to entrepreneurship, business, innovation, or tech development)
·    Previous experience as a program/project manager
·    Good knowledge of the SME sector in Lebanon / WANA (West Asia/North Africa) region
·    Fluent speaking/writing in English and Arabic
·    Very web/tech aware and able to blog and/or manage sections of the web site
·    Good financial / numerical ability
·    Some experience in planning and managing events
·    Strong knowledge of office tools, technology, web, social media
·    Ability to work a flexible schedule
·    Ability to both lead and delegate
·    An excellent communicator
·    Passionate about entrepreneurship and economic development
·    Passionate about and committed to making an impact in Lebanon
·    Willing to remain in the role for a minimum of 1 year

BENEFICIAL
·    Previous employment/volunteering at a non-profit beneficial
·    Practical/working skills in French (Arabic & English required)
·    Formal business training (e.g. finance or business administration degree, MBA, etc)
·    Entrepreneurial experience desirable
·    Experience of working with a board
·    Wilingness to travel overseas to represent RootSpace at leading international conferences

SALARY: Competitive, plus possible commissions according to funds raised

POSITION AVAILABILITY: Immediately.

TO APPLY
Send the following documents by email to <beirut (at) therootspace <dot> org>, with the email subject line of "RootSpace Program Developer/Organizer":
* an updated and well-formatted CV/resume
* a cover letter that explains the candidates qualifications as relates to the above job requirements * a list of relevant websites, work, references, etc

Submissions without the above documents or proper subject line in the email may not be considered.

Intern Positions

We have some position openings for part-time or full-time interns or volunteers with the following skills or interest areas (some positions may be stipended):  * graphic design  * business/entrepreneurship/innovation research  * technology research  * event planning  * web development/web programming * business/marketing * literature/writing/translation (Arabic/English) * journalism/media (print, audio, video)
The work will be fun, exciting, tech-saavy, innovative, and productive, with all interns being involved in real work, producing real content, and ending with real experience that will contribute to their portfolio, CV/resume, and skill-base.
Key assets: RELIABLE; hard-working; positive attitude; social activism or development background/interests; self-motivated, ambitious, professional behavior, detail-oriented, and a creative problem-solver

To Apply: Send the following documents to <beirut (at) therootspace (dot) org>:
* an updated and well-formatted CV/resume  
* a cover letter that explains the candidates qualifications as relates to the above internship skill areas 
* a brief writing sample, list of candidate’s work online, or any other helpful/relevant information.

Direct any questions or communications to us through our Contact Page, or by sending an email to: <beirut (at) therootspace (dot) org>