Technology Accelerator Manager

80%-100% activity rate | 12-month fixed-term contract | Hybrid in Geneva or fully remote | Start as soon as possible

• ROLE AT A GLANCE
• Compensation: Up to USD 125,000 at 100% FTE, plus 20% fringe
• Start date: As soon as possible; the challenge is scheduled to launch in August 2026
• Location: Bellevue, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, or fully remote
• Hybrid arrangement: Approximately one day per week in the Bellevue office

ABOUT US

The Global Health Security Fund (GHS Fund) is a Geneva-based nonprofit association that applies entrepreneurship and venture-capital principles to innovations that strengthen global health security.

Through Bio PREVAIL, our One Health security initiative, we connect innovators, experts, funders, governments, and international partners to advance sustainable, safe, and resilient laboratory systems.

The next Bio PREVAIL Innovation Challenge will identify and support teams developing practical approaches to biosecurity and sustainable laboratories, with an emphasis on equitable and locally relevant innovation.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The GHS Fund is seeking an entrepreneurial, hands‑on Technology Accelerator Manager to build and lead the next Bio PREVAIL Innovation Challenge over the coming year.

This person will own the challenge from final design and global recruitment through selection, cohort acceleration, prototype and pilot development, partner engagement, the final showcase, and closeout.

The role combines accelerator leadership, venture development, business development, and program operations.

The successful candidate will understand startups and investors and adapt entrepreneurial methods for startups, academic teams, NGOs, civil‑society organizations, implementers, and technical experts.

This is a builder role.

You will not inherit a finished accelerator.

You will create the playbook, programming, systems, partner network, and participant experience—and improve them continuously.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Build the challenge
• Translate project objectives into a 12-month delivery plan, curriculum, milestones, budget, risk register, and decision calendar.
• Define the participant journey, selection criteria, stage gates, mentor model, reporting routines, governance, and final showcase format.
• Build reusable processes, templates, and documentation for future Bio PREVAIL challenges.
• Lead global sourcing and selection
• Manage the global call for applications and build a diverse pipeline of startups, SMEs, research teams, NGOs, civil‑society organizations, and locally led innovators.
• Develop outreach partnerships with accelerators, universities, venture funds, foundations, governments, international organizations, and technical networks.
• Own screening, due diligence, interviews, scoring, reviewer coordination, selection meetings, applicant communications, onboarding, and milestone planning.
• Deliver accelerator programming
• Create a practical curriculum combining workshops, office hours, mentor sessions, peer learning, expert clinics, and milestone reviews.
• Develop programming on customer discovery, product strategy, business models, commercialization, impact, intellectual property, regulatory pathways, market access, financing, and pitching.
• Recruit and manage high‑quality mentors, speakers, investors, technical experts, and facilitators while ensuring an excellent participant experience.
• Assess each team’s needs, establish ambitious but realistic milestones, and provide structured coaching and accountability.
• Support market research, competitive analysis, product and pilot strategy, business‑model development, commercialization planning, fundraising, and investment readiness.
• Connect teams with technical experts, users, implementation partners, funders, investors, and prospective pilot sites, intervening early when additional support is needed.
• Build the ecosystem and lead business development
• Develop a global network of mentors, investors, foundations, corporations, public‑sector partners, laboratories, international organizations, and technical experts.
• Manage relationships with challenge funders and external partners, ensuring their objectives are reflected in delivery and reporting.
• Generate pilots, partnerships, sponsorships, co‑funding, follow‑on investment, and future challenge opportunities.
• Represent the GHS Fund and Bio PREVAIL in relevant communities and lead the final innovation showcase or Demo Day.
• Manage operations and improve systems
• Own the program calendar, events, budget, vendors, participant records, dashboards, and partner reporting.
• Administer Startup Tree or a comparable accelerator and ecosystem platform, together with the program CRM and collaboration tools.
• Maintain transparent work plans, time allocation, deliverable tracking, and risk management.
• Use participant and stakeholder feedback to improve curriculum, workflows, tools, data quality, and communications.
• Create a reusable accelerator playbook, knowledge base, mentor resources, selection materials, reporting templates, and operating procedures.
• Contribute to partnership proposals, fundraising materials, and program‑development opportunities.

WHAT YOU BRING

Essential experience and skills

• At least five years of experience in technology acceleration or incubation, venture capital or impact investment, startup operations, venture building, commercialization, or innovation-program management.
• Demonstrated success building or materially redesigning an accelerator, innovation challenge, venture program, or founder‑support initiative from concept through launch and delivery.
• Hands‑on early‑stage startup and venture‑capital experience, including sourcing, screening, due diligence, portfolio support, fundraising, or investment readiness.
• A strong business‑development record, with the ability to convert relationships into pilots, partnerships, sponsorships, funding, investment, or other concrete opportunities.
• Experience sourcing and selecting innovation teams, designing entrepreneurial programming, and building mentor, investor, and partner networks.
• Excellent project and operations management, English communication, facilitation, and the ability to translate technical material into clear business decisions.
• Strong cross‑cultural judgment and experience working with international teams and partners.
• Comfort using Startup Tree or another accelerator platform, plus CRM, spreadsheet, project‑management, and collaboration tools.

Direct Startup Tree experience is strongly preferred.

• A proven ability to work independently in a remote or hybrid environment while remaining responsive, transparent, and accountable.
• A relevant university degree or equivalent practical experience.
• Preferred experience
• Global health security, biosecurity, biosafety, biotechnology, diagnostics, laboratories, life sciences, public health, or another science‑and‑technology‑intensive field
• Civil society, international organizations, governments, donors, foundations, universities, or multi‑country partnerships
• Innovation programming for resource‑constrained settings and locally led teams
• Direct experience as a startup founder or operator, investor, venture advisor, or accelerator leader
• French‑language proficiency; additional relevant languages are welcome
• HOW YOU WORK

You are an entrepreneurial builder who turns ambiguity into a clear operating system.

You are comfortable with startup speed, experimentation, limited resources, and learning by doing.

You are strategic, commercially minded, self‑directed, accountable, collaborative, and able to build trust across technical, investment, government, and civil‑society communities.

• WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE AFTER 12 MONTHS
• The next Bio PREVAIL Innovation Challenge has launched and been delivered on schedule, with strong governance and reliable systems.
• A high‑quality, diverse global cohort has been recruited, selected, and onboarded through a transparent process.
• Participants have received a high‑value acceleration experience supported by an engaged mentor, investor, technical, and implementation network.
• Cohort teams have achieved meaningful milestones, including stronger business and impact models, prototypes, pilot pathways, partnerships, and improved funding or investment readiness.
• GHS Fund leadership and external partners receive timely, accurate reporting and clear visibility into progress, risks, outcomes, and lessons learned.
• The final showcase creates meaningful opportunities, and a reusable playbook, workflows, data structure, and partner network are in place for future challenges.
• New partnership, funding, and program‑development opportunities have been generated through ecosystem building and business development.
• WHAT THE ROLE OFFERS
• The opportunity to build a flagship international innovation challenge from the ground up and shape how entrepreneurial programming is delivered in global health security.
• High autonomy, visible ownership, and access to leadership, external partners, and a global innovation network.
• An 80%-100% position with hybrid or fully remote working arrangements and scope to grow as the organization and its programs expand.

*We welcome candidates with relevant transferable experience and encourage applications even when every preferred qualification is not met.*

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