Program Manager- Creative Industries Impact Startup Incubator (Berlin)

About the programme

This role sits within a new European incubation programme supporting impact-driven, youth-led startups in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)- film, fashion, music, media, events, sports and the wider creator economy- delivered simultaneously across three of Europe's largest creative ecosystems: France, Germany and the UK, in partnership with a major corporate foundation.

You will lead the German cohort, reaching ideation and early-stage founders, with a strong focus on underserved communities.

Delivery blends a fully remote learning experience with in-person community, mentoring and in-person events.

About the role

Are you part of Germany's creative and entrepreneurial ecosystem?

Are you passionate about helping young founders in the cultural and creative industries build sustainable, impact-driven businesses?

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Programme Manager to lead delivery of the German cohort of our creative-industries accelerator, which runs in parallel across France, Germany and the UK.

You will work closely with the Programme Managers running the France and UK cohorts to deliver a coherent cross-border programme and shared European events.

You will actively contribute to all programme stages, from design to execution, ensuring all KPIs are met.

Your responsibilities

• Work towards programmatic goals, coordinate with the team, plan and prioritise effectively to deliver high-quality results to our founders and partners.
• Collaborate across the France, UK and global INCO teams to exchange expertise and contribute to the synergic development of INCO\'s entrepreneurship programmes.
• Design and implement the German cohort of the creative-industries acceleration programme, across outreach, onboarding & diagnostics, capacity building and community pillars.
• Lead outreach and selection to recruit a diverse cohort of startups, actively scouting through creative-industry networks and reaching founders beyond Berlin and from underserved communities.
• Leverage existing networks and create new ones to raise awareness about the programme (creative hubs, incubators, cultural institutions, nonprofits, accelerators, investors and ecosystem actors across Germany).
• Recruit and engage key stakeholders for programme implementation (trainers, mentors, sector masterclass experts).
• Review applications for compliance with socio-economic, impact and creative-sector selection criteria.
• Collaborate with our communications teams to plan and monitor online recruitment campaigns and to surface founder stories and video portraits for funder reporting and advocacy.
• Work with our legal team to comply with all processes.
• Facilitate engaging live workshops and sessions throughout the programme, keeping a remote-first cohort motivated, connected and cohesive from onboarding through to the final event.
• Communicate with the selected founders, trainers and mentors, sharing programme information and relevant opportunities and events.
• Create meaningful connections with founders, alumni and mentors through dedicated community-building activities - meetups, mentoring circles, ecosystem immersion events and peer-learning sessions in Berlin and beyond.
• Co‑organise local and cross‑border in‑person events.
• Share programme impact stories and milestones by identifying relevant communication materials (with support from our communications team).
• Perform analytical, monitoring, and administrative tasks related to the programme.
• Lead the organisation of both virtual and in‑person events, such as enterprise competitions.
• Based in Berlin, with hands‑on experience in Germany\'s entrepreneurship and/or creative‑industries ecosystem and knowledge of relevant networks.
• Fluent/ native German and fluent English (working proficiency)- you will deliver, facilitate and build community primarily in German, but all team communication and internal deliverables will be in English.
• Experience in entrepreneurship incubation, acceleration, or training programmes, ideally with impact startups in the cultural and creative industries or creator economy.
• Outstanding people and facilitation skills: you energise a room (and a video call), build trust quickly, and keep a cohort engaged and cohesive from start to finish.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both German and English.
• Experience in managing stakeholder relations, with a demonstrated ability to develop lasting relationships with a wide array of stakeholders- founders, mentors, trainers, ecosystem partners and corporate volunteers.
• Strong project management skills, with proven experience running remote or hybrid programmes.
• Highly organised, precise and autonomous- able to own delivery of a cohort end-to-end and prioritise confidently within a complex, multi-country programme.
• Adaptable and effective in dynamic environments where coordination across different teams is essential; comfortable operating in changing conditions.
• Resourceful and able to make decisions independently, while ready to ask for help when needed.
• Open-minded, collaborative and committed to maintaining close links with your team through regular and transparent communication.

Desired skills and experience

• Knowledge of and connections within the cultural and creative industries (film, fashion, music, media, events, sports, creator economy) in Germany.
• Solid command of productivity tools (e. g. Google Suite, Slack, Monday. com, Typeform, Hubspot).
• Experience building and nurturing online communities, and keeping remote cohorts engaged and connected.
• Experience with impact data collection, analysis, and communication.
• Experience with using qualitative and quantitative research to inform programme implementation.
• Familiarity with reaching underserved entrepreneurs, and with socio-economic targeting of participants.
• Experience delivering corporate-funded/ foundation-funded programmes and engaging corporate volunteers is a plus.
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