Safa Halah

Safa'a Al-Halah is an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem Expert with more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship development, startup support, SME advisory services, local economic development, innovation management, and ecosystem building. She currently serves as Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the IRADA Program – Royal Scientific Society, where she leads the design, implementation, and expansion of entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives across Jordan. Since assuming her leadership role, she has successfully designed and managed entrepreneurship ecosystems across multiple governorates through innovation programs, startup incubation services, entrepreneurship hackathons, strategic partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives.

She has led the implementation of regional entrepreneurship hackathons across Jordan, attracting more than 700 applications and supporting over 180 entrepreneurs, innovators, and startup founders through training, mentoring, incubation, and business development services. Safa'a played a leading role in establishing and operating the Ajloun Business Incubator, providing startups and entrepreneurs with business development support, mentoring, technical services, market access opportunities, and ecosystem connectivity. She also led the development of IRADA's first integrated digital Hackathon Management Platform, creating a comprehensive system for registration, participant management, training, mentoring, evaluation, reporting, and impact measurement.

Throughout her career, she has built strong partnerships with universities, innovation centers, private sector companies, development organizations, investors, and entrepreneurship support institutions. She has extensive experience in entrepreneurship program design and management, startup ecosystem development, venture support, incubation, monitoring and evaluation, proposal development, donor engagement, and stakeholder management. Prior to her current position, she served as an Entrepreneurship Consultant within IRADA for more than 15 years, during which she prepared and supervised over 500 feasibility studies and provided technical, financial, and managerial advisory services to entrepreneurs, SMEs, cooperatives, NGOs, and local authorities.

She holds a master's degree in economics with Distinction from Yarmouk University and is the recipient of the Hussein Fund for Creativity and Excellence Award for Economic Research. Her professional mission focuses on building sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystems, supporting innovation-driven economic development, and empowering youth and women through entrepreneurship, enterprise development, and inclusive economic participation.

Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at IRADA Program, Royal Scientific Society (2024-01 – Present)

• Lead the development and implementation of the national Entrepreneurship & Innovation strategy within IRADA, aligned with national development priorities.
• Design and oversee entrepreneurship awareness and innovation programs across Jordan's governorates, tailored to each local ecosystem
• Plan and supervise sector-focused entrepreneurship and innovation hackathons, including challenge design, participant recruitment, training delivery, mentoring, judging processes, startup development, and post-program follow-up.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with public and private sector entities, universities, industry experts, and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Supervise and mentor entrepreneurship officers across governorates, ensuring standardized methodologies and high-quality program execution.
• Develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks to measure program impact and performance outcomes.
• Coordinate closely with regional supervisors and local offices to ensure integrated implementation.
• Establish and maintain relationships with donors and funding agencies; lead proposal development and reporting processes to ensure transparency and compliance.
• Develop specialized training programs in entrepreneurship and innovation linked to market needs and local value chains.
• Strengthen IRADA's integration within local entrepreneurship ecosystems (incubators, accelerators, universities, funding institutions).
• Lead major entrepreneurship events and ensure effective collaboration between participants, mentors, sponsors, and partners.
• Utilize evaluation insights and data analysis to improve strategic planning and program sustainability.
• Represent IRADA in national and international forums related to entrepreneurship and innovation
• Led the implementation of regional entrepreneurship and innovation hackathons across Jordan, supporting startups and innovators in multiple sectors.
• Oversaw the development and operation of the Ajloun Business Incubator, providing incubation, mentoring, and business development services for entrepreneurs and startups.
• Led the development of IRADA's first integrated digital Hackathon Management Platform, enabling participant management, evaluation, reporting, and impact measurement.
• Managed entrepreneurship and innovation programs that attracted more than 700 applications and trained over 180 entrepreneurs, innovators, and startup founders across Jordan

Consultant (Field Advisor) at IRADA Program, Royal Scientific Society (2007-01 – 2024-01)

• Lead consultant providing administrative, financial, and marketing consultations to SMEs, engaging in discussions regarding ideas presented by targeted categories, including individuals and associations of various sectors.
• Conduct comprehensive economic feasibility studies and social reality assessments for all sectors and segments, including individuals, associations, and entities, to inform decision-making.
• Oversee field monitoring of small and medium-sized projects within the Irada Program, tracking their financing stages, and documenting them in accordance with established principles.
• Identify training and technical support needs for project stakeholders in financial, marketing, and administrative aspects, designing tailored interventions.
• Supervise various types of training events, hold workshops, and organize training sessions, facilitating knowledge transfer and capacity building.
• Maintain effective communication with stakeholders and relevant organizations, including financial institutions, programs, civil society organizations, and local government administrations, to foster partnerships and collaboration.
• Prepare financial claims related to the workplace, collect statistical data, update it from relevant entities, and maintain records.
• Recruit candidates for fellowship programs, conduct interviews, coordinate with hosting institutions, distribute trainees based on their specialties, and monitor training stages and monthly performance evaluations.
• Participate in seminars, conferences, and training workshops, contributing expertise in economic consultancy, project management, and SME development to relevant discussions and initiatives.

Field Researcher and Data Auditor at Department of Statistics (2002-01 – 2007-01)

• Conducted statistical surveys such as the Labor and Unemployment Survey, Household Income and Expenditure Survey, Child Labor Survey, and the 2004 Population Census to gather and analyze data for various research projects.
• Monitored work progress and supervised researchers involved in health surveys, collaborating with the American Agency - AED.
• Conducted data auditing for the Household Income and Expenditure Survey to ensure accuracy and reliability of collected data.
• Contributed to the development and implementation of data collection methodologies and tools to improve efficiency and accuracy in data gathering processes.

Master of Economics in Economics – Yarmouk University (2021-01)

Bachelor of Science in Statistics – Yarmouk University (2001-01)