Background

The Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC) is looking for competent personnel to fill up the following vacant positions. EDC is a quasi-government institution, established by the ministry of Urban Development and Housing and the Federal Urban Job Creations and Food Security Agency (FeUJC&FSA), in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Ethiopia, in February 2013. The program aims to foster the emergence of a robust competitive private sector with focus on micro and small scale enterprises. EDC has its headquarters in Addis Ababa regional coordination offices in Oromia (Bishoftu), Amhara (Bahir Dar), SNNPRS (Hawassa), and Tigray (Mekelle). EDC is looking for qualified personnel to fill the following post.

Scope of work: Under the direct supervision of the Chief Executive Officer of EDC, the incumbent will be responsible for implementation and coordination of the EDP related activities in the assigned region and its catchments and disseminate the relevant information to existing and potential EDP beneficiaries in order to achieve the field-level project outputs. He/she is expected to establish strong coordination and linkages amongst existing and potential EDC clients as well as major stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities: He/she is expected to carry out the following duties:

• Management of the regional office:
• Execute programs and plans focusing on outcomes.
• Manage the EDC regional office and represent the EDP at the field level
• Manage regional staff
• Champion for MSMES at all forums and platforms.

Coordination and administrative support of the EDC training:

• Assist the EDC Training Manager in identifying required skill/competency training and areas of further capacity development of the project beneficiaries in the assigned areas,
• Assist the EDC Training Manager in identifying and mobilizing participants in the EDC training
• Coordinate and make necessary arrangements to organize the EDC training and support services at the regional level,

Coordination and provision of the EDC business development services (BDS) at the regional level:

• Assist the EDC BDS Manager in identifying the needs for BDS support and properly assigning business advisors to the beneficiaries
• Coordinate and provide administrative support to provide BDS support to the EDP beneficiaries in the Oromia region
• Provide referral services to the EDP beneficiaries to facilitate their access to locally available business support services and financial services,
• Monitor and keep the work records of local business advisors in the assigned region, and report their performance to the EDC BDS Manager

Network building and facilitation of policy dialogues at the regional level:

• Organize meetings, at least once a quarter, with local authorities, private sector and other stakeholders to gather the relevant information and coordinate field activities. Report the results of the meetings to the CEO of the EDC in Addis Ababa,
• Responsible for the smooth information dissemination among the EDP/EDC, local authorities, stakeholders, and project beneficiaries,
• Work with entrepreneurship centers established in universities

Progress monitoring and reporting at the regional level:

• Collect and validate the data and information required for the progress monitoring,
• Prepare quarterly regional progress reports (both substantive and financial) and submit them to the EDC
• Any other tasks and activities as required by the CEO of the EDC.

Reporting: The Regional Coordinator will directly report to the CEO of EDC but will work closely with other project personnel, regional offices, regional government and other stakeholders.

Required qualifications: Masters’ Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Management, Development Studies or other related fields. EMPRETEC certification will be advantageous.

Experience:  At least 5 years’ experience in a related post. Project management and financial management experience will be considered an advantage. Experiences in working with entrepreneurship and enterprise development and donor supported programs is desirable.

Competencies: Managing and working in teams; Ability to work with minimum supervision; Consistence and reliability; Conflict resolution skills; Sound communication skills; Interpersonal Skills; Analytical Skills; Strategic Thinking; creativity and innovation, openness to feedback.

Skills and knowledge: Strong analytical skills in working with quantitative data, financial estimations, and budget planning; Knowledge of project management and computer-based accounting software; Strong interpersonal skills; Ability to plan and prioritize work and to handle multitude of tasks simultaneously; Managing team; Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

Language: Excellent written and spoken English and Afaan Oromo languages