Program Director, Tokafala Enterprise Development Program (Botswana)

Job Description

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

Through its majority share in DeBeers, Anglo American holds a 50% share in the Debswana Diamond Company in Botswana, with the other 50% being held by the government of Botswana. Together, the government of Botswana, Debswana, De Beers and Anglo American established a partnership to create an enterprise development program which is implemented by TechnoServe.

The Tokafala Enterprise Development Program focuses on fostering the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through financing, mentoring, and advisory support. The program aims to link SMEs to up and downstream business opportunities developed out of the supply chains of the program partners. In addition, the program includes a component aimed at building the capacity and improving the performance and effectiveness of selected country’s public supported enterprise development institutions, primarily through capacity building and other mentoring interventions.

Since it began in 2014, Tokafala has successfully supported over 150 SMEs across Botswana, growing their businesses on average more than 60%. Funding of the program is secured for another 12 months, with likely extension to 2018.The program director will be responsible for implementing the Tokafala enterprise development program, developing and executing strategies that optimize the impact of the program, and managing relationships with program partners and other relevant stakeholders.

In this role you will:

• Lead the implementation of the Tokafala Enterprise Development Program and manage the Tokafala program team to ensure the delivery of the defined program results: fostering the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises and supporting selected government institutions in improving the effectiveness of their enterprise development activities
• Ensure the successful implementation and management of the Tokafala fund, targeted at providing financial support to SMEs
• Work with the program management at the different donors to establish strategic partnerships that will accelerate the impact of the program, including the linkage of SMEs to supply chain opportunities and the engagement with financial institutions
• Lead the strategic design and delivery of capacity building and mentoring services to select government enterprise development institutions, enabling them to improve the effectiveness of their entrepreneurship development activities
• Closely coordinate with relevant government stakeholders to ensure alignment and programmatic synergies
• Develop a broader vision, in coordination with the project partners, to take advantage of enterprise development activities in Botswana and maximize the impact of the program
• Collaborate with enterprise development leaders in Anglo American, TechnoServe and externally, to maintain a continuous feedback loop regarding best practices and lessons learned in entrepreneur development and support

You will have:

• A graduate degree in business, finance or closely related field
• At least seven years of post-graduate experience in strategy, management consulting, business education, and/or SME development, with a combination of private sector and not-for-profit experience preferred
• Program/project management experience with teams of at least five
• Experience in financial management and/or social impact investing desirable
• Strong diplomatic skills to support effective work through project stakeholders, strategic partners and other stakeholders
• Proven ability to work in multi-cultural work environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills
• Self-starter, ability to work with substantial autonomy and influence others with minimal supervision

About the Organization

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.