Job Description

Team Leader - Private Sector Development, Ethiopia

About DAI

DAI works at the cutting edge of international development, combining technical excellence, professional project management, and exceptional customer service to solve our clients’ most complex problems. Since 1970, DAI has worked in 150 developing and transition countries, providing comprehensive development solutions in areas including crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS, avian influenza control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. Clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and host-country governments.

Objective of the programme:

To support Ethiopia’s economic growth by developing the private sector through focusing on priority industries identified in the Government of Ethiopia’s recent Growth and Transformation Plan. The three target sectors of the programme are horticulture, cotton textiles and leather. The objective of this programme is to encourage entrepreneurship creating formal jobs, with a strong emphasis on creating jobs for women whilst simultaneously promoting green growth. This programme will seek to tackle current market failures in Ethiopia by addressing issues including: labour-force capacity, competitiveness in priority industries, product diversification and promotion of export markets. In addition, access to finance is regarded as a major obstacle to growth for Ethiopian SME’s, due to a conservative approach to lending from the banking and microfinance industries. This programme will focus on working with banks and MFIs to build their capacity to provide loans and credit to emerging businesses.

Objective of the role:

We are seeking applications from highly experienced private sector development specialists who have demonstrated success in delivering programmes aimed at addressing market failures and strengthening labour force capacity by introducing innovative business models and technologies and creating and implementing Public Private Partnerships. The candidate will have a proven skill set in value chain analysis, SME finance, challenge funds, skills training and capacity building of business service providers.

The role of the Team Leader will involve lead responsibilities for ensuring the effective technical and administrative delivery of all programme outputs within agreed budget lines, as well as overall management of the programme staff.

Requirements:

• At least 10-15 years of experience within private sector development
• Strong background in agricultural development
• Strong experience managing teams under donor funded programmes
• Experience of designing and implementing shared and embedded business services provision
• Strong skill set in: access to finance, SME lending, grants management, Public Private Partnerships, value chain analysis, capacity building of business service providers
• Significant networking and relationship management skills, as well as project management expertise
• Understanding of key approaches to monitoring and evaluation and the delivery of value for money

Desirable:

• Previous experience working with donors such as DFID, SIDA, SDC, and EC
• Understanding of the M4P approach preferred
• Working experience in Africa, preferably Ethiopia
• Previous work with the following industries: Cotton Textiles, Horticulture, Leather
• Demonstrated work experience on programmes that have sought to address gender inequalities especially in promoting women entrepreneurs

Estimated Project Start date:

September 2012

How to apply:

Please send in a covering letter and CV to europerecruit@dai.com