About TechnoServe

TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty. A nonprofit organization operating in 29 countries, we work with hard working men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. By linking people to information, capital, and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, job and wealth for their families and communities. Across East and Southern Africa, we implement a range of large-scale value chain interventions, agribusiness programs and entrepreneurship/economic empowerment projects. The majority of TechnoServe’s work is organized around five practice areas: coffee, high margin agriculture, entrepreneurship, food processing, and micro-retail.

About the Programs

TechnoServe has identified enterprise and food processing as two of the five areas of expertise which make up the bulk of our work in the current strategy. In Ethiopia the lead programs in these areas are: (i) Livelihoods Improvement for Women & Youth in Addis Ababa (LIWAY) and (ii) Alliance for Inclusive and Nutritious Food Processing.

LIWAY is a five-year program implemented by a consortium of partners composed of SNV Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), Mercy Corps (MC), TechnoServe (TNS) and Save the Children International (SCFI) with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The overall objective of the program is to contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and social stability in Addis Ababa. The specific objective is to improve the livelihoods of 200,000 poor people, of which at least 50% are women and 75% youth, by increasing their income and access to economic opportunities. This is to be achieved through activating, catalyzing and promoting market-based solutions to address systemic constraints that undermine the potential of selected sub-sectors in creating jobs and increasing incomes. Program implementation is based on the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach.

TechnoServe is leading LIWAY’s “Growth Sector” interventions, defined as medium and large manufacturing industries (food and beverages, textiles and garments, footwear, chemical industries, pharmaceuticals etc.) and grade 1-3 construction companies that employ significant number of poor women and youth. TNS is addressing constraints impeding the growth of these firms to support the creation of more and higher-paying jobs for the target group. Our current portfolio of interventions includes:

• Improving manufacturing efficiency and production management
• Strengthening the performance management systems of growth sector firms
• Developing HR professionals for the growth sector
• Building an information platform to match input supply with demand in the textile sector
• Strengthening sales and marketing practices within growth sector firms

AINFP builds upon a successful multi-year partnership between USAID, TechnoServe, and Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) that aims to create a more competitive African food-processing sector with the ultimate goal of improving the availability of nutritious, affordable food products on the local market. It is a six-year Global Development Alliance $19m program (April 2018 to March 2024) that contributes to USAID’s Global Food Security Strategy: to improve inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth (GFSS Obj. 1); to support a well-nourished population, especially among women and children (GFSS Obj. 3); and to strengthen resilience among people and systems (GFSS Obj. 2) by increasing the capacity and inclusivity of African food processors. The program works with food processing companies across 5 countries to harness the power of the private sector to create better nutritional outcomes.

The core activities that build the capacity of food processors to become more competitive include customized technical assistance (CTA) to individual processors and sector-wide training (SWT) delivered to the broader food processing ecosystem. Additionally, the program partners with ISF Advisers to broaden financing options for the food processors in need of investment finance and operating capital. To facilitate inclusive growth, the partnership also works with food processors to develop strategies to profitably source more crops from local smallholder farmers and to reach base-of-the pyramid consumers and other vulnerable populations with more nutritious foods. Through PFS the program is able to access technical knowledge and expertise of the staff of 7 world-class food companies (General Mills, Cargill, Buhler, Royal DSM, Ardent Mills, Hershey’s and Smucker’s).

With a recent buy-in from the USAID Mission in Addis Ababa AINFP now expects to extend its reach to more food processors and to conduct additional training. The program will additionally introduce some new interventions: support Ethiopian Airlines to develop a local sourcing strategy and to develop capacity of local processors to attain appropriate standards and certification to supply the airline selected food products; a small innovation grant and a premix funding facility for processors of corn-soy blend; collaborative partnership with other USAID implementing partners on issues of food safety; strengthen linkages to base-of-the pyramid markets.

 Job Summary

The Senior Program Manager will be overall responsible for leadership of a portfolio of the two programs, LIWAY and AINFP, including country program strategy, quality and impact. S/he will manage the staff and guide them to develop and implement appropriate strategies to optimize impact in line with donor priorities.

S/he will represent the programs and the organization in Ethiopia to external stakeholders, particularly the donors (USAID and SIDA), LIWAY Chief of Party and other consortium members, relevant government ministries, industry stakeholders, Ethiopian Airlines management, to increase visibility and organizational reputation. S/he will represent the organization at stakeholder events, actively seeking to promote the work of the organization, and will seek alliances to maximize opportunity and build upon relationships with other stakeholders in the business and food & nutrition ecosystems, to multiply impact and deliver value for money.

The Senior Program Manager will be responsible for program representation to internal stakeholders including the Country Director/Deputy Country Director, Chief of Party AINFP, HR, Finance, and Purchasing functions. She will be a member of the TNS Ethiopia Senior Management Team, participating in strategic decision-making for the overall country program.

Additionally, s/he will lead on ensuring that the programs generate learning: how the AINFP program model can most effectively transform food systems in Ethiopia and build resiliency across the food value chain; how LIWAY’s market systems development approach can most effectively transform growth sector in Ethiopia and generate more jobs and income for women and youth.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Stakeholder Management and Representation

• Cultivate and maintain strong relations with key external stakeholders including donors, government, industry bodies, growth sector firms and other development actors working in this space
• Maintain good relations with the Chiefs of Party, ensuring timely delivery of contractual obligations and responsiveness to any issues raised
• Ensure regular communication with all program partners, and challenges (if any) are timely addressed.
• Participate in regular calls/meetings with program partners to ensure mutual understanding and alignment.
• Represent the programs and TechnoServe at relevant country level fora and coordination meetings, ensuring a high level of awareness of the programs and their achievements
• Builds reputation of the program through sharing of evidence-based impact and participation in key stakeholder events
• Build trust and confidence in TechnoServe as a key player in support to growth sectors, food and nutrition systems
• Regular meetings with the Deputy/Country Director to inform her/him of program progress, align with country objectives, administrative and compliance requirements and to receive support and assistance from the local office as required
• Coordination in-country with Finance, HR and Purchasing functions as required to ensure smooth implementation of the program.
• Ensures clear and effective communication with all internal program stakeholders including clients and PFS

Program Strategy, Quality and Impact

• Develops, presents, and implements the strategic vision, annual goals, and objectives for the programs in line with the overall strategy and objectives
• Strategically selects areas of work, partnerships, and methodologies that contribute to effective delivery of a high impact portfolio
• Takes ownership and accountability for improved quality, impact and effectiveness

Program Coordination & Sector Leadership

• Ensures high quality management of the program portfolio, overseeing the timely and impactful implementation of AINFP/LIWAY within the program resources and delivering agreed outcomes
• In coordination with the Chiefs of Party, develop strategies annual work plans to deliver outputs and objectives against agreed targets
• Overall accountable for delivery of program outputs and objectives against targets
• Proactively review, make recommendations and report on programmatic activities to deliver the agreed plans and contribute to success of the broader programs/portfolio
• Hold regular coordination meetings with the implementation team and partners to ensure implementation is on track and to course correct as necessary
• Identification of new opportunities for synergy with other programs, within TechnoServe and beyond, to further the aims of the program and grow our impact in these sectors
• Ensure strict compliance with TNS’s objectives, strategies, policies, procedures and best practices, as well as those of the donors
• Coordinates with other regional and country team members to ensure shared learning

Budgeting & Financial Management

• Review program expenditures on a monthly basis to identify and explain any budget variances
• Coordinate with the Finance and Budget Analyst in timely tracking of country expenditures, budget management and forecasting
• Ensure direct expenditure in accordance with approved budgets
• Ensure that the country team is complying with financial procedures, including timely reporting on expenses and use of correct task codes
• Lead teams in annual work-planning and budgeting

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Ensure preparation and timely submission of high quality monthly program update reports for partners
• Ensure preparation of good quality quarterly Program Status Report (PSR) and participation in calls to discuss.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of good quality semi-annual and annual reports to donors in coordination with M&E Manager
• Ensure timely collection, analyses and reporting of program data in coordination with M&E Managers, including success stories, case studies and outcome harvest reports

Knowledge Management & Learning

• Learning from within the program, TechnoServe practice areas, and from other programs ensure the application of best practice across the portfolio
• Support the teams to critically analyze their work and to adopt business advisory approaches to respond and adapt proactively to clients’ needs
• Ensure high standard of program performance based on TechnoServe’s corporate program quality management standards and specific program/donor requirements
• Contribute proactively to learning and constant improvement at a program, country and regional level
• Active participation on regional team meetings and program reviews, sharing learnings, challenges faced and solutions identified

Staff Management & Talent Development

• Direct line and performance management of the senior program staff, delegating responsibility as appropriate
• Team leadership and motivation, ensuring a cohesive and harmonious team
• Establish a culture of excellence in which the team strives for constant learning and improvement, where success is celebrated, communication is open, and everyone’s contribution is valued
• Ensure that SMART goals are established for each of the staff and that these are reviewed on a regular basis
• Ensure team buy-in to the program strategy and workplans, with each team member clear on their specific responsibilities and accountability
• Provide coaching to the staff for professional and personal growth, encouraging learning opportunities

Gender Equality

• Ensure that program implementation adhere to TechnoServe’s Global and Country specific gender policies
• Ensure that at least 40% of the program clients and participants are women and/or women led enterprises
• Ensure greater uptake of opportunities by female and male interns in the program
• Advance gender equality within the team, with partners and target groups
• Build knowledge of how women and men can distinctly benefit from the program and seek for continuous improvement of methods to ensure that women and women in the targeted sectors can better benefit from the program

New Business Development

• Actively seek out opportunities for new programs or program expansion in the areas of food & nutrition systems, growth industries
• In collaboration with the CD/DCD and PD team develop an opportunity pipeline and nurture relationships to capture new funding

Country-level strategic management

• Active participation in the TechnoServe Ethiopia Senior Management Team contributing to strategic discussions and decision making
• Leadership on specific tasks assigned from time to time by the Country Director/Deputy Country Director

Job Requirements

• A passion for and commitment to economic empowerment of women and youth as well as a deep belief in the power of private enterprise to transform lives
• A Master’s degree in Business, Economics or other relevant discipline with >10 years’ work experience, ideally a blend of private sector and development
• Intellectual curiosity, analytical thinker with strong interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence
• Innovative mindset; creative thinker
• Strong communication and representational skills, able to operate comfortably at a high level within government and the private sector
• Leadership skills and a commitment to coaching and developing the professional skills of their team
• Knowledge of and familiarity with private sector companies, entrepreneurship, labor market in Addis Ababa and Ethiopia generally
• Experience analyzing sectors, in terms of economic opportunities and constraints and leading teams in this process
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills; a self-starter with a management consultancy mindset
• Excellent oral and written communication skills a must, including report writing and presentations
• Strong skills in business software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic

Preferred Qualifications and Capabilities

• Management consultancy or business advisory experience including management of local consultants or BDS providers
• Knowledge of Human Centered Design
• Knowledge of and experience working with Ethiopia’s manufacturing and food processing sectors
• Experience working with women and youth employment and entrepreneurship
• Experience with Human Resources planning and management
• Experience working closely with partner organization, especially in an international development program context
• Knowledge of market systems facilitation or Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) methodology
• Experience in system transformation initiatives and/or systemic approaches to market development
• Managing multiple and complex stakeholder relationships
• Strategic planning and innovation
• Familiarity with USAID private sector engagement or Feed the Future

Competencies/Success Factors:

Strategic and Innovative Thinker

• Identifies opportunities and builds strategic relationships with other organizations to help achieve business goals.
• Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn and actively applies new knowledge and skill.
• Analyses both successes and failures for clues to improvement.
• Innovative to try new ideas to find solutions
• Analytical, able to diagnose problems, identify the key issues, and think strategically to evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical, and acceptable solution. Works persistently to overcome obstacles
•  Asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.

Leadership

• Able to take ownership of decisions but show sound judgment in escalating issues where necessary.
• Works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Effectively plans, schedules, and prioritizes activities; effectively manages resources to accomplish plans.
• Provides leadership and mentorship to the staff and clients to build their leadership and management capacities.
• Effective Communicator
• Listens openly and effectively and ensures accurate understanding; able to adjust communication to the needs of the audience and work at multiple levels; facilitates the open exchange of ideas and information in individual and group situations.
• Transparent in dealings with others, admits mistakes, and is trusted. Inspires confidence in the team of honest intentions and fairness.
• Report writing; monitoring and data management
• Program Management
• Understands and manages human, financial, and operational resource issues to improve overall organizational performance. Compliance with organizational policies.
• Able to analyze and express themselves clearly in business writing.
• Sound understanding of market systems and inclusive business models, including a strong client focus. Able to understand the client's concerns and priorities to provide appropriate business advisory solutions.
• Strong ability and commitment to team working and collaboration;

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position will be responsible for the leadership of two programs, LIWAY and AINFP, and will directly manage senior staff in each of these programs as well as consultants
• The exact structure in AINFP is dependent upon ongoing recruitment

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should Click here to apply for this position and submit a cover letter resume as a single document (either Word or PDF) by June 18, 2021. Applications will be reviewed and considered as received/on a rolling basis. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be contacted. Please note that we are not accepting CVs that are not sent through the indicated link.

This position does have initially a duration until December 2024 with the possibility of an extension 

TECHNOSERVE ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY IN ALL LEVELS AND ACROSS ALL FACETS OF OUR ORGANIZATION. WITH THIS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, WE ARE PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND DO NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF GENDER, RACE, COLOR, ETHNICITY, RELIGION, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, AGES, DISABILITY, AND ALL OTHER PROTECTED CLASSES. 

TechnoServe has the right to cancel this advertisement. Women are highly encouraged to apply