About EDI Ethiopia

The Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) Ethiopia is an autonomous quasi-institution reporting to the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MOLS). EDI was re-formed as an institute in 2021 following the latest government reorganization bringing together two entities, namely: The UNDP-supported Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC), established in February 2013, and the World Bank financed Women Entrepreneurship Development Project (WEDP), established in December 2012.

EDI aims to promote the emergence of a vibrant, competitive, and innovative private sector in particular a dynamic entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem in Ethiopia. EDI offers a comprehensive package of entrepreneurship development programs, an end-to-end BDS program packages aimed at supporting MSMEs including access to finance, market linkages, incubation, and acceleration services. Following its new mandate as a national institute, EDI plays a key role in the Ethiopian entrepreneurial ecosystem providing guidance and support for the standardization of the entrepreneurship and BDS programs through a strategic shift encompassing the systemic role to build the capacities of other public and private institutions in the ecosystem to replicate impact.

The Opportunity

EDI Ethiopia through a grant agreement with GiZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing a pilot BDS Voucher System Project that aims to improve Small and Medium Enterprises' (SMEs) access to quality Business Development Services (BDS) in Ethiopia. The project will provide SMEs with vouchers to cover part of the costs of accessing high-quality and impactful BDS. This voucher system incentivizes SMEs to invest in professional services to improve their operations and growth prospects. Additionally, the project envisions to build the capacity of local BDS providers and stimulate demand for their services by increasing visibility, promoting demand-driven BDS and generally contributing to the growth of the BDS market in Ethiopia.

Scope of Work

Under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator, in close collaboration with the BDS & Innovation Director and other program leads, the MEAL Officer will be responsible for supervising and undertaking the monitoring and evaluation activities of the project. The incumbent is specifically expected to work with the ME&L manager to develop and implement ME&L framework and strategies for the project following EDI’s result-based M&E to make sure that activities are being periodically tracked, real time data collected and compiled, implementation performances monitored and evaluated, lessons documented, and results and learnings shared.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• The specific duties of the MEAL Officer will include the following but not limited to:

• Develop a comprehensive MEL framework and plan aligned with project goals and objectives.

• Introduce and lead the implementation of an automated MEL data tracking mechanism using mobile data collection tools, dashboard and data analytics platforms such as Microsoft Power BI.

• Ensure proper data flow on the BDS portal and the automated voucher system.

• Design methodology and tools to track project inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impact indicators.

• Lead baseline assessments of SMEs and BDS providers participating in the voucher program.

• Monitor voucher issuance, utilization rates and collection of key performance data.

• Conduct periodic surveys and assessments of SMEs to evaluate access, quality, and impact of BDS services.

• Assess operational efficiency and effectiveness of the voucher system processes.

• Identify challenges faced by SMEs and BDS providers in voucher usage and addressal.

• Analyze data to evaluate progress and impact; generate insights to refine program design.

• Document lessons learned, best practices and recommendations to improve the voucher system.

• Prepare and disseminate progress reports, case studies for donors, stakeholders.

• Build MEL capabilities of project team through workshops, on-job mentoring.

• Stay updated on recent MEL methods and incorporate to strengthen project monitoring.

• Efficiently execute any other tasks and responsibilities as required by the Project Coordinator, ME&L Manager or other line program managers.

Reports To: Project Coordinator

Contract duration: 9 months with a possibility of extension  

Job Requirements

Required Qualification:

• Bachlor’s Degree or Master’s degree in Economics, Development studies, Business Management, or Computer Science, Software Engineering or any other relevant fields with a proven track record of experience in MEAL.

• 3+ years of professional work experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects

• Knowledge/understanding of the Ethiopian policies and regulatory environment, and strategies and programs in relation to entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

• Certificate of Entrepreneurship Training Workshop (ETW) or BDS provided by EDI Ethiopia would be a plus.

Skills and knowledge:

• Demonstrated practical experience in implementing result-oriented monitoring and evaluation of projects.

• Strong analytical skills to interpret quantitative and qualitative data

• Excellent report writing and presentation abilities

• Proficiency in designing surveys, interview guides and assessment techniques

• Data analysis skills including statistical methods and visualization

• Experience in using digital data management technologies and data processing tools such as SPSS and STATA.

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 tools and analytics tools

• Good research experience in development areas including entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

• Entrepreneurial thinking and problem-solving skills and attitude.

• Strong research, critical thinking, communication, and presentation abilities

How to Apply

Application Instruction

Interested applicants must submit their cover letter and CV named with their Full Name via hr@edi-ethiopia.org and or on ethiojobs.net clearly indicating the position they are applying for as a subject up to or before January 12, 2024 5:00 PM. Applicants that would like to apply for another vacancy must repeat the same procedure. Even though we highly encourage digital applications via email, for applicants that would like to submit paper-based applications please enclose your cover letter and CV in an envelope and submit it at the reception of EDI’s headquarters located at Wesen Grocery, inside CEE Compound, new building ground floor reception office. Location: CLICK HERE. If you face any difficulty in the application process please contact us on: +251944878338 or info@edi-ethiopia.org . Female Applicants are highly encouraged to apply for all positions

Please be aware that EDI Ethiopia does not demand any payment from applicants at any stage of the recruitment and selection process. Additionally, EDI Ethiopia has not enlisted any agent for recruitment purposes. We emphasize that EDI Ethiopia is an equal opportunity employer.