First Consult is a leading economic development consulting firm implementing projects in Ethiopia. Founded in 2006, First Consult (FC) has grown to design and implement projects across the agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. Our multidisciplinary teams combine a capacity to execute with clarity of the local context. We have delivered at-scale real impact in terms of jobs & wealth creation, business formation & growth, and investment attraction & mobilization.

MESMER is a five-year program launched in October 2022 to support 72,200 MSMEs and 410,800 jobs by creating access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to realize their growth prospects and resilience. MESMER will also work to provide support to MSMEs through business development support, psychosocial services and technical assistance to financial institutions. MESMER is a countrywide program implemented by First Consult in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy and will strive to create dignified and fulfilling work for the youth, the majority of them women.

MESMER is a national scale-up of the existing MSE Resilience Facility launched in 2020 to support enterprises affected by the COVID pandemic. The project will mainly be following a four-pronged approach to meet its objectives: a) Grants and soft loans to MSMEs through a risk- sharing liquidity fund arrangement, b) Technical assistance to financial institutions, c) Business development services and life skills, d) Psychosocial support. The FDRE Ministry of Labour and Skills will be the main government counterpart for the program. Other partners include financial institutions (micro finance institutions, banks, and digital financial service providers), BDS, and psychosocial support providers.

The BDS Officer will be responsible for coordinating, planning, organizing and implementing the business development services within the MESMER programme. The primary purpose of this role is to enhance the capacity of MSMEs involved in the MESMER program through online and face-to-face delivery mechanisms including coaching and mentoring. The BDS officer will support MSMEs including group BDS training, business coaching and advisory services, creation of market opportunity as well as other need based supports.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Actively engage in the development of strategies for discovering and securing new business opportunities, diagnosing opportunities and identifying constraints for MSMEs and monitoring new developments in the sector ,

• Oversee the delivery and implementation of various business development services for MSMEs, ensuring services are tailored to meet the specific needs of businesses.

• Coordinate one-on-one business counseling and advisory services to MSMEs, focusing on business strategy, growth and transformation

• Track the progress and effectiveness of BDS initiatives, providing regular reports and updates to management and stakeholders regularly

• Assesses MSMEs need for market information and identifies market outlets for their goods and services for potential market linkages,

• Identify and forge partnerships with key private and government stakeholders that can facilitate the design, preparation and delivery of BDS services,

• Identify potential BDS service providers and ensure the availability of qualified and experienced trainers,

• Work closely with partners to deliver online training programs on a variety of business development topics, such as marketing, sales and financial management,

• Work closely with partners in the development and implementation of digital BDS programs tailored to the needs of the target group,

• Review exhaustively the required training materials, and tools for quality assurance and budget suitability,

• Pay regular field visits to the intervention areas to observe progress, with a focus on ensuring ‘quality’ of service and related impact,

• Prepares and submits periodic and on demand analytical reports and regularly updates the training database, 

• Perform any other duties as may be required by him/her immediate supervisor

REPORTING

The BDS officer reports to the BDS Manager.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor (BA) Degree (MA preferred) in business management, economics, or relevant Social Science from a recognized University/College

• Proven experience in business development, especially working with MSMEs 

• 2 to 5 years of experience in coordinating and delivering business development services 

• Experience in providing business counselling, training and advisory services

• Good interpersonal skills and a good team player

• Strong command of English and Amharic

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capacities – the ability to identify issues with contractual implications, ensure consistent donor reporting and support teams in providing appropriate analyses of activities.

• High adaptability – the ability to work with a large range of actors including institutional donors and partners and to develop an understanding of various contexts.

• High attention to detail in reviewing and inputting reports, proposals and other documents.

• Advanced interpersonal skills and good pedagogy to support staff in ensuring compliance with donor requirements

• Good proficiency in Microsoft Office – significant experience with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

How to Apply

All documents requested by First Consult at various stages of the recruitment process will be used for this purpose only. Competent candidates should submit their one-page cover letter and updated CVs only to: jobs@firstconsultet.com before April 4, 2025. Candidates MUST refer to the position title "BDS Officer" in the subject line of their email and applications.