Enterprise Development Coordinator - Afar, Ethiopia

About Ayuda en Acción:

Ayuda en Acción Foundation is a secular, non-partisan international non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1981 with a global commitment to fight against poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Its headquarters is in Madrid, Spain. The organization operates in 20 countries within Africa, South and Central America and Europe (Spain, Portugal).

In Ethiopia, Ayuda en Acción has supported a range of humanitarian and development interventions through local and international partners between 2002 and 2017; an independent country program was established in 2018. Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia aspires to tackle poverty, inequalities and exclusion that perpetuate poverty. The organization perceives women, men, girls, and boys as the center of its efforts in the country, giving it an impetus to strengthen people’s and institutions’ capacities to meaningfully contribute to development and dignified life of all in Ethiopia. To achieve its mission, Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia has been working in Afar, Oromia and South Ethiopia Regional States in close cooperation with local and international partners, international research institutes, Government, and private sector actors.

Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia, as part of the institutional strategy, manages a range of projects: Food security and resilient food system, employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, value chain using market system, inclusive education and gender, humanitarian and resilience building within three program priorities: sustainable livelihoods and resilient food systems; inclusive education; and emergency response and resilience building. Ayuda en Acción are part of Alliance 2015, a strategic network of seven European NGOs engaged in humanitarian aid and development projects.

Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia is seeking energetic, disciplined, responsible staffs on the following positions for EC funded project being implemented in consortium, PIN, DEC and Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia in Oromia (Borena and Guji zones), Tigray (central Zone), and Afar (zone 1, 2 &4) regions, respectively. The project aims to empower youth and women to enhanced food and nutrition security and livelihood resilience of women and youth in rural areas of disaster-affected areas by facilitating access to inclusive and green job opportunities.

Objective of the Position and reporting line:

The Enterprise Development Coordinator (EDC) is responsible for implementation, monitoring and evaluation, documentation and reporting the EU-funded project (EuropeAid/179149/DD/ACT/ET) under Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia specific deliverables in the Consortium, Afar region. This will include managing the entire components of the project and required deliverables/outcomes, ensuring both technical and management requirements are met, and managing relevant government /stakeholder in coordination with Area Program Manager. This position holder is responsible for ensuring quality implementation and adherence to technical standards in line with donor policy, procedure and Ayuda en Acción’ s regulations and policies.    

The EDC will report directly to the Area Program Manager. The EDC will closely work with finance and Admin, Project coordinator based in Addis in the country. The EDC will work closely with key stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, financial institutions, government bodies, and business support organizations.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Planning and Management:

• Participate in the development of a detailed project work plan, including timelines, objectives, and deliverables in collaboration with area program manager.
• Coordinate and supervise the day-to-day implementation of the project activities.
• Ensure that the project is implemented effectively and efficiently and ensure achievement of the set objective and milestone as per the standards and requirement.
• Ensure project activities are aligned with the overall objectives and that they are completed on time and within budget.
• Participate in assessments of local enterprises, actor mapping and SACCOs within the target market systems to identify training needs and opportunities for capacity development.
• Offer technical support in exploring business opportunities along the value chain of the selected commodities and in preparing business plans for cooperatives, enterprises, and common interest groups.
• Coordinate field level value chain studies of selected commodities, feasibility studies, economic analysis of proposed enterprises along the relevant value chain per the guidance given from the project coordinator and area program manager.

Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships:

• Engage with local and regional stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, government agencies, NGOs, financial institutions, and business development service providers in coordination with area program manager and project coordinator.
• Facilitate opportunities for enterprises to connect with locals through trade fairs, business-to-business events, and networking platforms in coordination with area program manager and project coordinator.
• Provide technical assistance to SMEs on issues such as marketing and sales strategies.
• Take part in promoting visibility of Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia in the public and community level.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder forum for accountability and partnership

Capacity Building and Training:

• Facilitate workshops, and training sessions to build the capacity of SACCOs, youth enterprise, government and private sector and SMEs in areas such as technical, business planning, financial management, and market access.
• Identify mentors and business advisors to provide ongoing support to youth enterprises, and SACCOs.
• Facilitate linkages between SMEs and SACCOs and financial institutions, and value chain actors in collaboration with regional cooperative promotion and with the guidance of the project coordinator and area program manager.
• Build the capacity of project staff, partners, and stakeholders in enterprise development principles and practices through training and mentoring.

Monitoring, Evaluation, documentation and Reporting:

• Implement a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the progress and impact of the project.
• Regularly review and update the detailed annual and periodic work plans with project implementation details and ensure this is used by the whole project team to monitor project progress towards completion in collaboration with Area Program Manager.
• Collect data on project performance, including enterprise growth, job creation, market linkages, financial inclusion and income generation.
• Prepare and submit monthly, quarterly, and annual narrative reports to the area program manager.
• Develop and share monthly, quarterly, and annual performance and progress reports, success stories, case studies, lessons learned and best practices with the Area Program Manager for submission to the Country office.
• Participate in project team and nation office meetings to help plan and deliver on the project objectives as appropriate.
• Collect gender, age and disability disaggregated data collection and that accurate data are used in project reviews, and reporting and work closely with the Area Program Manager and country office MEAL manager, and project coordinator.
• Prepare periodic reports and document best practices and lessons learned.

Perform additional tasks requested by the Program Director