MS4G Country Director

About Palladium:

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

This Opportunity:

Palladium International, LLC is implementing the $250 Million, 8-year USAID CATALYZE contract which offers a facilitated partnership model that will craft solutions to crowd in $2 Billion in blended finance (i.e., blended concessional and commercial finance) to USAID partner countries; it can work in any development sector or region. Launched in October 2019, CATALYZE is a buy-in mechanism that allows USAID Bureaus and Missions to efficiently deploy investment facilitation solutions that respond to the needs of specific sectors, issues, and geographies.

USAID CATALYZE Ethiopia – Market Systems for Growth (MS4G): MS4G is designed to benefit the Ethiopian people, build community resilience, and strengthen rural-urban linkages in the areas of agriculture, food security, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). MS4G invests in developing relationships with private sector players, co-investing in inclusive business models, advisory services, digital solutions, and market-based initiatives that increase the resilience and sustainability of Ethiopian enterprises and employment for women and youth. The project supports activities in Addis Ababa and secondary cities.

To strengthen the private sector in the food security and WASH sectors, MS4G uses a market-based approach to deliver business development and financial advisory services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The project leverages Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) and Pay-for-Results (P4R) awards and co-creates and co-funds partnerships to enhance enterprises’ performance, product/service delivery, and inclusion. The activities are designed to build institutional capacity, enhance knowledge and skill transfers through workforce development initiatives, advance the business enabling environment, accelerate digital transformations and scale best practices to increase productivity and quality. As it enters its third year, MS4G is placing an increased focus on WASH Finance, enhancing livelihoods and enterprise to shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to the food security risks related to the supply disruptions and increasing cost of agricultural production and fertilizer.

The CATALYZE: MS4G Country Director will report to the Home Office-based Activity Director (this position is comparable to a Chief of Party position.) S/he will provide technical direction to MS4G, particularly supervising program activities in the regions and ensuring they are carried out in alignment with the workplan and USAID expectations.

The MS4G Country Director will provide overall leadership and technical direction to MS4G, both administratively and programmatically, and in line with client expectations. S/he is based in Addis Ababa to enhance the opportunities to link more closely with other USAID/Ethiopia Mission-sponsored projects, other USG-sponsored cross-sector activities, private sector players and Government of Ethiopia (GoE) agencies and ministries on the urgent actions and partnerships needed to achieve the expected results.

Location:

The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in supervising program activities, we are interested in hearing from you.

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

The CATALYZE: MS4G Country Director will report to the Home Office-based Activity Director

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities of MS4G’s Country Director include, but are not limited to:

Client & Activity Management

Serve as the project’s primary local representative, acting as the principal liaison with USAID/Ethiopia, the GOE, Palladium home office team, Ethiopian implementing partners, and private sector actors
Provide leadership, staff management and technical inputs to ensure all activities conform to project requirements, including cost, schedule, and quality
Hold weekly meetings with USAID, Palladium home office, and Addis Ababa-based team
Maintain close coordination with the Palladium home office team, providing regular updates on the project’s progress and direction
Oversee the development and submission of weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports to the home office team and USAID/Ethiopia
Ensure sound management through holding required client and team meetings, ensuring judicious use of USG resources, overseeing on-time delivery of activity reports and deliverables, and complying with USAID contract management regulations and Palladium policies and procedures

Operational Leadership

Oversee the Addis Ababa-based MS4G team to manage all administrative and programmatic functions and activities in
Ethiopia in line with the project’s approved Performance Work Statement (PWS) and annual work plan. This includes providing technical support, supporting monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities, supporting sound financial and operational management
Ensure safety and security of all Ethiopia-based personnel, resources, and visitors in line with Palladium’s security and COVID-19 prevention protocols
Ensure a professional, supportive, safe, and inclusive workplace, where staff are empowered to achieve project goals, as well as learn and grow in their professional capabilities
Support and oversee successful recruitment and onboarding of open project positions in coordination with the CATALYZE home office team

Technical Leadership

Support the development of strategic partnerships to mobilize capital, enhance private enterprise growth and job creation, improve workforce development, and enact improved policies
Ensure integration of project components through effective work planning and budgeting, project management, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning
Ensure MS4G implementation is in line with the CATALYZE umbrella contract requirements
Source and coordinate use of Palladium global technical and operational resources
Provide technical guidance in the rapid development, packaging, release, and evaluation of ongoing grants/sub-awards and other procurement as well as grants/sub-awards within new fertilizer, COVID resiliency and WASH Finance programming
Identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner and recommend appropriate program adjustments as required
Elevate technical learning among staff as a critical element to ensure increased impact
Other tasks as required

Key Competencies Required:

Extensive USAID project management experience preferred in fields such as agriculture and food security, WASH, financial services, investment advisory, private enterprise development, workforce development and youth programming, and public and private sector engagement
Proven knowledge and understanding of Ethiopian finance, private enterprise, investment, business environment and trade issues; with a sound understanding of specific challenges and barriers facing women and youth entrepreneurs, business owners, and job seekers, preferably in agriculture and WASH contexts
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage and deal with diverse stakeholders
Evidence of strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written with professional fluency in English required
Experience building, managing and supervising teams, in person and in a remote manner (i.e., regional managers)
Knowledge of USAID programming, approaches, and policy
Experience managing for success teams of 10+ people
Advanced computer skills including fluency with Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
Sound problem solving and decision-making skills
Proven ability to develop and communicate a common vision among diverse partners and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:

Professional experience successfully overseeing large, complex projects (or components therein) and diverse teams focused on financial services and investment advisory expertise, private enterprise development, workforce development, and public and private sector engagement
Seven years or more in the international development field including experience in a management role for a USAID-funded contract of similar scale ($40M+ / 5 years) highly desirable
Experience utilizing pay-for-performance incentives to achieve program objectives, and other innovative blended finance approaches
Amharic written and verbal fluency