The Senior Program Officer will play a key role in the design and implementation of TechnoServe’s interventions under this exciting, impact-focused employment and entrepreneurship development program. An intellectually curious but practical analytical thinker with strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, s/he will play a leadership role in ongoing research into prioritized market systems and also develop and manage important day-to-day relationships with public and private sector counterparts engaging, supporting and employing women and youth in Addis Ababa.  The Senior Program Officer will start up, implement and manage interventions, give special attention to deeply understanding the profile of the poor women and youth (end-beneficiaries) who will ultimately benefit from LI-WAY.

Duties and Responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities of the Senior Program Officer role fall into the following categories:

Research and analyze sectors and contribute to intervention design

• Conduct primary and secondary research into sector research and analysis—including desktop research and interviews— on prioritized sectors, with support from and engagement with TNS LIWAY colleagues and the broader LIWAY team; Prepare research and analysis deliverables, as assigned
• Capture, structure, analyze findings and draw conclusions and hypotheses in a structured but creative and bold way, with input and support from team
• Support developing and regularly updating of intervention strategies
• Support preparation of internal and external reports and other documents, as required

Design, launch and manage Growth Sector Firms and/or Solid Waste management interventions

• Working together with LIWAY team and consultants, finalize design of interventions and develop detailed logical frameworks, result chains and work plans for these interventions
• Establish and manage relationship with partners and counterparts for the interventions and negotiate MOUs or other agreements, as needed, that clearly define roles, responsibilities and expectations
• Facilitate and manage assigned interventions, working together with the team; gathering data, adjusting interventions and reporting as required

Develop and manage external relationships with partner enterprises, stakeholders and represent Program, TechnoServe

·                   Proactively build and nurture partnerships with other organizations, key stakeholders and counterparts, including GOE offices and authorities as well as NGOs and private sector companies

·                   Represent program and TechnoServe externally, as required

·                   Support transparent selection of and negotiations with private sector partner firms, based on sector prioritization and strategy and effectively manage day-to-day relationships with selected partner firms

·                   Prepare for and participate in regular LIWAY team meetings, trainings and strategy sessions

Develop deep understanding about end beneficiaries: poor women, young women, young men in Addis Ababa as well as insights into the incentives and priorities of private sector companies, as key partners

·         Identify ways to understand the complex, needs and opportunities of poor women and youth in Addis Ababa as well as the constraints they face

·         Work to understand the capabilities, priorities and incentives of private sector partners as well as the relationships between companies

·         Work with Monitoring Evaluation and Learning colleagues to conduct surveys on target beneficiary group; manage and facilitate data collection, as needed

Contribute to team leadership and learning

·                   Promote learning and advance gender equality within team and with partners

·                   Support work plan updating as required and other management tasks delegated by his/her supervisor

·                   Coordinate and work closely together with the LIWAY consortium team in earnest partnership

·                   Find opportunities to sharing transferrable insights and learnings with broader TNS Ethiopia team

·                   Manage, support, coach and guide colleagues and team members; team design and team management responsibilities to be determined by Implementation Phase design and approval

·         A true 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

·         Bachelors degree in business, economics, public policy or other relevant discipline

·         Minimum of 5 years work experience

·         At least three (3) years of professional management experience – ideally a blend of private sector and development

·         Innovative mindset; creative thinker

·         Experience working in Addis Ababa/Ethiopia and knowledge of the city/country

·         Knowledge of and familiarity with private sector companies, entrepreneurship, labor market

·         Experience analyzing sectors, in terms of economic opportunities and constraints and leading teams in this process; familiarity with a business plan

·         Excellent problem solving and analytical skills; a self-starter

·         Strong interpersonal/people management and organizational skills and excellent oral and written communication skills a must, including report writing and presentations

·         Willingness and ability to travel as necessary

·         Strong skills in business software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.)

·         Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic

Attributes:

·         Strong and very detailed oriented when planning and preparing documents

·         Problem solver, structured thinker with high attention to detail

·         Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills; effective negotiation skills

·         Flexibility and ability to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances; learning attitude

·         Committed to quality and achieving impact; motivated; high level of integrity and honesty

Preferred Qualifications and Capabilities

·         Knowledge of Human Centered Design

·         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 development or Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) methodology

·         Experience in system transformation initiatives and/or systemic approaches to market development

·         Master’s Degree in relevant discipline