Job Title: Program Director

Duty station: Addis Ababa with travel to the regions from time to time

Type of employment: Program (2025 – 2029)

Duration: One Year with possible extension up to five years

Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

Required Number: One

Short Description of the Position

The Program Director is responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the EDGE program and the achievement of its planned results to a high level of quality and in a timely manner. To achieve this, he/she will supervise, guide, manage, coach and monitor the program management staffs. He/She is expected to take an overarching coordinating role ensuring all aspects of the Program progress in accordance with the approved program proposal and international best practice. He/she will provide oversight across all financial and technical management and implementation tasks. He/she will liaise closely with Hybrid Designs management as well as with the Mastercard Foundation office for Ethiopia.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Plan and direct the program implementation based on the program proposal and initiate innovative interventions that contribute to the objective of the program as required.
• Effectively communicate project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion. Set and continually manage project expectations with team members and other stakeholders
• Create and maintain strong relationships with Consortium partners and monitor performance via defined KPIs and deliverables.
• Manage and lead problem solving sessions, provide high caliber support to program staffs, consortium partners and ensure alignment, coordination, and build high performance culture and delivery on priority objectives.
• Closely follow-up with consortium partners (sub implementing partners) for the proper implementation of technical and financial matters.
• Direct EDGE program with proper communication with donors, other implementing partners and stakeholders.
• Coordinate program implementation and achieve planned results to international quality standards, including logistics, procurement, political, bottlenecks in implementation, program management compliance, etc.
• Supervise and manage program personnel, including the preparation of annual work plans and budgets, establishing performance objectives and standards, and ensuring timely and appropriate feedback, guidance, and support for optimum performance.
• Provide technical and strategic advice to all program staffs and facilitate capacity building when needed.
• Oversee the monitoring of program progress and the evaluation of results.
• Monitor program risks, supervise implementation of risk mitigation measures, and update the risk and mitigation measures yearly.
• Identify needs for external technical support for effective implementation, organize and oversee short term missions.
• Oversee administrative and financial management, including procurement of goods and services, budget and expenditure analysis or contractual management.
• Review/approve EDGE staff leaves, EDGE program plan, performance goals/targets, budgets, reports, procurement, travel, etc.
• Liaise and coordinate with all program stakeholders such as the IT park, the Ethiopian Outsourcing Association (EOA), Ministry of Labor and Skills (MOLS), implementing partners and report to Hybrid Designs and the Mastercard Foundation.
• Coordinate the drafting of all program related reports in a timely manner (annual, semi-annual or quarterly progress and operational reports, as per requirements), including reporting to Hybrid Designs management team.
• Build partnerships whenever relevant and possible.
• Facilitate knowledge management, particularly in terms of lessons learned and best practices, which may feed a dialogue with government authorities and as well as contribute to future interventions and policy making.
• Identify needs and oversee the design and elaboration of program related communication and capitalization material.
• Develop a strategy or plan for outreach and advocacy of the EDGE portfolio.
• Organize joint partner meetings, stakeholder meetings, workshops and related activities and prepare materials as needed to expand the outreach of the program.

IV. Competencies

Required Academic Qualifications and Experience

• MA in Business Management, Management Information Systems, Project Management, IT and related fields.
• Minimum 12 years of project management in the Youth employment, Enterprise development and digital technology experience, Innovative IT project management and related experiences.
• Experience in leading, designing and implementation of youth, gender-inclusive initiatives and persons with disabilities in IT and technology focused programs.
• Experience in leading and contributing to successful designing and implementation of donor-funded programs.
• Experience in providing management guidance and technical oversight on national level programs.
• Experience in leading development of program learning – identify opportunities for learning, research, and publication.
• Experience leading multi-dimensional teams and complex programs.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical skills
• Experience in successfully completing at least 2 donor programs with major impacts exceeding the indicator targets and receiving a recognition award for outstanding performance.
• Inclination towards participatory management (at team and beneficiary level), capacity to implement and experience of participatory planning methods.
• Desire of improving the lives of economically disadvantaged young women.
• Leadership, autonomy, and integrity.
• Conflict management capacity.
• Willingness to undertake frequent field visits.
• Strong Communication skills (writing, speaking, composing, presenting, etc).
• Proficiency in oral and written English and Amharic.
• Proficient skill in excel and other MS computer applications.