Overview of the role:

Work as an integral part of the MCF-funded community services pathways to the youth employment program team to design and implement youth business development and employment generation activities that support engaging youth in meaningful and dignified work. The Cluster level Business Development & Work placement Officer assists in enhancing the capacity of youth on entrepreneurship and business development, financial management as well as explore potential financial inclusion and an ongoing coaching mechanism.

Specific responsibilities

Business and technical skills development

• Assist in exploring potential self-employment business areas in the targeted geographic areas
• Support in facilitate skill training, internship and job placement for youth in wage employment opportunities
• Assist in track best practices and knowledge about business engagement in the region
• Follow up routine tasks of the program implementation at site level as required by the project
• Assist in identifying target youth who pass through community service for self employment and wage employment
• Support the provision of basic life, business and technical skills training to young women and men job seekers based on the requirements of potential employers in partnership with training service providers and employers
• Assist in identifying business opportunities for new youth-led MSEs and wage employment in the target regions and respective project areas
• Support in identify enterprises and other actors for apprenticeship and on-the job training
• Assist in facilitating the provision of tailored business skills training to young women and men-led MSEs (including soft, financial literacy and digital skills
• Assist in facilitating the provision of business development services (such as business management, finance, HR and technical) to enhance the growth of existing SMEs to create more jobs for young women and men

Networking and linkage with employment and work opportunities:

• Support in creating a mechanism to identify and engage private entrepreneurs for a youth internship program that serves as hands-on experience and skill provision
• Assist in developing a follow-up mechanism to monitor the status of youth who are engaged in self-employment scheme
• Support in establishing alliances with educational institutions, financial institutions, and businesses
• Assist in the identification of potential business development services providers in the respective area
• Support in facilitating the provision of regular coaching and mentoring for new youth-led MSEs and wage-employed youth to ensure effective management of their businesses and employment retention
• Support to facilitate brokering and professionalization of market linkages between input supply and youth-led MSEs for efficient logistics and cost management

Financial inclusion:

• Assist in facilitating the link of youth to available financial inclusion mechanisms for loan opportunities
• Assist in improving accessibility of various means of matching for young women and men job seekers in the targeted regions
• Support to link youth-led MSEs with selected financial institutions to increase access to young women and men-friendly financial products and services

Reports To: Cluster Manager

Duration of Employment: 1 year with possible extension

Job Requirements

Desired Qualification and Experience

• BA degree in Business development, Business Management, economics, marketing, community development and adult education, and/or related courses such as social work, business management, and communications studies
• At least 5 years of previous experience working with youth enterprise development, employment generation or youth engagement activities
• Understanding of enterprise and rural development value chain, agribusiness development and market linkages
• Excellent facilitation skills, ability to train, mentor, and manage teams
• Ability to work in a fast-paced dynamic environment with multiple partners
• Proven knowledge of Ethiopian finance, private enterprise, investment, and trade issues
• Strong grounding in corporate social responsibility
• Knowledge of donor programming, approaches, and policy
• Relevant computer software skills and familiarity with accounting software (including, at a minimum, the standard applications in MS Office)