Business Development Manager

REPORTS TO:   Managing Director (dotted line to the Regional Director of Refugee Affairs)

ABOUT AEC ETHIOPIA

AEC Ethiopia Ltd will provide training and consulting to help entrepreneurs improve their businesses to create jobs and improve livelihoods.

As a new company launching in Ethiopia in June 2021, we are looking for self-motivated colleagues who like challenges, and will excel at bringing a proven model to Ethiopia.

As a social enterprise, we balance financial sustainability with social impact. In 2021, AEC Ethiopia will serve 600 refugee and host community entrepreneurs and will grow steadily from there.

AEC Ethiopia Ltd is the Ethiopian affiliate of African Entrepreneur Collective, which now has 160 staff in 10 offices across East Africa, working with 14,000 entrepreneurs annually to help them grow their businesses. 

THE JOB OPPORTUNITY & RESPONSIBILITIES

AEC Ethiopia Ltd. is currently seeking a qualified Business Development Manager as a key member of the leadership team. The successful candidate will have the following duties:

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT (30% TIME)

• Manage AEC Ethiopia’s services/programming to at least 1200 entrepreneurs a year.
• Organize all programs and operations to achieve company-wide KPIs, creating solutions to overcome barriers to delivery and improve efficiency.
• Stay up-to-date with entrepreneurship trends across Ethiopia. 
• Elevate trends and insights to senior management, helping to inform future strategies.
• Manage, coach, and develop Business Development Advisors (BDAs) to recruit, verify, and provide high quality services to 1,200+ refugee and Ethiopian entrepreneurs annually.
• Advise staff on how to navigate challenges/make sound business decisions with their clients.
• Advise staff on how to serve entrepreneurs on operations, sales, bookkeeping, finance, and investment
• Cooperate closely with the MD & the Regional Refugee Director on all program performance.
• Coordinate with the M&E Department to ensure measurements of client program participation, results, and satisfaction.
• Incorporate M&E lessons into new products and solutions for impact and efficiency.

STAFF MANAGEMENT (30% TIME)

• Supervise all staff operating within the AEC program office
• Work closely with the HR department to recruit, hire, train, assess performance, and manage time off and other HR matters to ensure the department meets its KPIs.
• Coach and develop team members for outstanding performance
• Address any disciplinary or poor performance issues, having hard conversations as needed.
• Other duties to support organizational culture and leadership
• Serve on the organization’s leadership team as an active and engaged senior colleague.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS (20% TIME)

• Maintain and grow AEC Ethiopia’s relationships with program partners, ARRA, UNHCR, Federal government and funders
• Coordinate with the M&E team on data analysis, understanding trends of qualitative and quantitative data, and creating meaningful reports with insight for partners & management
• Support external communications efforts, working with communications experts to provide case studies and data to support public relations on social media, blogs, and other forums.
• Provide reports and communications to donors and investors as needed
• Organize external partner visit to clients, AEC operations
• Represent AEC in local partnership meetings, identifying opportunities and coordinating service delivery with other partners

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION (20% TIME):

• Work with the Regional Director to plan and manage the budget, staffing, operations
• Work with the Finance Department to manage expenses and revenue
• Work with the IT Director to ensure technology meets local needs
• Set up new Branch Offices as needed (lease, equipment, vehicles, facilities, office)
• Coach staff to use digital reporting tools, maintain company admin standards
• Manage and oversee other office logistics
• Report to senior management on operations, participate in company-wide protocols

AEC is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Women, and persons who reflect the diverse communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.  AEC Ethiopia will not sponsor visas.

COMPENSATION

Compensation includes salary and potential KPI-based bonus, healthcare, retirement benefits, flexible annual leave, international travel in East Africa, professional development opportunities, and the chance to connect with colleagues across East Africa. In addition, this role is a tremendous opportunity to work in a high-growth, mission-driven organization.

You’ll also work with a diverse set of colleagues, who nonetheless all embody the company’s culture and values:

• Purpose: we are solutions-oriented and produce high quality work to be a global leader.
• Achievement: we push ourselves to reach beyond what we previously thought possible.
• Improvement: we are humble and committed to continuous learning and growing.  We improve through giving and receiving open and accurate feedback.
• Bravery: we are willing to take risks and create a safe space for others to take risks.  We are compassionate and inclusive.
• Abren Nen/Waliin Jirra (“We are together”): We take time to appreciate colleagues, celebrate success, and hold each other up in hard times. We eat goat.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate must demonstrate previous experience with:

• Minimum Bachelor Degree, advanced degree in MBA strongly preferred
• Experience in working independently on large projects with measurable results
• Experience in managing diverse staff to bring out their best
• Good written and oral communications skills
• Shows perseverance, personal integrity, and critical thinking skills
• Experience in entrepreneurship industry (consulting, business planning, finance)
• Must speak fluent English, plus either Amharic or Oromo

Additionally, the successful candidate will most likely also have:

• 5+ years of work experience in relevant or applicable field
• Experience partnering with UNHCR, ARRA, funders
• Excellent computer skills, especially with MS Excel and Word, and ERP databases
• Good presentation and training skills