Senior Trainer Assosa

AEC Ethiopia, officially registered as AEC Business Consulting Plc, supports entrepreneurs to grow their business to improve livelihoods and to create thriving communities.

Recently founded in 2021, as the Ethiopia affiliate of the African Entrepreneur Collective. AEC is a 180+ person organization that seeks both social impact and financial sustainability. AEC Ethiopia will work with more than 1800 refugee and host community entrepreneurs, providing a combination of training, consulting, financial services, and market-level systems change. All of our services ensure that businesses in Ethiopia can thrive and contribute to the growth of Ethiopia’s economy.

AEC Ethiopia has 10+ staff in 3 offices across Ethiopia (Addis, Jigjiga, and Assosa), and we have partnerships with ARRA, UNHCR, and Ikea Foundation.  In 2022, we are launching a new strategic plan to reach beyond what we have previously thought possible.

We have a diverse staff, who all embody the company’s culture. In addition to the skills above, all candidates must demonstrate our core values:

• Purpose: be solutions-oriented and produce high-quality work and be a global leader.

• Achievement: Showing up over and over again to get the work done right. 

• Improvement: Be humble and committed to continuous learning and growing. Improve through giving and receiving open and accurate feedback

• Bravery: willing to take risks and create a safe space for others. Be compassionate and inclusive.
  

• Turikumwe/Tuko Pamoja/Abren Nen/Waliin Jirra/We are Together: We appreciate our colleagues, celebrate success, and support each other in hard times.
  

AEC Ethiopia seeks a highly talented and experienced Senior Trainer to work directly with entrepreneurs to help them develop the skills and strategies to scale their businesses. The Senior Trainer will help implement an entrepreneurship development program in various refugee camps and host communities in Benishangul-Gumuz region. 

Reporting to the Training Manager, the Senior Trainer will be the person to design, develop, revamp the training content, coordinate and deliver trainings to clients. He/she will be a supervisor to trainers, Training Support Associates/Social Workers, coordinate with the consulting & investment teams and other departments. 

The Senior Trainer will be traveling to the camp and host community on a daily basis to perform his/her duties without additional compensation (per diem).  Transportation and other logistical facilities will be provided by the company. 

Current responsibilities include:

CLIENT MOBILIZATION (5% TIME)

●        Participate in the AEC Ethiopia program awareness events and meetings

●        Support in identifying and enrolling entrepreneurs in the program based on the set criteria

●        Communicate program details to the community participants and confirm messages have been received

●        Represent AEC Ethiopia as an Ambassador, outreach to existing structures in refugee and host communities

●        Advise on participants’ criteria to fit the culture, program and doing business in the community

MANAGEMENT (20% TIME)

●        Supervise and coach the assigned trainers and Training Support Associates/Social Workers to deliver excellent service to entrepreneurs

●        Set work plans, participate in quarterly performance reviews and maintain weekly check-ins

●        Be aware at all times of key goals and develop daily strategies to achieve them in alignment with budget and culture

●        Participate in local staff meetings and other organizational activities to share information with the team

●        Liaise with the consulting and investment teams, our lending partner (Dashen Bank) and other departments to ensure smooth operations

●        Be a good ambassador in ensuring the organizational culture is understood and followed through by all staff under your supervision

●        Interpret, apply, and ensure departmental compliance with applicable donors and local policy laws and regulations

●        Ensure all staff under your supervision are compliant with organizational HR policies, and implement disciplinary actions when they are not

●        Work with the Training manager to plan and manage the budget, staffing, and other resource needs to deliver program outcomes

●        Develop a good relationship with all partners and local authorities

●        Communicate to AEC Ethiopia leadership about any challenge faced by participants during program implementation.

●        Provide weekly and monthly reports

●        Perform other duties as required and assigned by your manager

TRAINING IMPLEMENTATION (70% TIME):

●        Develop new and harmonize existing content to fit MESMEs size & needs and business dynamics in Ethiopia

●        Manage trainings in all locations of operations in Benishangul-Gumuz region

●       Plan and implement training of trainers (ToTs) as part of the ongoing classes schedule for Trainers, BDAs, Training Support Associate/Social Workers

●        Translate all training materials/content to local languages

●        Conduct trainings and shadow all the BDAs during training in all the locations

●        Recommend clients that need extra/specific attention to the relevant Business Development Advisors of the location

●        Ensure that all the entrepreneurs in the program are informed and attend all planned training

●        Organize all the training logistics: printing training materials, setting up the     training venue, recording attendance, and starting the training on time with support   

 from social works and Training Support Associates

●        Deliver trainings to 3,000 entrepreneurs per cohort using AEC training materials

●        Review and advise the Training Manager on necessary changes to the training curriculums

●        Complete all the program trainings in the due time and within budget

●        Deploy a wide variety of training methods - both in-person and digital - iterating as needed;

●        Draft training reports and updates the online reporting tools

●        Coordinate with Social Workers/Training Support Associate for smooth logistics

●        Participate in capacity-building workshops on a range of topics related to business growth, accounting, finance, marketing, human-centered design, innovation, etc

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION (5% TIME):

●        General maintenance of entrepreneur files, reports, and coordination with colleagues

●        Contribute to staff meetings, annual retreats, and monthly entrepreneur Services meetings 

●        Participation in ongoing entrepreneur tracking and implementing AEC’s impact evaluation programs every quarter/year 

●        Represent AEC Business Consulting in partner’s meetings and any other events in camps and host community as assigned

●        Participate in the development of AEC goals, strategies, and planning

●        Represent AEC Business Consulting in the local business community and at conferences or other events

●        Keep up to date on the latest business and industry trends in Ethiopia and across Africa

●        Record billable hours and activities in organizational tracking systems (Odoo, etc.)

●        Maintain an updated training schedule on the calendar and website

●        Work with the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning department to ensure training are assessed for impact and value to entrepreneurs

●        Attend all Company-wide meetings and maintain organizational values in all  situations.

 We are looking for an individual who is passionate about entrepreneurship and have the skills and experience to help entrepreneurs make lasting changes to their businesses. We are seeking candidates who work quickly and thoroughly, collaborate, and are both kind and serious. 

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications: 

●        Skilled with expertise in market linkages and value chain management to MSMEs;

●        Experience in business training, facilitation, content development, business consulting, business planning, and providing business advice;

●        Excellent Arabic, Amharic, and English;

●        Experience working in refugee settings with different nationalities in Assosa and being a native of the Assosa region would be an advantage;

●        Deep understanding of go-to-market strategies and growth strategies for businesses in the area of consumer goods; 

●        Ability to work with high-profile individuals and companies by demonstrating exemplar levels of professionalism; 

●        Strong presentation and training skills, and ability to teach others business concepts;

●        Possess business acumen, and original thinking; 

●        Excellent computer skills – including Powerpoint, Word, Excel, Odoo, Epi-collect, Google Drive, Kobo-collect, Trello, Asana, etc;

●        Flexible and able to deliver results under pressure;

●        Experience working and managing teams remotely;

●        5+ years’ experience work with MSMEs is required;

●        Bachelor’s degree required in a Business related field;

●        Additional Master’s studies or CPA skills preferred;

●        Good at translation from English to local languages (Amharic, Arabic), would be an advantage

●        Access to a smartphone 24/7

Ready to reside in Assosa and/or travel on a daily basis to the camps and host

• Fun, collaborative work environment

• Opportunity to work with a talented, passionate, and committed team of professionals

• Challenging work and the opportunity to grow and develop your skills

• Ability to make a significant social impact and contribute to economic growth 

COMPENSATION

• Competitive benefits package - salary, and potential KPI-based bonus, favorable policies like health insurance, staff savings program, parental leave, sabbatical program, and more. It also gives you the chance to connect with colleagues across East Africa in a supportive and inclusive environment. In addition, this role is a tremendous opportunity to work in a high-growth, mission-driven organization.