Deputy Country Director – Technical

Company Overview:

Palladium International LLC is a leading global consulting firm that manages nearly $2 billion in donor-funded projects in more than 90 countries while simultaneously providing management consulting advice to private sector firms and local and national governments throughout the world. It is well-known for its work in private sector development, market systems, innovative/inclusive finance, and the formation of public-private alliances. Palladium adds value by aligning business interests with development objectives, leveraging donor resources with commercial assets and vice versa. This market-driven approach ensures interventions are impactful, inclusive, and address the root causes of today’s biggest development challenges while also being sustainable beyond the life of a particular donor-funded program.

Project & Buy-In Overview:

Palladium International, LLC is implementing the $250 Million, 8-year USAID CATALYZE contract which offers a facilitated partnership model that will craft solutions to crowd in $2 Billion in blended finance (i.e., blended concessional and commercial finance) to USAID partner countries; it can work in any development sector or region. Launched in October 2019, CATALYZE is a buy-in mechanism that allows USAID Bureaus and Missions to efficiently deploy investment facilitation solutions that respond to the needs of specific sectors, issues, and geographies.

USAID CATALYZE Ethiopia – Market Systems for Growth (MS4G): MS4G is designed to benefit the Ethiopian people, build community resilience, and strengthen rural-urban linkages in the areas of agriculture, food security, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). MS4G invests in developing relationships with private sector players, co-investing in inclusive business models, advisory services, digital solutions, and market-based initiatives that increase the resilience and sustainability of Ethiopian enterprises and employment for women and youth. The project supports activities in Addis Ababa and secondary cities.

To strengthen the private sector in the food security and WASH sectors, MS4G uses a market-based approach to deliver business development and financial advisory services to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The project leverages Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) and Pay-for-Results (P4R) awards and co-creates and co-funds partnerships to enhance enterprises’ performance, product/service delivery, and inclusion. The activities are designed to build institutional capacity, enhance knowledge and skill transfers through workforce development initiatives, advance the business enabling environment, accelerate digital transformations and scale best practices to increase productivity and quality. As it enters its third year, MS4G is placing an increased focus on WASH Finance, enhancing livelihoods and enterprise to shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and responding to the food security risks related to the supply disruptions and increasing cost of agricultural production and fertilizer.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:  

The CATALYZE: MS4G Deputy Country Director – Technical will report to the CATALYZE: MS4G Country Director. (This position is comparable to a Deputy Chief of Party position.) S/he will provide technical direction to MS4G, particularly supervising program activities in the regions and ensuring they are carried out in alignment with the workplan. The Deputy will stand in for the Country Director as needed.

The MS4G Deputy Country Director – Technical will provide technical leadership and direction to MS4G in line with client expectations. S/he is based in Addis Ababa to enhance the opportunities to link more closely with other USAID/Ethiopia Mission-sponsored projects, other USG-sponsored cross-sector activities, private sector players and Government of Ethiopia (GoE) agencies and ministries on the urgent actions and partnerships needed to achieve the expected results.

Specific responsibilities of MS4G’s Deputy Country Director – Technical include, but are not limited to:

• Advise Country Director on technical approach of the project.
• Serve as part of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in country, working under the Country Director and with the Deputy Country Director, Operations and Compliance, to provide project leadership to ensure project objectives are met in a compliant and timely manner.
• Oversee technical staff to manage programmatic functions and activities in Ethiopia in line with the project’s approved Performance Work Statement (PWS) and Year 3 Work Plan. This includes providing technical support, supporting monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities.
• Support the development of strategic partnerships to mobilize capital, enhance private enterprise growth and job creation, improve workforce development, and enact improved policies
• Liaise with project counterparts as requested by the Country Director and supports the development of strategic partnerships designed to deliver impact at scale and transform market systems.
• Work with compliance, procurement, and technical staff to develop innovative grants and performance-based subcontracting platforms that leverage local ecosystem actors to deliver services that produce impact at the firm, sector, and market system level at scale.
• Provide technical guidance in the rapid development, packaging, release, and evaluation of ongoing grants/sub-awards and other procurement as well as grants/sub-awards within new fertilizer, COVID resiliency and WASH Finance programming
• Ensure project activities conform to project requirements, including cost, schedule, and quality.
• Collaborate with technical staff and the procurement team to monitor subcontractors/grantees for timely delivery.
• Ensure agile program implementation in line with monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) findings.
• Lead and/or contribute to critical program technical deliverables and reports and ensure they reflect the nature of the technical work conducted.
• Serve as a technical liaison as part of the MS4G team, across private sector partners, GOE USAID, and other key stakeholders.
• Other duties as required.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive USAID project management experience preferred in fields related to the successful implementation of this project such as agriculture and food security, WASH, financial services and investment advisory expertise, private enterprise development, workforce development and youth programming, and public and private sector engagement.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of Ethiopian finance, private enterprise, investment, business environment and trade issues; with a sound understanding of specific challenges and barriers facing women and youth entrepreneurs, business owners, and job seekers, preferably in agriculture and WASH contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to work in partnership with private and public sector actors to design activities and ensure a sustainable continuation post-program.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage and deal with diverse stakeholders.
• Evidence of strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written with professional fluency in English required.
• Experience supervising teams, preferably in a remote manner (i.e., regional managers).
• Knowledge of USAID programming, approaches, and policy.
• Advanced computer skills including fluency with Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree or post-graduate degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economic Policy, Enterprise Development or other related fields is preferred.
• Ten years or more of professional experience successfully overseeing large, complex projects (or components therein) and diverse teams focused on financial services and investment advisory expertise, private enterprise development, workforce development, and public and private sector engagement.
• Five years the international development field including experience in a management role for a USAID-funded contract of similar scale ($40M+ / 5 years) highly desirable.
• Amharic written and verbal fluency.