Disability Inclusive Business Incubation Center Manager

1. Background

The Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) is a national organization working to promote the rights, inclusion, and equal participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of social and economic life. ECDD implements inclusive education, skills development, and livelihood interventions in collaboration with government institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners.

Under the RISE Project, ECDD aims to enhance access to inclusive education and skills development opportunities for youth with disabilities and youth from vulnerable backgrounds, enabling them to successfully transition into vocational training pathways and decent employment. To address this, ECDD is establishing a disability inclusive inclusive pilot business incubation center at its Addis Ababa offices to support new start-ups and income-generating activities. The Disability Inclusive Incubation Center supports the full entrepreneurial journey from ideation and incubation to acceleration and investor-ready business models and aims to create sustainable pathways for innovation, employment, and inclusive economic growth by enabling persons with disabilities to become successful entrepreneurs, job creators, and change agents. To ensure effective leadership, coordination, and growth of this initiative, ECDD seeks to recruit a Disability Inclusive Incubation Centre Manager.

Purpose of the Position

The Incubation Centre Manager is to oversee the establishment and operational management of the pilot inclusive incubation center, ensuring that persons with disabilities receive tailored, effective, and sustainable support in their start-up initiatives. The manager will coordinate all center activities, liaise with partners, and provide guidance and mentorship to beneficiaries, drive high-quality incubation outcomes that lead to sustainable and scalable businesses led by persons with disabilities, ensuring the project meets its targets for inclusive business support.

Key Responsibilities

1. Centre Management

• Actively participate in the establishment and development of a disability inclusive business incubation system
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the business incubation center, ensuring smooth and inclusive service delivery.
• Supervise incubation staff, consultants, mentors, and service providers
• Foster a results-oriented, inclusive, and collaborative working environment
• Oversee the selection, onboarding, and support of entrepreneurs with disabilities into the incubation pipeline.
• Ensure all incubation services, infrastructure, communication, tools, ICT equipment and assistive technologies are fully accessible to entrepreneurs, with various disabilities (physical, sensory, intellectual, psychosocial).
• Contribute to proposal development, donor engagement, and resource mobilization for scaling the incubation model
• Develop and implement internal operational procedures, guidelines, and reporting systems.
• Ensure compliance with ECDD and RISE project policies and standards including financial, procurement, safeguarding, and HR policies.
• Represent ECDD and the Incubation Center in national and international forums related to inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation.

2. Business Support and Mentoring

• Provide technical support and step-by-step guidance to entrepreneurs with disabilities on business planning, model design, and operational strategies.
• Offer mentorship in financial management, marketing, access to funding, and grant applications.
• Build and manage strategic partnerships with private sector companies, financial institutions and investors, government agencies, innovation hubs and accelerators, universities and research institutions and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs)
• Facilitate networking opportunities and linkages with other start-ups, private companies, and business experts.
• Ensure beneficiaries develop personal and professional skills, confidence, and entrepreneurial competencies.

3. Collaboration and Capacity Building

• Coordinate with the selected incubator or consultant to receive technical support, guidance, and staff training.
• Participate in the development of training modules, manuals, and presentations in collaboration with technical partners.
• Transfer knowledge of disability-inclusive entrepreneurship practices to center staff and project partners.

4. Monitoring, Reporting, and Sustainability

• Monitor progress of supported start-ups and prepare high-quality narrative and financial reports for ECDD management and donors.
• Collect feedback from beneficiaries to improve service delivery and inform project decisions.
• Develop strategies to ensure long-term sustainability of the incubation center beyond the project lifecycle.
• Document lessons learned, success stories, and innovative practices

5. Advocacy and Visibility

• Promote visibility of the Incubation Center and its entrepreneurs through events, media, and publications.
• Contribute to advocacy on disability-inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems.

6. Expected Results / Outputs

• One fully functional inclusive pilot business incubation center established and operational at ECDD office in Addis Ababa.
• Technical support and mentoring provided to entrepreneurs with disabilities.
• Capacity built within the center staff and ECDD to deliver effective inclusive business incubation services.
• Start-ups successfully incubated, with improved business plans, market access, and potential for sustainable growth.

Qualifications and Experience

1. Education

• Education: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Economics, Entrepreneurship, Development Studies, Innovation Management or a related field.
• Experience: Proven experience in managing business incubators or providing start-up support.
• Certification or training in business incubation, entrepreneurship development, or disability inclusion is an advantage.
• Disability Inclusion: Strong knowledge of inclusive education and disability-sensitive business approaches.
• Language: Fluency in English; proficiency in Ethiopian Sign language and other local languages is a strong asset.
• Communication: Excellent facilitation, mentoring, and reporting skills.

2. Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in business incubation, entrepreneurship support, or Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) – business development support.
• Experience in investment readiness, pitching, and access to finance
• Proven experience in managing business support programmes or start-up accelerators.
• Experience in working with persons with disabilities and/or inclusive business practices is strongly preferred.
• Experience in project management, mentoring, and capacity-building initiatives.

3. Skills and Competencies

• Strong understanding of entrepreneurship ecosystems, startups, and SME development.
• Solid project management, budgeting, and reporting skills
• Strong understanding of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs with disabilities.
• Excellent mentoring, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of market analysis, business planning, and financial management for start-ups.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and reporting skills.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, including private sector, NGOs, and government bodies.

4. Reporting

The Incubation Centre Manager will report directly to the RISE Project Coordinator and the Program Director / Deputy Program Director. Regular reporting will include:

• Monthly activity reports detailing center operations and support provided to beneficiaries.
• Quarterly progress reports highlighting outputs, achievements, and challenges.
• Annual review reports summarizing impact and lessons learned.

5. Work Environment

• The manager will operate from the ECDD offices in Addis Ababa.
• The role requires close collaboration with project staff, incubator partners, and private sector stakeholders.
• Frequent travel within Addis Ababa or occasional travel to other regions required for workshops, events, or beneficiary follow-ups.
• Coordination and Supervision the Manager will work under the direct supervision of ECDD and coordinate closely with CBM and technical incubation consultants.
• Ethical Considerations the Manager is expected to respect the dignity and diversity of persons with disabilities and promote a safe, non-discriminatory environment.