As the Key Expert on Capital markets and SME finance for the project “Inclusive Capital Markets for Youth and Women Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia”, you will serve as the coordinator for first component of the project. You will provide strategic and technical support to the Ethiopian Capital Market Authority (ECMA) and other relevant institutions to build their capacity to design, regulate, and implement MSME-friendly capital market solutions. This includes designing support mechanisms for SMEs, enabling alternative finance channels, and promoting innovative instruments such as crowdfunding, blended finance, and public offerings tailored for SMEs. This position will be reporting to the project Team Leader.

Key Responsibilities include:

Technical Leadership and Implementation

• Serve as the primary technical expert for Output 1 and ensure alignment of all activities with project goals and stakeholder needs;
• Lead the design and delivery of technical assistance to institutional stakeholders and ensure high-quality, results-driven delivery of activities related to SME access to capital markets;
• Support the operationalisation of the IPO Clinic at ECMA to help SMEs prepare for listing and improve investment readiness.
• Design and deliver capacity-building and training programs for ECMA, ESX, AABE, and other relevant institutions focused on SME engagement, capital markets regulation, and financial innovation.
• Provide expert input into the design of SME financing schemes, including alternative financing mechanisms such as crowdfunding, venture capital, and blended finance.
• Deliver workshops, coaching, and advisory services to enhance public institutions’ capacity to design and regulate inclusive financial instruments.
• Ensure that all technical assistance, training activities, and advisory services systematically integrate a gender-sensitive and ESG lens, promoting inclusive and sustainable capital market development.
• Provide ongoing regulatory and policy advice to ECMA and other key stakeholders to foster MSME inclusion within Ethiopia’s capital markets.
• Ensure coherence with parallel initiatives in financial sector development and SME support.

Consultant Management & Operational Coordination

• Coordinate the work of short-term technical consultants engaged under Output 1, including drafting terms of reference, reviewing deliverables, and ensuring alignment with project objectives.
• Liaise regularly with the Project Support Unit (PSU for the preparation of consultant contracts (administered by PSU) and to ensure smooth administrative execution of activities.
• Monitor technical inputs and timelines for subcontracted activities or expert missions under their component.

Cross-Cutting Project Contributions

• Actively participate in project-wide brainstorming sessions, strategic planning, and internal workshops (including but not limited to project strategy, M&E, outreach and knowledge sharing);
• Contribute to technical reports, donor updates, and visibility materials highlighting Output 1 progress and outcomes.
• Support cross-component coordination to ensure that learnings from Output 1 are shared across the project.
• Contribute to project progress reporting, evaluation, and results measurement, especially regarding institutional capacity building and regulatory improvements.