As the Key Expert on SME and Startup Investment Readiness for the project “Inclusive Capital Markets for Youth and Women Entrepreneurs in Ethiopia”, you will serve as the coordinator for the second component of the project. You will provide strategic and technical support to strengthen the capacities of SMEs, startups, and service providers to access and benefit from Ethiopia’s emerging capital market and alternative financing mechanisms. 

This includes designing and delivering investment-readiness and financial literacy programmes, supporting business support organisations, incubators, and intermediary service providers, and fostering stronger linkages between enterprises and investors. You will guide the development of tailored support for both traditional SMEs and startups, ensuring alignment with their financial, operational, and governance needs. You will also manage calls for proposals to engage private service providers and incubators, supervise capacity-building efforts for intermediary institutions, and coordinate project activities with ECMA’s IPO Clinic to maximise synergies and ensure continuity across the ecosystem. This position will report to the Project Team Leader.

Key Responsibilities include:

Technical Leadership and Implementation

• Serve as the primary technical expert for Output 2, ensuring that all activities related to SME and startup capacity building are coherent, results-oriented, and aligned with project objectives and stakeholder priorities;
• Lead the design, coordination, and delivery of financial literacy and investment-readiness programmes tailored to women- and youth-led SMEs and startups, in partnership with ECMA, business support organisations, and relevant institutions;
• Guide the development of training curricula, toolkits, and awareness campaigns that enhance SMEs’ understanding of capital markets, governance, and alternative financing opportunities such as venture capital, crowdfunding, and blended finance;
• Oversee the launch and management of calls for proposals targeting incubators, accelerators, and intermediary organisations to deliver tailored capacity-building services and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem;
• Support selected partners in the design and implementation of investment-readiness activities, ensuring quality, inclusiveness, and sustainability;
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing and networking between SMEs, startups, investors, and service providers to foster collaboration and improve access to financing;
• Supervise efforts to enhance the capacities of intermediary service providers (financial intermediaries, brokers, investment banks, rating agencies, etc.) to improve market understanding and service quality;
• Coordinate closely with ECMA’s IPO Clinic to ensure a continuum between supported SMEs/startups and those prepared for listing on the exchange;
• Ensure that all interventions mainstream gender equality, youth inclusion, and ESG principles, and that results are documented and disseminated across the project;
• Contribute to building a pipeline of investment-ready enterprises able to access Ethiopia’s capital market and other innovative financing mechanisms.

Consultant Management & Operational Coordination

• Coordinate the work of short-term technical consultants engaged under Output 2, 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 your 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 2 progress and outcomes.
• Support cross-component coordination to ensure that learnings from Output 2 are shared across the project.
• Contribute to project progress reporting, evaluation, and results measurement, especially regarding SME and startup capacity-building and ecosystem strengthening.