Chief Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Officer at African Development Bank

The Chief Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Expert will be part of the jobs team for the day to day management and implementation of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy with the following main responsibilities to:

• Consolidate relationships with current partners and diversify the partnership base (public, non-state, financial and non-financial) and sources, to mobilize the resources of trust funds aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy
• Develop donor profiles and solicitation strategies; initiate, develop and cultivate strategic relationships with partners to ensure continued funding and recommend innovative funding opportunities.
• Develop resource mobilization presentations, proposals, briefing notes; participating in donor, investment and membership meetings and assist trust fund managers in the finalization of donor agreements.
• Develop and manage a cohesive portfolio of grants and investments that will foster the growth of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation.
• Provide concise and insightful written analyses and recommendations for making investments including evaluating grant proposals and drafting progress reports for review
• Develop a pipeline for projects (lending and non-lending) in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
• Meet the Bank’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to the department’s portfolio on youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
• Participate in the preparation of Bank’s country strategy papers
• Monitor and share key insights from the work done in each country, and contribute to analytical work and policy dialogue in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
• Identify and conduct analysis and assessments of the partners’ landscape and recommend viable partnerships potential.
• Develop effective financial management tools and systems to enhance coordination, track commitments and opportunities with partners.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Coordinator, Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy, the Chief Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Expert shall perform the following key functions:

• Lead the establishment and management of trust funds, special investment funds and other initiatives to improve access to finance among youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation in Africa
• Serve as the primary contact for the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF). Consult regularly with grantees and partners to improve the impact of projects and ensure sharing of lessons learned. This will include field visits, hands-on oversight, operational guidance, and convening and facilitating interactions among key partners.
• Support the development of resource mobilization action plans tailored to specific donors, investors; provide strategic advice and policy recommendations with a view to positioning Jobs for Youth in Africa
• Identify and develop opportunities for non-core resource mobilization and advise the Jobs Team on appropriate strategies and approaches to seize them.
• Advise and support Jobs for Youth in Africa in establishing strategic approaches for positioning for improved and sustained partnerships and for resource mobilization, including with International Financial Institutions, foundations and other private and newly emerging funding sources, as well as on changes in the donor context.
• Develop specific donor fund-raising strategies and approaches.
• Develop and conduct competitive landscape analysis of partners, their priorities and characterization of their relationships/partnerships.
• Develop appropriate tools and systems to enhance coordination, track commitments and opportunities with partners (donor database, pipeline management system, etc.) and evaluation of partnership supported programs.
• Provide overall support on the relationship with critical partners (financial, non-financial, government and non-state actors) including in the negotiation of any agreements.
• Perform other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Business Administration, Finance, Social Sciences, Economics or related field;
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience at the international level involving resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder projects and partnership development;
• Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the Bank.
• Extensive experience in the Venture Capital space including experience in setting up a VC Fund/Platform for youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation in Africa;
• Extensive experience in fund raising from donors/commercial investors with strong networks in the donor community
• Experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of partnership programs;
• Ability to develop innovative and creative approaches to improve performance and create additional benefits for the Bank and its clients;
• Good knowledge of working environment to the resolution of problems and identify solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization;
• Demonstrated leadership effectiveness and supervisory ability to achieve defined objectives in international contexts;
• Experience in team management with focus in Africa would be a major advantage;
• Communicate and write effectively in English and French, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competences in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.