Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.  

Project Background

This Opportunity:

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 Market Systems for Growth (MS4G) focuses on creating transformative outcomes in the food security and WASH sectors to benefit all Ethiopian people. To achieve these goals, the activity engages youth, mobilizes capital, increases access to finance, connects enterprises to markets, and supports stakeholders to self-advocate towards policy change which will promote opportunities for the private sector community. 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 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.

The Project Management Specialist Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) 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.

Location:

The position is based in Palladium’s Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Office

Estimated Start Date and Period of Performance:  

This assignment is expected to commence in March 2023 and continue for 3 to 6 months.  

You and Your Career:

If you are a problem-solver, collaborator, and doer, and you have expertise in supervising program activities, we are interested in hearing from you.

We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start.  We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting and Supervision:

The Consultant will be overseen by MS4G Country Director, Lauren Rawlings. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• MS4G seeks to engage a qualified project management and talent development expert on a short-term, labor-based contract. Primary duties and responsibilities of the consultancy include, but are not limited too: 

• Review of current project management strategies, procedures, and tools across MS4G operations and technical teams and recommend areas to improve and streamline.  

• Recommend and develop project management solutions and tools where gaps exist. 

• Work with teams to co-create improvements to existing project management trackers and their effective usage.

• Develop a project management toolkit and summary of best practices to be used by the MS4G team. 

• Provide draft action plan to MS4G project team and leadership for review and input and incorporate/address feedback.  

• Work directly with project team to provide trainings sessions designed to build capacity in project management techniques. 

• Provide project management training and coaching for key team members to improve their ability to plan, schedule, and track work. 

• Collaborate with MS4G HR Manager to provide inputs into talent development and training plans for MS4G team.

Job Requirements

Key Competencies Required: 

• Experience facilitating project management workshops and on-the-job training. 

• Up to date on project management best practices, standards, and guidelines. 

• Demonstrated experience in participatory development. Experience in planning and conducting consultations with a wide range of stakeholders and communicating results. 

• Evidence of strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written with professional fluency in English required. 

• Strong comprehension and speaking skills in Amharic. 

• Experience coordinating across multiple teams.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). 

• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills.  

Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred: 

• Formal project management training/certification 

• Seven or more years of professional experience successfully playing technical leadership and management roles in complex projects focused on project management.

• Experience managing complex multi-party partnerships and projects.   

• Experience working in Ethiopia. 

• Exposure to organizations working in at least one of MS4G sectors: Agriculture and/or WASH. 

• Knowledge of USAID programming, approaches, and policy. Five years of experience in the international development field including experience in a management role for a USAID-funded contract of similar scale ($40M+ / 5 years) highly desirable. 

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success, and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neuro divergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process

How to Apply

Register using the following LINK