Start-up Specialist

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Contracted
Mid Level

Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company is an international development consulting firm and an incubator for innovative, scalable solutions that address emerging market challenges and opportunities. Our proven solutions catalyze locally driven organizational and institutional performance improvements and establish communities of practice that facilitate peer-to-peer learning and the achievement of shared goals. We aspire to transform the nature and impact of development assistance and work to strengthen organizations and institutions through innovative approaches to organizational development, reform, and change.

We are seeking a Start-up Specialist to support the start-up of an anticipated project and project office in Ethiopia.  The purpose of this activity is to bolster the capacity of USAID/Ethiopia to work towards a Mission-wide systematic and intentional approach to learning. The Activity will improve data management and help the Mission to make timely decisions in program design and implementation. The Activity will enable wider collective impact of USAID and other partners – thereby better meeting the Development Objectives outlined in the Mission's Country Development & Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). 

The Start-up Specialist will deploy to Ethiopia to support a rapid start-up of the project and project office, including initiating procurement actions, identifying office and events space, participating in recruitment and training of project staff, among others, and will report to the Chief of Party.

Location: Addis Ababa

Contract type: Short-term consultant

Responsibilities and Tasks

Responsibilities and tasks will include, but are not limited to:

  • Deploy and mobilizes in country upon award and support long-term personnel with start-up of all program operations to ensure the rapid start-up of program implementation and a smooth transition from start-up phase to full implementation.
  • Make on-the-ground preparations for a project launch event, including identifying event space and catering, preparing materials, and assisting with other logistics.
  • Oversee initial purchase of materials and services for the project.
  • Initiate procurement actions for office space, vehicles, and equipment, among others.
  • Work with local lawyer to review and revise project office manuals and staff employment agreement templates.
  • Support identification of local tax and accounting firm; work with firm to develop project tax withholding practices and incorporate into manuals.
  • Initiate and support project registration process.
  • Initiate and support process of opening project bank account.
  • Participate in interviews and support training of project operations staff (HR, Finance, Grants, etc).
  • Other task as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Required
    • Master’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum of seven years’ experience with program management and operations or related functions; or a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum of ten years’ experience
    • Experience overseeing start-up of USAID-funded projects and/or experience opening project offices outside of the US 
    • A minimum of three years’ experience supporting USAID and/or USAID-funded Activities
    • Excellent written and oral communication, facilitation, presentation, and interpersonal skills
    • Strong skills for planning and execution – driven to produce high quality work on time
    • Ability to manage multiple priorities efficiently and effectively – plus, respond with to changing priorities and circumstances with flexibility and agility
  • Preferred
    • Experience implementing USAID-funded projects in Ethiopia and/or East Africa, especially with a focus on project Operations, Accounting and/or HR.
    • Familiarity with East African operating environments
    • Experience working and living in a developing country

 

For candidates applying for positions based in Kaizen's office in Washington, DC, we utilize career.place to mitigate bias in the recruitment process. Upon submitting an application, candidates will receive an email from career.place, prompting them to go through the anonymous screening. In order to be considered for a role, candidates must respond to career.place and proceed with the application. We do not currently use career.place for project positions outside of the United States.

At Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. Kaizen is an equal opportunity employer.

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