Associate Director Enterprise Development & Financial Literacy at Equity Bank Kenya

Description

Equity Group Foundation (EGF) is a corporate foundation of Equity Group Holdings Plc. It was created in 2008 to undertake the social investment work of the bank.  EGF aims to transform the lives and livelihoods of the people of Africa socially and economically by equipping them, capacity building and linking them to modern, inclusive financial services that maximize their opportunities. It focuses on seven pillars under the critical thematic areas of a) Food & Agriculture, b) Education & Leadership Development, c) Energy, Environment & Climate Change, d) Enterprise Development & Financial Inclusion, e) Health, f) Innovation and g) Social Protection. EGF operates in all the countries where Equity Group has a presence i.e. Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and DRC. EGF has adopted Innovation as a leverage to expand its reach, efficiency in program delivery and impact at scale.

Reporting to the EGF Director, Operations, the Associate Director, Enterprise Development & Financial Literacy shall be responsible for team leading the ED&FI (Enterprise Development & Financial Literacy) pillar of Equity Group Foundation and providing leadership and oversight for all pillar initiatives and programs across the subsidiaries and in the countries of operation of Equity Group Holdings. and provide support to the other functions in other pillars of Equity Group Foundation. 

 Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of programs within Enterprise Development & Financial Inclusion pillar that provide a path to inspire, socially and economically empower youth and women in entrepreneurship.
• Lead relationship management to provide linkages that strengthen entrepreneurial and financial management skills for MSMEs.
•  Design and lead the implementation of programs that promote MSMEs access to productive resources, access to finance and sustainable earning potential.
• Develop and coordinate teams that deliver relevant training which will be systematically linked and integrated with other complementary interventions such as access to markets, appropriate technology, access to finance, entrepreneurship development for MSMEs.
•  Onboard partnerships to implement technical assistance and advisory services for MSMEs.
• Provide oversight & support business mentorship, market oriented technical advisory.
•  Lead the roll out and scaling of youth entrepreneurship and innovation through relevant training g programs.
• Collaborate with industry experts and business leaders to avail and cascade impactful mentorship and guidance to strengthen entrepreneurship.
•  Collaboration with Education and Leadership; Innovation pillars of EGF to support the mapping of ELP scholars in varying tech enterprise spaces for relevant engagement.
•  Enhance the program image by managing relationships with implementation partners, donors, innovation hubs, incubators, and accelerators.
•  Review program reports on quarterly basis and as may be required from time to time.
•  Responsible for the review and timely delivery of donor reports.
•  Identify and document success stories of Enterprise Development & Financial Literacy program beneficiaries /participants across all EGF operations.
•  Provide pillar performance briefs at agreed upon intervals during EGF leadership meetings.
• Prepare, review, and submit quarterly reports for the EGF board.
•  Work with the Communications Department to generate reports, stories, and materials to communicate the impact of the programs.
• Other duties/responsibilities as agreed upon with the Director Operations or Executive Chairman, EGF

Key Deliverables for this position

• Successful concepts, proposals & partnerships.
• Scaling youth Entrepreneurship – training, advisory, innovation, access to credit.
•  Start- up business support & success.
• Stakeholder management & liaison; Partnerships and relationship management – Branches, Ecosystem anchors, trainers, funding partners, program implementation partners, counties, national government.
•  Regional Support for subsidiaries.
• Team leadership and mentorship.
• Expansion of programs and partnerships in financial inclusion, women, and youth entrepreneurship
• Programs Quality Management
•   Youth led business portfolio growth, new accounts performance.
•  Partner mapping and relationship management.
• Active stakeholder engagement – donors, implementation partners, innovation hubs, incubators, and accelerators
•  Risk mitigation and alignment to EGF 8 principles
•  Exceptional Customer Experience

Additional Responsibilities:

On request, participate in Group wide business initiatives and provide expert advice on Enterprise Development & Financial Literacy Pillar matters including projects that may be assigned from time to time.

Critical Experience

Demonstrated Strong leadership skills, strategic planning expertise, and excellent communication abilities, Program management and as well as experience designing, leading, executing, and supporting the evaluation of entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.

Essential Knowledge

• Demonstrated high level experience with training & capacity building programs, business mentorship, and entrepreneurship.
•   Strong Project Management Skills
•   Knowledge and existing partnerships with key stakeholders in MSME development, Capacity Building for MSMEs, Trade & Industry in the countries of operation

Key Critical Competencies

• Excellent relationship building and networking skills (both internal & external)
• Conflict resolution, strong negotiation, and persuasion
• Communication for effective writing, presentations, and facilitation 
• Interpersonal sensitivity to interact with others in a sensitive and effective way. Respects and works well with others.
• Building capability – facilitate an environment where staff can learn, develop, and share knowledge.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
• Working knowledge on data management systems

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business studies/ commerce/ Entrepreneurship/ Innovation (MBA, MCom, MSc) Trade, Economics, Business Development, Marketing, Communications, Development studies & related fields
• PhD in relevant field presents an added advantage.
• Over 7 years’ experience designing, leading, executing, and supporting the evaluation of entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.
• Project Management Certification/ Training highly desirable.
• Commitment to results, business savvy, leader.
• A consistent track record of superior performance
• Strong understanding of the business landscape in the East and Central Africa region (countries of operation) potential opportunities and pathways for scale.
• Familiarity with the technology entrepreneurship landscape, including sectors such as Agtech, Renewable Energy tech, and health tech.
• Demonstrated ability to identify innovative solutions that cut across different sectors and impact multiple aspects of entrepreneurship, technology adoption, and economic development.
• Exposure to aligning social impact initiatives with broader economic strategies, demonstrating an understanding of how entrepreneurship can contribute to economic growth