Entrepreneurship, Business Incubation & Economic Empowerment Manager

Job description 
Job Purpose

The Entrepreneurship, Business Incubation & Economic Empowerment Manager leads the organization's portfolio of entrepreneurship, business incubation, startup development, and economic empowerment programs. The role is responsible for designing and managing innovative interventions that support startups, micro and small enterprises, investment grant schemes, and interest-free loan programs, while promoting sustainable livelihoods, job creation, financial inclusion, and local economic development. The position also contributes to resource mobilization, partnership development, and strategic program growth in alignment with donor priorities and international development standards

Key Responsibilities
 

Program Development and Economic Innovation

• Lead the development and implementation of the organization's entrepreneurship and economic empowerment strategy
•  Design innovative programs that support startups, micro and small enterprises, and local economic
• Conduct market assesments, value chain analyses, and economic opportunity studies
• Develop sustainable interventions that promote entrepreneurship, self-employment, and enterprise  growth
• Ensure the integration of youth empowerment, gender equality, and economic inclusion principles across  programs

 Business Incubation and Startup Development

.  Design, establish, and manage business incubation and acceleration programs

.  Develop incubation methodologies, capacity-building frameworks, and business support services

.  Oversee startup scouting, selection, assessment, and incubation processes

.  Coordinate mentoring, coaching, networking, and technical support services for entrepreneurs

.  Build strategic relationships with investors, financial institutions, chambers of commerce, and private sector partners

.  Monitor startup growth, sustainability, and business performance indicators

Grants and Enterprise Financing

.   Manage investment grants, competitive grants, and interest-free loan programs

.   Develop transparent selection and evaluation mechanisms for business support initiatives

.   Oversee technical and financial assessment processes

.   Monitor the performance and impact of funded enterprises and supported businesses

.   Facilitate access to finance, investment opportunities, and market linkages

Project Development and Resource Mobilization

.   Lead the preparation of concept notes, project proposals, and donor funding applications

.    Develop strategic partnerships with governmental institutions, private sector actors, academia, and financial service providers

.   Contribute to fundraising efforts and expansion of the organization's economic development portfolio

.    Represent the organization in donor meetings, technical forums, and economic development platforms

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

.     Establish and oversee monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems for economic empowerment programs

.     Measure and report economic and social impact indicators

.   Produce high-quality technical reports, success stories, and lessons learned documentation

.   Utilize evidence-based approaches to strengthen program quality and sustainability

Leadership and Team Management

.  Provide leadership and technical guidance to project teams, consultants, and partner organizations

.   Manage program budgets, work plans, and operational resources

.    Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement

.   Ensure compliance with organizational policies, safeguarding standards, and donor requirements

Note: the above-mentioned key responsibilities / accountabilities are illustrative ones. Another future responsibilities/accountability may be assigned to the job depending on the department organizational chart

Qualifications

Required

.   Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, International Development, or a related field

Preferred

.    Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA), Economics, Entrepreneurship, Economic Development, or a related discipline

Professional Experience

.   Minimum of two years of relevant experience in entrepreneurship development, business incubation, startup support, economic empowerment, or SME development programs

.    Proven experience in project design, proposal development, and donor-funded programming

.    Experience managing grant schemes, investment support programs, revolving funds, or interest-free loan initiatives

.   Experience working with NGOs, INGOs, development agencies, incubators, accelerators, or entrepreneurship support organizations

.   Experience in private sector engagement and partnership development is considered a strong asset

Core Competencies

Technical Competencies

.    Business incubation and startup ecosystem development

.   Economic empowerment and enterprise development programming

.   Proposal writing and donor engagement

.   Market assessment, value chain analysis, and feasibility studies

.    Grant management and project cycle management

.    Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

Leadership Competencies

.  Strategic thinking and innovation

.   Team leadership and people management

.   Stakeholder engagement and partnership building

.   Negotiation, communication, and presentation skills

.  Results-oriented and solution-driven approach

Languages

.     Professional proficiency in Arabic and English (written and spoken)

Digital Skills

.    Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications

.  Familiarity with project management, data analysis, and monitoring systems

 Child Protection Policy:

Child abuse in all its forms is unacceptable to Violet, which recognizes its responsibility to protect children from harm in all areas of its work. Violet is committed to ensuring a safe environment for children and applies a zero-tolerance      approach to any form of child abuse and exploitation.
 Discrimination, Abuse, and Harassment Policy:
Violet prohibits and will not tolerate any form of discrimination, abuse, or harassment (sexual or otherwise) based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship status, disability, or military status. Violet employees and associated personnel must not, under any circumstances, engage in any form of discrimination, harassment, abuse (physical, sexual, or verbal), intimidation, exploitation, or in any other way that violates the rights of others within or outside Violet.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted