Programme Manager – Tanzania Clean Cooking Programme At Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

The AECF

The AECF is a development institution that supports businesses to innovate, create jobs, and leverage investments and markets to create resilience and sustainable incomes in rural and marginalized communities in Africa. It provides concessional capital, technical assistance, and support to the wider enabling environment for emergent and scaling SMEs. Over the past 12 years, AECF has supported almost 400 businesses in more than 40 value chains and 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In the renewable energy and adaptive climate change sector, AECF has supported businesses across solar home systems, mini and micro-grids, biogas, financial services, and adaptive climate change technologies. AECF focuses on agribusiness, renewable energy, and adaptive climate technology sectors while addressing the cross-cutting themes of gender, youth, and fragile contexts to reduce rural poverty, promote resilient communities, and create jobs.

The Tanzania Clean Cooking Programme

The Tanzania Clean Cooking Initiative (TCCI) is a US$ 3.75 million, three-year program that aims to transform the clean cooking sector and enable access to clean cooking to more than 300,000 rural and marginalized households in Tanzania. The programme aims to address the two-fold challenge of supply and demand through innovative mechanisms that de-risk private sector investments through supply-side grants and make clean cooking solutions more affordable through demand-side grants.

The programme will deploy a direct matching grant financing facility coupled with technical assistance as a means of incentivizing and de-risking the private sector to bring private sector benefits to under-served markets, and expect that by the end of the program period, the target market will have opened and been able to crowd in other private sector actors.

The key objectives of the programme are:

1. Catalyze the private sector participation in clean cooking solutions in underserved markets
2. Accelerate the uptake of clean cooking solutions through innovative financing mechanisms
3. Strengthen the clean cooking sector coordination and advocate for a conducive policy environment for a market-led clean cooking sector.

The Role

The Programme Manager will be responsible for the overall execution of the programme, driving the delivery of the programme outputs and outcomes on time, cost, and quality. He/she will be responsible for, all aspects of programme management from planning, contracting, problem-solving, ensuring progress, identifying and gaining approval for solutions through to successful implementation and completion.

The PM will have to work closely with the Head of Programme Renewable Energy to ensure alignment of activities and expectations, with frequent reporting and engagement. As a team leader, the role holder must have excellent technical skills and subject matter expertise and serve as a coach to a team of portfolio officers. He/she must ensure overall employee satisfaction and productivity, to deliver strategic and operational excellence.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Lead planning and execution of the TCCI programme including overseeing the competition process, identifying, and shortlisting potential investible businesses; conducting and coordinating operational, financial, and strategic due diligence reviews, and preparing investment memos.

Oversee the contracting of investee companies, carry out ongoing portfolio management of selected companies, and monitor project implementation to achieve program objectives

Plan and use resources (people and/or finance and/or physical assets) following AECF guidelines and delegated accountability so that objectives are achieved in the most effective manner possible.

Coordinate capacity needs assessments for design of technical assistance and business development service products and monitor delivery of the same.

Undertake the capacity needs assessment (technical, financial, equipment, knowledge, etc.) of the investees and work with the Enterprise Development team on appropriate interventions.

Maintain productive working relationships and linkages with donors, and other development partner organizations, international organizations, government departments, private sector partners, sector leaders, etc.

Working with the AECF Impact team, develop and maintain results measurement plans ensuring they align with the program objectives and theory of change. Ensure compliance with internal controls and integration of AECF’s enterprise-wide risk framework into the IIW-BEK program. Represent AECF in relevant activities with key stakeholders in the Tanzania Energy sector.

Qualifications

Advanced degree in the areas of Business Management, Energy, Economics, Rural Development, Project Management, Development Studies, or any related studies.

Minimum of seven (7) years experience in private sector development, sustainable finance, preferable in the energy sector

Strong understanding of and practical experience in the energy sector and specifically the clean cooking sub-sector.

Have an ability and demonstrate experience in designing and appraising energy business cases.

Have a demonstrated track record in project management, specifically in project planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and financial management for large-scale comprehensive projects.

Have experience managing gender-responsive programs/investments.

Have excellent analytical and communication skills with the ability to prepare proposals, reports, and concept papers to a high level of proficiency.

Have a high degree of initiative and energy, “can-do” attitude, flexibility, teamwork, and attention to detail.

Have excellent interpersonal skills including a strong work ethic, impeccable integrity, and judgment.