Micro and Small Enterprise Advisor

Company: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

🎯 Mid Level 🎓 Bachelor Required

GIZ- Internal/External Vacancy Announcement

Project office- WIDU.africa

Contract duration-31.10.2028

Duty Station- Addis Ababa

Note: Please note that the position title will be changed to Advisor during the recruitment process

Brief Description of the Project

The WIDU project provides grants in connection with existing flows of remittances from private individuals within the African diaspora in Europe. The project thus redirects these flows of money into long-term investments in the businesses of relatives or friends in one of ten African countries (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia).

The central tool for the project is the online platform WIDU.africa. The platform allows members of the African diaspora in Europe, together with friends and relatives living in Ethiopia, to apply for funding for their businesses and business ideas. The focus is on small and micro businesses in any industry. Alongside a grant, the entrepreneurs are also accompanied by a business coach throughout the implementation period.

Important information on the specific role

The role combines business assessment and advisory support with hands-on entrepreneur assistance . The position holder will review business applications and investment plans, provide practical feedback to entrepreneurs, and support them throughout their engagement with WIDU. The role also contributes to improving entrepreneurs’ readiness to access finance and connecting them with relevant financing and business development opportunities.

This is a practical, client-facing role requiring a sound understanding of micro and small businesses, strong digital skills, attention to detail, and a service-oriented approach. The successful candidate will be comfortable assessing business information while also providing patient and practical support on recurring questions and digital processes. The role requires the ability to work independently, take ownership of cases, identify problems, and develop practical solutions.

  Entrepreneur Support and Grant Application Assessment

• Act as a key focal point for WIDU entrepreneurs, providing practical and professional support throughout the application and funding process.

• Review and assess business applications and investment plans, including the plausibility of proposed investments, business rationale, and basic financial information.

• Identify gaps, inconsistencies or areas for improvement and provide clear and practical feedback to entrepreneurs to strengthen their applications and investment plans.

• Assess applications against WIDU eligibility and programme requirements and ensure that required information and documentation are complete and consistent.

• Respond to entrepreneur enquiries, clarify requirements, and obtain additional information or documentation where needed.

• Ensure the accurate and timely progression of applications and refer more complex cases to the appropriate team or specialist support where required.

• Work confidently and accurately with digital platforms, workflows and application data.

• Contribute to improving guidance materials, FAQs and other resources used to support entrepreneurs.

Access to Finance, Market and Business Development Support

• Support entrepreneurs in improving their readiness to access external finance, including by identifying gaps in business and financial information and strengthening the quality of relevant business and investment documentation.

• Help identify common barriers faced by WIDU entrepreneurs in accessing finance and communicate these to the relevant team.

• Assess and identify common coaching and capacity-building needs among entrepreneurs based on applications, enquiries, and interactions with the project.

• Guide entrepreneurs towards relevant financing, capacity-building and business development opportunities where appropriate.

• Work with colleagues responsible for Access to Finance to connect entrepreneurs with relevant financial institutions, financing opportunities, training or other specialized support.

• Identify relevant events, networking opportunities, forums, and other activities that could benefit entrepreneurs.

 Project Management and Administrative Support

• Maintain complete and reliable records of entrepreneur interactions, application reviews and relevant follow-up actions.

• Support the planning and coordination of meetings, workshops, trainings and other project events, including relevant logistical and organisational arrangements.

• Prepare presentations, briefing materials, meeting documentation and other project-related documents as required.

• Support routine administrative and project management tasks and contribute to the timely follow-up of agreed actions and deadlines.

• Provide flexible operational support to the team as required.

• The brief profile is not intended to provide a full and complete description.  Where appropriate and reasonable, the position holder is willing to perform tasks outside the scope of the job description .

Job Requirements

Education

• University degree in Business Administration, Management, Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship or a related field

 Professional Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience  in business support, entrepreneurship, SME development, customer/client advisory services, financial services, or a related field.

• Practical experience working directly with micro, small or medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs or other private-sector clients.

• Experience providing practical advice or support to entrepreneurs or businesses, preferably related to business planning, investment decisions, financing or business development.

• Experience reviewing business applications, investment plans, business information, or supporting documentation and identifying gaps or areas requiring clarification.

• Experience providing support through E-Mail and/or digital platforms and responding to client or entrepreneur enquiries.

• Experience in access to finance, including supporting businesses in becoming better prepared to approach financial institutions or other financing providers, is an advantage.

• Previous experience in development cooperation, private sector development programmes or entrepreneurship support programmes is an advantage.

Qualification and Specialist Area

The candidate should combine a sound understanding of micro and small businesses with strong analytical, digital and client-support skills . In particular, the candidate should demonstrate:

• Sound understanding of how micro and small businesses operate, including basic business planning, investment decisions, costs, revenues and financing needs.

• Ability to assess business and investment information, identify gaps or inconsistencies, and provide practical and constructive feedback.

• Strong digital proficiency and confidence working with online platforms, digital workflows and application management systems.

• High level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly when reviewing applications, financial information and supporting documentation.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to explain requirements and provide feedback clearly and professionally.

• A patient and service-oriented approach, including the ability to provide consistent support on recurring questions and challenges.

• Ability to work independently, take ownership of assigned cases and tasks, and proactively identify and develop practical solutions.

• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple applications, enquiries and priorities simultaneously.

How To Apply

Application procedure:

Interested and qualified candidates shall submit their motivation letter along with their non-returnable recent CV via   

Applications without vacancy numbers in subject lines might be disqualified. 

Note the Job Title will be changed to Advisor during the recruitment Process.

Please make sure you mention the vacancy number and position title “ Your Full Name_ Micro and Small Enterprise Advisor #085/2026″  in the subject line of your E-Mail application.

“GIZ is an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity. All qualified candidates, regardless of disability, age, sex, ethnicity, race, and religion are encouraged to apply.”

Apply

recruitment-ethiopia@giz.de