Program officer

About R&D Group  

R&D Entrepreneurship and Outsourcing Center PLC (R&D Group) is a leading organization in Ethiopia working at the intersection of entrepreneurship development, outsourcing, and workforce solutions. The organization delivers innovative programs that support enterprises, build talent pipelines, and create sustainable employment opportunities, particularly for youth and women.  

About R&D Group  

The Program Officer supports the day-to-day coordination, implementation, and monitoring of entrepreneurship and talent development activities within R&D. This role works across multiple related projects to ensure successful delivery of business development, training, and mentorship services.  

The Program Officer improves implementation efficiency, tracks program outcomes, manages stakeholder communications, and assists in the transition to a market-driven service model. This is a mid-level role suited for a candidate with up to 3–5 years of experience who can manage program workstreams with limited supervision while receiving strategic guidance from senior leadership. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Support the execution of business development, training, and mentorship services across multiple workstreams; track progress against work plans and deadlines. 
• Collect, organize, and report on program data (outputs, outcomes, budgets, risks); ensure compliance with partner and organizational requirements. 
• Serve as a primary point of contact for participants, mentors, trainers, and partners; schedule meetings, distribute materials, and follow up on action items. 
• Improve implementation efficiency by maintaining project tools (e.g., dashboards, trackers, shared calendars) and flagging cross-workstream dependencies. 
• Help document and pilot market-driven service models; collect feedback from beneficiaries to inform transition planning. 
• Coordinate training sessions, mentorship matching, and business development workshops (virtual or in-person) including logistics, materials, and participant communication.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in business, international development, entrepreneurship, social sciences, or a related field. 
• 3–5 years of experience in program coordination, project support, or operations, preferably within, entrepreneurship support, talent development, or donor-funded environments. 
• Local language proficiency as well as English (spoken and written) 
• Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills. 
• Proficiency with program management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, MS Project, Excel, or Google Workspace). 
• Ability to work independently on defined workstreams while knowing when to escalate issues to the Program Manager. 
• Experience working with stakeholders (participants, mentors, partners) is a strong asset. 

Other Requirements  

• Strong organizational and time management skills  
• High attention to detail and ability to manage documentation  
• Good communication and coordination skills  
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities