Company Overview:
About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or any other circumstance, please email our team at [email protected]
Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

Project Background
The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 6-year and €114 million programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 200,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa, and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund will support initiatives in focus countries that will offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.

Assignment overview
CFYE is looking for a consultant to serve as a business mentor in clean energy and clean cooking. The business mentor should have good local understanding of both the sector/market and country knowledge. The consultant will also support the Implementing Partner (IP) with wider lobby work for their strategy and focus on both energy access and clean cooking.

By sharing his/her knowledge and experience, and acting as a sounding board, the consultant is expected to help the IP in prioritizing activities, providing direction in defining the business model and strategy, and identifying areas where further technical support would be required to reach the employment and social impact objectives of the CFYE.

It is important that the consultant is skilled in listening, coaching, motivating, and giving feedback to mentees. As a mentor the consultant will need to adapt his/her approach to the IP’s specific needs, their stage of development, and the issue that needs to be addressed. The success of the mentorship will depend on the satisfaction of IP with mentorship. To this effect, the Relationship Manager (RM) will solicit periodic feedback from the IP and a satisfaction survey will be conducted at the end of the assignment.

Activities:
• Strategic guidance on business growth and formalization in country. The focus areas listed below are indicative of the goals of the consultancy. However the mentor will re-assess this together with the mentee:
• establishing local manufacturing,
• expansion through building up a larger distributions & sales network and staff capacity,
• improving local distribution,
• formalizing of key operational departments such as HR.
• Support with advocacy and lobbying for the sector of the IP, including potential support with fundraising and/or investor linkages.
• Providing advice and counselling based upon mentor’s knowledge and experience whilst sharing network contacts and other know-how.
• Agree on key support items upon the start of the delivery (after discussing this as well with the CFYE team).
Deliverables:
The mentors are requested to provide a monthly progress report to the in-country Relationship Manager.

Level of Effort
Typically, the level of effort will be on average 2-4 days per month. Total number of days will then result in a total of 6-12 days over 3 months. There will be an opportunity to extend.
It is also expected that the mentorship will be more intensive in the beginning of the consultancy (up to 4 days/month).

Required Qualifications:
• Business and operations experience in the energy access and/or improved cooking sector as ideally as director or manager (or in a strategic advisory role) in East Africa, preferably in Uganda.
• Specific expertise in raising capital or thematic policy lobbying in the clean energy sector.
• Demonstrated competency in developing and implementing effective strategies, business plans and budget management, experience with establishing local manufacturing is a prerequisite.
• Strong knowledge of organizational mapping and development
• Direct and substantial experience of working cross-culturally
• Experience with working as a business mentor is considered a prerequisite.
• High proficiency in English

Job application procedure
Interested applicants please visit: https://palladium.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/2/requisition/11422/application?c=palladium&jobboardid=0#1