VIA – Junior Project Support Officer IYBA SEED

Under the line management of the Programme Director and with day-to-day guidance and functional supervision from the Deputy Programme Director, the Junior Programme Support Officer (JPSO) will contribute to the implementation of the IYBA-SEED programme (“Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Supporting Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development”).

The JPSO will be a part of the Programme Management Unit (PMU), based in Brussels, and will work closely with the Programme Director, Deputy Programme Director/Administrative and Financial Officer, Programme Assistant, MEAL Officer and Technical Component Leads. He/she will also support coordination with country teams and maintain regular contacts with Expertise France headquarters.

This position offers hands‑on experience in the coordination and implementation of an EU‑funded international cooperation programme, within a multi‑country and multi‑agency consortium.

The JPSO will contribute to the following tasks, under supervision and in close collaboration with the Programme Director and the Deputy Programme Director:

• Coordination and liaison: support coordination between Expertise France and other implementing partners, country teams, donors, external experts and other stakeholders involved in the programme;
• Communication and visibility: contribute to the coordination and implementation of the programme’s communication and visibility activities;
• Procurement and contract management: support the subcontracting of activities to external experts, including co‑drafting terms of reference, participating to and contributing to evaluation and selection procedures and monitoring contract implementation;
• Information management: ensure the proper organisation/archiving of various programme documents and facilitate internal information sharing;
• Reporting: contribute to programme reporting by drafting notes, reports and meeting minutes, and support the preparation, analysis, assembling and editing of narrative reports;
• Event and mission organisation: support the organisation of programme events, internal meetings, expert missions, study visits and steering committees, including support with related logistical arrangements;
• Support to country teams: provide support to country teams in project management and activity design, including participation in evaluation committees when relevant;
• Planning and monitoring: contribute to the development and follow‑up of the programme action plan and work schedule.

The position requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail, autonomy, responsiveness and the ability to work effectively in a European, international and multicultural environment.

Expertise France is the French public international cooperation agency. It designs and implements projects that contribute to the sustainable development of partner countries, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda and the priorities of France’s external action.

IYBA‑SEED “Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Supporting Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development” is co‑funded by the European Union (DG INTPA), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Team France and SlovakAid. It is implemented by a consortium of European development agencies: Expertise France, Enabel, GIZ, SAIDC and SNV. The consortium is led by Expertise France.

IYBA‑SEED is part of the Team Europe Initiative “Investing in Young Businesses in Africa” (IYBA). The project supports entrepreneurship ecosystems in sub‑Saharan Africa, with a focus on young entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs.

The project is implemented in five countries: Benin, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa and Togo. It aims to contribute to decent job creation and resilient economies by strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems and improving access to business development services, both financial and non‑financial, for early‑stage businesses and entrepreneurs.

IYBA‑SEED works across four main components:

• Capacity Development and Networks: strengthening and connecting entrepreneurship ecosystem actors and their networks at national and international level;
• Business Environment: contributing to policies and regulations that support the creation and growth of young businesses;
• Entrepreneurial Culture: promoting an inclusive entrepreneurial culture, with a focus on young people and women;
• Knowledge: improving access to lessons learned, tools and good practices on entrepreneurship ecosystem strengthening.

Qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree in economics, development economics, political science, international cooperation, project management or another relevant field;
• Previous experience, including internsh