About ESPartners

Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESPartners) is a company which aims at enabling innovative, scalable, and profitable enterprises to build prosperity. Created in 2010 in Washington DC, ESPartners’ mission is to “Provide entrepreneurs in Africa with the keys to sustainable success.”

ESPartners supports people, companies, institutions, and nations in articulating, implementing and disseminating solutions to their economic challenges, and in facilitating private sector development and supporting MSMEs across Africa. ESPartners has worked with multiple clients: entrepreneurs, MSMEs, governments, and development partners, including the World Bank Group / IFC, Mastercard Foundation, the African Development Bank.

Our firm operates across the African continent throughout two regional offices: in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, covering West and Central Africa, and in Kigali, Rwanda, for East and Southern Africa operations.

At ESPartners, we believe in people. We live by the idea of constantly delivering services at the cutting edge of business practices, but also, of bringing into our team, the most talented, adaptable, qualified, driven and diverse people available.

ESPartners’ approach is to provide « Intelligent Capital^TM », meaning the right combination of insights and capital, to address critical societal issues, by providing advisory services and solutions to diverse clients, via two practice areas, and to deliver on varied aspects of our mission:

• SCALE – It facilitates the passage of entrepreneurs to scale throughout structured processes, combining support at any stage of maturity (ideation, incubation and acceleration), and access to financing solutions (debts, grants and equity).
• INSIGHTS – Consulting services aimed at creating and implementing innovative solutions for sustainable development through the competitiveness of value chains, business strategies, leadership and change mentality.

ESPartners has four core values expressed via P.A.C.E.: Passion, Agility, Collaboration and Equity.

About ESPartners’ Growth team

Our Growth team is responsible for driving the firm’s growth, leading on opportunities identification and proposals preparation drawing on inputs from our senior leadership and practice leads teams, as well as ESPartners’ proprietary methodologies. The team is responsible for developing clients and partners’ relations. We also work closely with network partners – seasoned experts in creative and cultural industries, regenerative and circular economies, carbon trading or green investment vehicles, etc.

In line with the its targets, the Growth team aims to secure programs (multi-year, multi-million and recurring initiatives) and projects (smaller, shorter engagements), mainly across West, East and Central Africa. ESPartners’ Growth team is also in charge of the firm’s corporate communication, both internal and external and of communication about the programs and projects.

We are excited to put together the Growth team by bringing together talents from around the world, animated by our core values and the vision of “A prosperous Africa for all, thanks to its entrepreneurs”, and embodying our values with our clients, partners, consultants, entrepreneurs and colleagues.

Position overview

As a key senior member of the Growth Team, the Associate will collaborate with multiple senior management, practice leads and network partners to design and write high value winning proposals. The Business Development Associate supports ESPartners’ business and partnership development efforts. Specifically, the Associate will be expected to write a total of 7 programs proposals per year with a win rate of 30%. He/she will also perform quality control / compliance on proposals – Projects and programs.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead the development and submission of program proposals in close collaboration with Growth manager, practice leads and program managers;
• Conduct research on potential partners and ensure that ESPartners corporate capabilities, track records and team are presented in a way that matches each partner requirements (language, format);
• Reporting to the Growth Manager, serve as a focal point in the development of program proposals. Specifically, attend all briefings and meetings with potential partners;
• Lead the development of narratives, technical and financial proposals in line with ESPartners and partners’ objectives;
• Lead quality control and compliance on projects proposals prepared by analysts;
• Provide guidance to analysts and external proposal writers in proposal writing;

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in English, communications, international development, journalism, or related field. Postgraduate degree preferred;
• A minimum of 6 years of writing experience including at least 2 years in writing and substantive editing of international development–related proposals for clients such as USAID, World Bank, AfDB, major grant-giving philanthropic foundations;
• Love of writing and crafting clear language, with careful attention to detail and persuasive writing skills
• Ability to present technical ideas in a concise way that is relatively free of jargon;
• Good editing skills and advanced skills in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
• Ability to engage with technical experts, demonstrate critical thinking and use information to craft easily understood language;

Ability to take in and process reviewers’ comments and other feedback and make sound decisions about when to ask questions.

• Flexibility, tact, and ability to work with diverse kinds of team members under tight deadlines;
• Self-motivated and capable of taking the initiative;
• Ability to quickly research and identify factual information from credible, recognized sources;
• Ability to perform well under pressure and in challenging environments;
• Professional proficiency in French and English;
• Good presentation skills and time and priority management;
• Commitment to ESPartners’ PACE values;
• A preference for candidates with AI chat prompt engineering experience or a willingness to learn.

We offer:

• An opportunity to become part of a highly professional, motivated and dynamic team;
• A unique opportunity of having strong impact in building the African entrepreneurial sector;
• An entrepreneurial adventure to be lived on a daily basis;
• Exposure to private sector development / high level figures.

Our benefits packages include for Abidjan and Kigali based staff health insurance, communication allocation and leave days per year, according to local legislation etc. 

For international recruitment, we will cover:

• Visa and work permit;
• (one way) International air transportation to Abidjan;
• Up to 3-month accommodation.

Apply now by sending your CV and letter to:  esptalent@espartners.co with the reference Business Development Associate. Add two professional references to your application file.