Lead, Entrepreneurship

About the role

The Program Lead, Entrepreneurship will drive execution of the Senegal/WAEMU entrepreneurship portfolio, translating the Roadmap and One Plan into high-quality delivery, partner performance, and measurable impact. Reporting to the Director of Entrepreneurship Development, WAEMU, the role requires an execution-focused leader with strong experience in entrepreneurship, MSME development, access to finance, market systems, and multi-stakeholder program delivery in West Africa.

Key responsibilities

• Lead delivery of the entrepreneurship portfolio against agreed outcomes, milestones, quality standards, and impact targets.
• Drive partner performance through clear expectations, regular reviews, continuous engagement and timely course correction.
• Identify implementation risks early, manage delivery trade‑offs and coordinate mitigation actions using adaptive management.
• Provide technical leadership on entrepreneurship, MSME development, inclusive finance and market systems, advising partners on enterprise growth and investment readiness.
• Coordinate portfolio planning, sequencing, prioritisation and resource utilisation across Foundation teams, partners and stakeholders.
• Maintain visibility on portfolio performance, risks and outcomes, delivering timely reporting, evidence and actionable recommendations.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, International Development, Public Policy or related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience leading complex entrepreneurship, enterprise development, inclusive finance or market‑systems programmes.
• Deep understanding of entrepreneurship ecosystems, MSME growth, access to finance and job‑creation pathways for young people, especially young women.
• Proven ability to manage multi‑stakeholder partnerships across West Africa and deliver results through influence, coordination and sound judgement.