Helvetas is an organization specialized in development cooperation and humanitarian response, anchored in Switzerland. Our vision is a just world in which all people determine the course of their lives in dignity and security, using environmental resources in a sustainable manner.

We welcome applications from motivated individuals who are Kosovo citizens or lawfully admitted permanent residents for the following post in the Greening Private Enterprises in Kosovo (GPEK) project, in Pristina, Kosovo. The expected starting date is February 2026.

Project Description: The Greening Private Enterprises in Kosovo (GPEK) project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, supports Kosovo’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in transitioning toward greener, more competitive, and climate-resilient business models. Using a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach, GPEK facilitates systemic change across information, business services, finance, policy, and innovation ecosystems. The project is currently concluding its inception phase (1 May 2025 – 31 January 2026), with the main implementation phase expected to run from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2031.

Position Description: The SME Innovation Lead is responsible for leading the implementation of Outcome 3 (TRANSFORM), ensuring that SMEs adopt, test, and scale market-driven green innovations that enhance competitiveness, compliance with EU-aligned standards, and resilience to climate and resource risks. The role provides strategic leadership, technical direction, and quality assurance across two closely linked pillars:

• Green innovation ecosystem development, including sectoral, institutional, and partnership-based interventions; and
• Challenge Fund for Green Innovation, a targeted de-risking and co-financing mechanism supporting SME innovation.

The SME Innovation Lead ensures that TRANSFORM interventions:

• Apply GPEK’s systemic-change and facilitation principles;
• Demonstrate commercial viability and scalability; and
• Progressively transfer innovation functions and financing to local market actors.

The position reports to the GPEK Project Manager and directly supervises: (1) The Project Advisor on SME Innovation and (2) The Challenge Fund Grants Manager.

MAIN TASKS

Strategic Leadership and Implementation of Outcome 3 (TRANSFORM)

• Lead the strategic planning, coordination, implementation and reporting of Outcome 3 (TRANSFORM), ensuring coherence across innovation ecosystem development and the Challenge Fund for Green Innovation.
• Translate GPEK’s Theory of Change and systemic-change logic into sequenced, market-responsive innovation interventions aligned with project objectives and donor requirements.
• Ensure strong complementarity between TRANSFORM and Outcomes INFORM and ENABLE, contributing innovation evidence that reinforces awareness, services, finance, and policy reform.
• Identify, assess, and actively manage technical, financial, and other risks related to Outcome 3 interventions, including grants and partnerships, and ensure timely escalation and mitigation in coordination with the Project Manager and relevant leads.
• Ensure sound administrative and financial oversight of grants and subcontracts under Outcome 3 (TRANSFORM), including procurement and contracting processes, budget monitoring, milestone verification, payment approvals, and coordination with administrative and finance staff.

Innovation Ecosystem Development

• Design and supervise interventions that strengthen sectoral and cross-sectoral innovation ecosystems, enabling associations, clusters, hubs, and intermediaries to support SMEs with practical, market-relevant innovation services.
• Facilitate partnerships among SMEs, lead firms, technology providers, business associations, and international technical partners to pilot and scale green and climate-resilient solutions.
• Promote inclusive innovation, ensuring meaningful participation of women-led, youth-led, and non-majority SMEs.
• Ensure progressive transfer of coordination, delivery, and financing to local actors, in line with MSD facilitation principles.

Challenge Fund for Green Innovation

• Provide strategic direction and quality assurance for the Challenge Fund, ensuring transparent governance, credible selection processes, and sound due diligence.
• Oversee the work of the Challenge Fund Grants Manager, ensuring alignment between technical innovation objectives and financial instruments.
• Ensure Challenge Fund investments effectively de-risk SME innovation, leverage private co-financing, and demonstrate viable green business models.
• Guide the development of Challenge Fund pipelines aligned with EU standards, green finance mechanisms, and sectoral transformation priorities.

Partnerships, Finance, and Performance Oversight

• Facilitate collaboration with financial institutions, guarantee schemes, and impact investors to bridge innovation and finance, including blended and co-investment models.
• Work closely with the Monitoring and Results Measurement (MRM) Lead and other Leads to ensure robust monitoring of innovation pilots, leverage ratios, and systemic effects.

Learning, Evidence, and Adaptive Management

• Document and synthesize evidence from innovation pilots, Challenge Fund investments, and ecosystem interventions into clear learning insights and scalable business cases.
• Contribute to adaptive management by feeding innovation-related learning into project reviews, strategic decisions, and donor reporting.
• Collaborate with the Communications, Knowledge Management and Learning (CKML) Lead to translate innovation evidence into credible knowledge products and selected external communication outputs

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, innovation management, engineering, environmental sciences, or a related field. A master’s degree or relevant professional training is an asset.
• Minimum 9 years of relevant professional experience in private sector development, SME development and/or business enabling environment interventions or closely related fields. Experience related to sustainability compliance, climate-related innovation, or green-transition policies is an asset.
• At least 3 years of management or team-leadership experience in the above areas, including supervision of staff and/or coordination of complex partnerships or intervention portfolios.
• Proven experience working in development cooperation projects applying systemic-change or Market Systems Development (MSD) approaches.
• Strong ability to design and manage complex, multi-stakeholder innovation interventions and to apply facilitation rather than direct delivery.
• Experience coordinating technical and financial instruments in parallel (e.g. innovation support linked to finance or risk-sharing mechanisms).
• Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, and negotiation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with private-sector, financial, and public actors.
• Strong analytical skills and a proactive, solution-oriented mindset.
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, social inclusion, and ethical conduct.
• Excellent command of English and Albanian and/or Serbian (written and spoken).
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office and digital collaboration tools and ability to work with monitoring data and structured documentation.
• Willingness and ability to travel within Kosovo. A valid driving license is required.

WE OFFER YOU

The SME Innovation Lead is a full-time, multi-year position with an expected start date in February 2026. The appointment is subject to a six-month probation period, in line with HELVETAS employment policies. Subject to satisfactory performance, the position will be continued on annual employment agreements, with the possibility of extension for the duration of the project.

HELVETAS offers attractive working conditions within a professional, dynamic, and collaborative team environment, and the opportunity to play a leading role in shaping Kosovo’s green innovation ecosystem.

Application instructions

We look forward to receiving your complete application, including (1) Motivation Letter and (2) CV, by 21 January 2026, 17:00 CET.

Please submit your application in English to [email protected] by including “GPEK – SME Innovation Lead Application” in the subject line of your email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

HELVETAS provides equal employment opportunities for all candidates and encourages applications from female and non-majority communities in Kosovo.