Reports to: Project Coordinator – SRM
Location: Arua, Rhino camp
Key Result Areas:
Ensure activity planning and implementation of plans with beneficiaries.
- Developing business plans for income generating activities (IGA) businesses for sustainable livelihoods
- Support project participants and their groups to improve productivity, added value, quality and volume for market-led livelihood activities.
- Provide business support and training to project participants on income generating activities, market analysis and understanding specific value chains
- Support the graduation of enterprises from grant to commercial finance.
- Identify and engage with strategic partners for business development in the area of micro-enterprise, self-help group and cooperative development and support.
- Lead and contribute to developing policy documents in relation to our agribusiness work and keep abreast of innovations to inform our work.
- Develop and maintain appropriate enterprise guidelines and resources and disseminate to project participants.
- Analyze value-chain studies for commodities and work to remove constraints to link project participants to market
- Facilitate business and peer to peer linkage events between project participants, organizations and MSMEs
- Facilitate coaching sessions for project participants and MSMEs in business management and business financing.
- Perform any other duties that may be assigned by the Project Manager from time to time Supporting institutional and business development for groups and participants
- Participating in forums on market engagement and value chains to collect and share best practices and promote WVU’s work.
- Work with buyers to clarify their specific needs and help entrepreneurs to communicate with these buyers to plan concrete and successful completion of transaction
- Work with banks and MFIs to clarify specific requirement for loan/financial services and help project participants to communicate with these buyers to plan and concrete successful completion of transactions
- Find markets and buyers for commodity produced by beneficiaries
- Develop and maintain a database of key market actors that can be used to further transactions
- Advising, training and supporting project staff and partners on evolving good practice in promoting a business approach with project participants.
Market linkage, networking, collaboration and mentorship
- Find market for products of project participants including employment for skilled youth/women
- Increase the capacity of project participants to adopt high value, export standard and space saving enterprises
- Provide consistent and regular business support, mentoring and follow up to enterprises including production support to ensure a successful enterprise
- Support successful business set up including setting up financial records, business plan, dividend policy and profit and loss statement
- Conduct regular scoping of business, identify gaps and take measures to fill the gaps to reduce business mortality
- Support enterprises to have access to loan to ensure expansion or diversification
- Support enterprises to have access to business input
- Identify opportunities for value addition of products and provide instant training to project participants.
Documentation, Reporting and knowledge management
- Actively facilitate the translation of intervention strategies into action plans with concrete activities targets and timeframes
- Work closely with the Project Manager; support the project teams to prepare realistic annual and quarterly work plans
- Work in liaison with Project Manager, compile and submit timely quarterly and annual reports on Business development
- Supporting the evaluation of WVU’s enterprise development and capturing and sharing learning to improve and promote best practice in the sector.
- Support documentation and sharing of impact/success stories and best practices to promote learning.
Child Protection and Wellbeing
- Monitor the wellbeing and child abuse cases and report any incidents in line with child protection policy and guidelines
- Work with local leaders to protect children from child violations and abuses.
- Sensitize children including most vulnerable, guardians/parents and other stakeholders about children’s rights and responsibilities.
Minimum Education, Knowledge, Technical Skills and Experience.
- Bachelor degree in business studies, economics, agribusiness, development studies, social science, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
- 3-5 years of experience in agribusiness, business/agricultural marketing, market research, skills development and/or humanitarian organizations, including significant experience working as a certified business development trainer in the UN/INGO sector.
- Three years’ experience in technical leadership and/or field-based programme management roles in Resilience & Livelihoods sector.
- Expertise in income generation, SMEs and/or agribusiness development, skills development, poverty alleviation, livelihood and value chain development, social inclusion, etc.
- Proven business development facilitation skills and experience in facilitating market linkages for different categories of participants
- Technical skills: academic and/or direct programming experience and expertise in at least three of the following thematic areas is required: business development, youth skill development, financial inclusion/micro-finance, value chain development, small enterprise development, emergency livelihoods programming, cash-based programming.
- Experience in West Nile or similar contexts and working in refugee contexts.
- Experience with relevant technical models such as Village Savings & Loans, Enabling Rural Innovations, Building Secure Livelihoods, Local Value Chain Development and Ultra-Poor Graduation Model.
- Experience in Monitoring & Evaluation.
- Acquaintance with donor relations and evidence based programing.
- Capacity in relationship management/networking, and coordination is essential.
- Demonstration of well-developed interpersonal skills, excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Proven conceptual & analytical skills, ability to take an evidence-based approach to programme design and management.
- Proactive personality, self-driven and strongly motivated, proven facilitation skills and team player.
- Ensure a gender perspective in the scope of work.
- Ability to communicate clearly to the team and the other stakeholders.
- Effective in written and verbal communication in English. Ability to communicate in applicable local language(s) is an added advantage.
- Spiritual maturity, interfaith knowledge and a biblical worldview Ability to articulate and model our Christian identity and mission in an inclusive way.
- Ability to ride a motorcycle with valid driving/riding license is a must.
