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Job Title:   Business Development and Marketing Officer – UNDP Project

Organisation: World Vision International

Duty Station:  Uganda

Reports to: Project Manager

About US:

World Vision Uganda is a Christian Relief, Development and Advocacy Non-Government Organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. We currently work in over 41 districts in Uganda. World Vision is committed to the protection of children and we will not employ people whose background is not suitable for working with children. All employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of all applicable background checks, including criminal record checks where possible. “Our Vision for every child, Life in all its fullness.  Our prayer for every Heart, the will to make it so.”

Job Summary:  The Business Development and Marketing Officer will be responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring of income generating activities, youth skill development, marketing and cash for work components of World Vision Uganda project in Lamwo / Adjumani districts.  She/he will be responsible for managing the business component effectively and efficiently according to World Vision and UNDP systems and procedures. Responsible for managing the business development training, financial literacy training, and ongoing coaching/ networking and business access activities. The Business Development and Marketing Officer will embed youth skills, business development and market systems approaches in the project and identify collaborating partners in the development and private sectors. The job holder will provide leadership and day-to-day implementation of project and high-level technical leadership in conducting training, facilitates adoption of improved techniques and technologies, facilitate improved market access, sales, supplier agreements, commercialization strategies and guides field visits; maintains direct communication and coordination with technical experts and trainers. The jobholder will encourage innovation and facilitate learning across all of our resilience and livelihood program.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

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, 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

• Keenly 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.

Other Duties

• Perform any other duty as may be assigned by supervisor or designee from time to time.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the World Vision Business Development and Marketing Officer – UNDP Project job must hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies, Economics, Agribusiness, Development Studies, Social Science, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Three to five 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.
• 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.
• 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
• 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

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to submit your application and complete Curriculum Vitae by applying online through visiting World Vision International’s e-recruitment jobs portal at the web link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 29^th April 2022

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