Business Development Officer (Enterprise Development) at INTERSOS

Locations: Maiduguri Metropolitan Council - MMC and Jere, Borno

Job Purpose

• Under the supervision of the Livelihood Project Manager, the Business Development Officer (Enterprise Development) makes sure the ten facilities in MMC, Jere and Mafa LGAs run as viable businesses.
• They set up the business plans, prices, bookkeeping, cost recovery and access to finance that let each enterprise pay its own way after handover.

Responsibilities
Enterprise assessment and feasibility:

• Assess the current business position of each facility: what it produces or sells, costs, prices, income, records and capacity.
• With the Aquaculture and Feed Production Officer, lead the financial side of the fish farm profitability diagnostic: cost per kilogram, break-even price and the main sources of loss
• Contribute to market and feasibility studies for each enterprise model, working with the Market Linkages Officer.

Business plans and financial models:

• Develop a simple, realistic business plan for each of the ten enterprises with its members. Each plan covers products and services, production targets, pricing, costs, cash flow, breakeven and staffing.
• Build costing and pricing tools for each model: piece rates for tailoring, fish and feed prices, the irrigation service fee per plot or season, and seedling prices.
• Set the internal transfer price for feed sold from the Fish Feed Production Centre to the project fish farms. It must be fair to both sides.
• Present the business plans to the members' General Assembly and the LGA Oversight Committee for approval.
• Cost recovery, revenue sharing and reserves
• Design each enterprise's revenue-sharing plan in line with its Tripartite Facility Management Agreement. The plan covers operating costs, the asset renewal reserve, member earnings, the landowner and community development share, and administration.
• Work with the Agricultural Engineer and the Asset Management Officer to calculate the maintenance and replacement costs that set the size of each asset renewal reserve.
• Help each enterprise open and fund a separate reserve account.
• Help plan the tapering of transitional stipends, so enterprise income takes over operator pay as planned.

Financial management systems and coaching:

• Set up simple bookkeeping for each enterprise: cash book, sales and receipts, stock and input registers, order book (tailoring), fee register (irrigation), and a monthly profit statement.
• Coach treasurers and records keepers monthly until they produce accurate accounts on their own.
• Make sure monthly financial statements are posted at each facility and presented to members.
• Support the quarterly social audits and prepare committees for review by the LGA Oversight Committee.
• With the Market Linkages and Digital Solutions Officer, introduce digital record-keeping and sales tools where they fit.

Cooperative registration and legal set-up:

• Support each operating group to register with the State Department of Cooperatives, or as a community-based organization where more suitable.
• Help open bank accounts with dual signatories (at least one a woman) and set spending limits and cash-handling rules.
• Support the Governance and Social Cohesion Officer to make sure the financial rules in the constitutions match the business plans.

Entrepreneurship training:

• Design and deliver training for at least 300 participants (minimum 50% women and 30% youth). Topics: entrepreneurship, business planning, financial literacy, record keeping, costing and pricing, and cooperative business management.
• Deliver refresher sessions and on-the-job coaching tailored to each enterprise type.

Access to finance:

• Link at least 200 participants to Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), microfinance institutions or other financial services.
• Help at least 100 participants access working capital through savings, loans or other financial support. Prepare enterprises to present a credible case to lenders.
• Advise on the start-up stock and input support from the project, and how it is repaid into each cooperative's revolving fund. 8. Monitoring and reporting
• Track each enterprise's monthly revenue, costs, profit, reserve balance and cost-recovery status. Share the data with the MEAL Officer.
• Flag enterprises that are falling behind their business plans and propose corrective actions.
• Contribute the enterprise viability part of the handover readiness assessment and of the reports to WFP.

Cross-cutting duties:

• Design pricing, fees and benefit-sharing so they are fair and affordable, and do not exclude vulnerable households, women, youth or persons with disabilities.
• Guard against elite capture and misuse of enterprise funds. Report any suspected fraud immediately.
• Follow PSEA, safeguarding and security procedures.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties related to the project, as assigned by the Project Manager.

Education & Professional Requirement
Education:

• Essential: a university degree (B.Sc. or HND) in Business Administration, Accounting, Economics, Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness, Cooperative Studies or a related field.
• Desirable: A Master’s degree or MBA.

Professional experience Essential:

• At least 4 years of experience in enterprise development, agribusiness, cooperative development or livelihoods programmes.
• Proven experience developing business plans, costing and pricing models and cash-flow projections for small or community-based enterprises.
• Experience setting up bookkeeping systems and coaching low-literacy groups to keep records and manage funds.
• Experience training adults in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
• Experience working with NGOs, UN agencies or government programmes in North-East Nigeria.

Desirable:

• Experience in agricultural value chains such as aquaculture, feed, irrigated horticulture or tailoring.
• Experience with VSLAs, microfinance or linking groups to banks.
• Experience with cost-recovery models for shared community assets, such as water user fees.
• Familiarity with WFP livelihoods and resilience programming.

Personal requirements:

• Strong numeracy and financial analysis. Advanced Excel or Google Sheets for financial models.
• Able to turn business concepts into simple tools and language for community members.
• Good facilitation, coaching and training skills.
• Integrity and sound judgement in handling sensitive financial matters.
• Able to work independently in the field and manage many enterprises at once
• Commitment to gender equality, inclusion, PSEA and humanitarian principles.

Languages

• Essential: fluent English; fluent spoken Hausa.
• Desirable: Kanuri.