Enterprise Development Officer - Gender-Sensitive Value Chain Development and Entrepreneurship at International Labour Organization

Job ID: 7444 
Vacancy no.: ABUJA/DC/NO/2022/01
Grade: NOB  
Department: RO-Africa 
Organization Unit: CO-Abuja 
Contract type: Fixed Term 

Introduction

• Opportunity Salone is a project implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) that aims to support Sierra Leone in its quest to develop a vibrant and resilient economy delivering Decent Work opportunities to Sierra Leoneans.
• The project is fully aligned with the government’s vision for national development as expressed in the Medium-Term National Development Plan 2019-23 (MTNDP). It emphasises human capital development, in particular investment in capacity building, and establishment of a diversified, competitive economy with well-developed infrastructure.
• Opportunity Salone is financed by the European Union as part of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).
• The project aims to contribute to large scale job creation and job quality improvements for women, youth and persons with disabilities mainly in rural areas in Sierra Leone through inclusive value chain development focused on SMEs and cooperatives, and feeder road maintenance to improve access to markets.
• The project will be implemented in 4 districts (Port Loko, Bombali, Bo and Kenema), over a 48 month period (Oct. 2021 – Oct. 2025) with a budget of 8 million Euros and have three interrelated outcomes:
• Enhanced, conflict-sensitive, agricultural value chain and entrepreneurship development for SMEs, youth, women and persons with disabilities
• Improved feeder road maintenance contributing to resolve infrastructure bottlenecks to immediate job creation 
• Improved business environment for entrepreneurship development and feeder road maintenance
• Under Outcome 1, the project will undertake inclusive value chain development interventions to support job creation and women’s inclusion.
• The project will work across 4 agricultural value chains in the selected districts. Value chain development interventions will be complemented with entrepreneurship promotion, building on the networks of trainers that have been established by previous ILO projects and ensuring that women and youth, including those with disabilities are able to access the business support services they need to start and run enterprises.
• Outcome 3, which focuses on the policy and regulatory environment, will reinforce the sustainability of results achieved in Outcomes 1 and 2, including through support in the revision of the relevant Cooperatives and SME policies.
• Opportunity Salone adopts a gender-sensitive market systems and value chain development approach.
• The value chain approach relies on collaboration with national and development partners, and will aim at complementing and strengthening synergies between the project and other EU-funded projects and initiatives in Sierra Leone such as the UNCDF Investment Facility and the “Boosting Agriculture and Food Security – BAFS”  programme. 
• The Enterprise Development Officer (NOB) will support and coordinate the implementation of gender-sensitive value chain development and inclusive entrepreneurship activities under Outcomes 1 and 3. 

Reporting Line:

• Under the overall responsibility of the Director of the ILO Abuja Office, the Enterprise Development Officer will report to and work under the direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) of the project.
• The Enterprise Development Officer will receive technical support from relevant units in the ENTERPRISES Department at ILO HQ, including the Small and Medium Enterprises Unit, the Social Finance Unit, and the Cooperatives Unit.

Description of Duties

• The Enterprise Development Officer (NOB) will support and coordinate the implementation of gender-sensitive value chain development and inclusive entrepreneurship activities under outcome 1 (“Enhanced, conflict-sensitive, agricultural value chain and entrepreneurship development for SMEs, youth, women and persons with disabilities”) and outcome 3 (“Improved business environment for entrepreneurship development and feeder road maintenance”).

The incumbent will perform the following tasks:
Specific duties include:

• Support the project team in designing and conducting gender-sensitive value chain selection and market system analysis of the selected value chains with support from ILO Specialists to identify key constraints to job creation and job quality improvements for women, youth and persons with disabilities.
• Value chain development interventions will be implemented with a gender lens and in line with the ILO’s Guide on Value Chain Development for Decent Work. 
• Support the design and delivery of the project’s gender-sensitive value chain development interventions in collaboration with key market actors. Value chain development interventions will aim to create opportunities for the inclusion of women, youth and persons with disabilities in the selected value chains. 
• Support the establishment, cultivation and coordination of relations with project partners such as SleCAD, SMEDA, NAYCOM, associations of women and women entrepreneurs and other key partners, stakeholders and value chain actors in the context of project activities under outcomes 1 and 3.
• Support the implementation of gender-sensitive and inclusive entrepreneurship development interventions. This will include supporting business service providers to adopt more gender-responsive approaches, strengthening existing trainer networks, organising the trainings of new trainers, and cascading entrepreneurship support to SMEs. Trainings will likely focus on entrepreneurship, cooperative development and financial education. 
• Identify local business development service providers and support them to improve their capacity and enable women, youth, people with disabilities  and small businesses to access their services, including as part of value chain development activities. 
• Support stakeholder consultations towards revising and approving SME and Cooperatives related policy. 
• Support the day-to-day operations of the project, including supporting the recruitment and contracting of consultants as well as tracking their delivery, quality and progress on the assignment to ensure high quality on-time delivery. 
• Be responsible for the knowledge management of the specified outcome areas, undertake relevant reporting and capturing of results (gender and youth sensitive whenever relevant) and develop regular communication materials and updates for internal and external dissemination in collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. 
• Participate in the preparation and conduct of conferences, seminars, workshops, training sessions, meetings and other events. Speak on behalf of the project when attending these gatherings. Undertake travel to project sites independently or accompanying others.
• Coordinate the translation and adaption of key materials and training content to be suitable for the local languages and context.
• Support in the preparation of technical reports and periodic progress reports and statistical data on status of the overall activities of the project.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Chief Technical Adviser.

Required Qualifications
Education:

• First level University Degree in Economics, Public Policies, Development Studies or a relevant field. Proof of having followed gender studies considered a plus.

Experience:

• Three years of professional experience at the national level working on topics related to entrepreneurship and business support, agricultural value chain development, and women’s economic empowerment.
• Proven experience in working with the private sector and implementing development projects highly desirable. 
• Good knowledge of agricultural value chains, women economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, business management, economic development and social policies. 

Languages:

• Excellent knowledge of English. Good knowledge of the local language(s) (i.e. Krio, Themne, Mende) spoken in the project districts is highly desirable. 

Competencies:

• Good knowledge of the Sierra Leone context, and particularly of the state of entrepreneurship and the agricultural sector, and of women’s economic participation in agricultural value chains.
• Strong gender sensitivity and commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s economic inclusion through project interventions.  
• Strong analytical, problem solving and drafting skills.
• Good ability to design and lead interventions with project partners as well as identify, analyse and appropriately adapt to problems that may arise with implementation
• Strong communication and inter-personal skills, and ability to deal with project partners and beneficiaries with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to represent the project on relevant fora and make effective presentations.
• Demonstrated collaborative and team-work experience
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviours and attitudes
• Demonstrate high standards of ethical conduct including confidentiality, accuracy and attention to details.
• Ability to work independently, quickly, precisely, and take initiative and responsibility
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, web-browsers and database applications
• “Assessed candidates who will be considered as appointable but not selected for this position can also be offered to be assigned on another temporary position at the same or at a lower grade provided that said candidates possesses the minimum qualifications for this position”.