Market Systems and Business Development Advisor
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Closing date: 17th December 2021
Procurement Description:
Venture37 seeks a Market Systems and Business Development Advisor for the USAID Rwanda Employment and Entrepreneurship Activity (“Rwanda E&E Activity”). This activity will generate inclusive employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the agribusiness sector, using a market systems development approach to address systems weakness and catalyze new entry and growth of inclusive enterprises. The E&E Activity will facilitate capacity development of Rwandans – particularly women, youth, and persons with disabilities in key technical and soft skills required to participate in a modern workforce. The Activity has 3 Intermediate results: 1) Rwandans possess the knowledge and skills required to serve labor and consumer markets domestically, regionally, and globally; 2) The private sector has access to the resources required to grow their revenue and employment and 3) Businesses are incentivized to grow inclusively.
Position Summary:
The Market Systems and Business Development Advisor will support the Chief of Party in providing technical advice across all program components in the planning, design, and implementation of the market systems development approach. This position will be responsible for overall leadership of IR 2 – working to align businesses’ incentives to achieve project development outcomes – and ensures integration across IR 1 and IR 3. This position ensures the project takes a market systems approach, engaging and supporting existing market actors (both public and private) rather than creating independent structures of support.
- Lead market systems foundational analysis to understand agri-business systems performance and dynamics, identify the root causes of poor performance (in terms of job creation, inclusivity and employment readiness, mismatches between labor skills demanded and supplied), and determine development strategies to drive improved performance.
- Provide life of project leadership in identifying inclusive market development constraints and opportunities, understanding evolving market trends, conducting targeted research on new/potential market channels, business models, or partnerships that lead to increase employment opportunities.
- Design and update an inclusive market systems development strategy based on results of the analysis and subsequent research and information.
- Facilitate innovative partnerships with agri-businesses, the public sector, and business service providers (BSP) that align with E&E objectives and business incentives to foster job creation and business growth.
- Collaborate with the M&E Manager and Market Systems MEAL to develop monitoring and evaluation tools, indicators, and learning questions on market systems programming outcomes and ensure findings are used for learning, improving, and scaling innovations.
- Advise on the qualitative baseline of system-level dynamics and relationships between actors in the operating environment.
- Support the COP to build the processes and team culture required to embrace adaptive management, calculated risk-taking, facilitative scaling, and a results-oriented team environment.
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, agricultural economics, or other relevant field.
- Experience working in the agricultural sector including knowledge of agricultural financing.
- Demonstrated familiarity with business development approaches, building market opportunities, and strengthening emerging enterprises.
- 5 years experience and demonstrated success implementing programs aimed at:
- Business development
- Market structuring
- Increased competitiveness of agribusiness and adjacent market actors
- Growing socially inclusive businesses in the agriculture sector
- Job creation
- 3 years’ management experience
- Demonstrated experience building relationships with governmental agencies, academic institutions, and private sector (including formal and informal financing institutions) and community organizations.
- Deep understanding of the real and perceived constraints to SME growth in East Africa
- Fluency, verbal and written, in English and Kinyarwanda.
Preferred experience
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree
- Market Systems Development experience and knowledge.
- Basic knowledge of education theory
The position described above is contingent upon the activity award.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. No phone calls will be accepted.
Land O’Lakes Venture37 never requests money or payment from candidates for any position type. Please report any such requests to Land O’Lakes Venture37. Please report any such requests to Land O’Lakes Venture37 at www.connecthotline.ethicspoint.com.
Land O’Lakes Venture37 is an equal opportunity employer and an organization striving to help global communities thrive through agriculture. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status, among other factors. Our culture values a diversity of voices. So, bring us your unique experiences, your workstyle, and your dreams — they’ll only make us stronger.
Application Link:https://lol.avature.net/Careers/JobDetail/Kigali-Rwanda-Market-Systems-and-Business-Development-Advisor/1549
