Business Enabling Environment Advisor At Chemonics

The Iraq Durable Communities and Economic Opportunities (DCEO) is a United States Agency for International Development Office (USAID) program implemented by Chemonics International in Iraq. DCEO aims to support vulnerable communities to build community resilience against destabilizing factors by increasing their adaptive capacity and economic well-being.

The Business Competitiveness and Job Creation Initiative (BCJCI) is a five-year strategy within DCEO to support the growth and strengthening of the Iraqi private sector. In order to do this, BCJCI works on a firm-level basis to support partner private sector clients to identify and overcome specific constraints hindering growth and create new jobs for Iraqis. BCJCI works at the upper end of the private sector through investment facilitation services and at the entrepreneur/micro/small business side through providing new opportunities for young Iraqi entrepreneurs to access cutting-edge business incubation and acceleration services. Throughout the program, BCJCI will also engage local business associations and professional networks to improve the overall business enabling environment.

The Advisor will provide oversight to Objective 2: Business Enabling Environment, focused on strengthening the trade and business associations’ capacity to identify, address, and remove constraints to business growth and competitiveness. The advisor will review the DCEO’s business enabling environment strategy and collaborate with our subcontractors to ensure activities are in alignment with TO2 indicators. Including but not limited to:

• Technical assistance to improve private sector networks, i.e., business associations
• Increase MSME development
• Wider partnerships with business associations
• Outreach, network strengthening, and knowledge diffusion

Responsibilities:

• Review Task Order 2 – Objective 2 to ensure that subcontractor has the capacity to fill their scope of work
• Facilitate business enabling environment improvements as related to private sector ecosystems
• Select mechanisms for policy and/or regulatory reforms to support entrepreneurship
• Review subcontractors’ deliverables, specifically the ones that are in relation to strengthening the service support infrastructure for businesses in Iraq. Including, chambers, associations, business development centers (BDCs), microfinance lenders, and incubators. The infrastructure should allow local firms to identify and access local resources needed to reduce operational constraints and increase local job creation.
• Review and facilitate support to BCJCI’s international subcontracts, particularly in reaching Objective 2 goals.
• Review subcontractors’ deliverables.
• Leverage existing private sector-led Economic Recovery Taskforces and community-led groups, to identify near-term economic needs and opportunities.
• Determine level of MSME support by providing technical advice on in-kind grants directly to businesses associations, technical assistance to inform business trainings, networking to bring private sector actors together for workshops, and the creation of economic recovery plans.
• Synthesize review and analysis into a strategic plan that covers staffing and activities to be approved by the Chief of Party
• Implement the strategic plan within the window of the assignment
• Other related duties as assigned by supervisor, including but not limited to, innovation and ideas related to overarching BCJCI strategy and the upcoming Finance and Investment Conference

Deliverables:

• Reports and ad hoc information requests from USAID and/or BCJCI/DCEO.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, public policy or another relevant field; Master’s degree preferred
• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience working on economic growth programs with a focus on business enabling environment
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with high-level government counterparts
• Experience creating policy, procedures and/or legal reforms for government institutions
• Strong managerial and interpersonal skills with the ability to work in a professional and cordial manner with fellow staff members, the public, and partner institutions.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, to prioritize multiple work assignments in an extremely fast-paced environment, to meet deadlines, and to exercise good, strong professional judgement.
• Fluency in written and oral English is required. Written and oral fluency in Arabic or Kurdish is preferred.

Level of Effort and Period of Performance:

• This short-term position will include 79 days of LOE start date is as soon as possible.
• Note: In-country STTA are eligible to work sixth days, on Saturday. The regular workweek is Sunday – Thursday.