Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Business Development Services (BDS) Lead At Chemonics

Background

The Libya Economic Acceleration Project (LEAP/Aqfuz) is a newly awarded USAID program implemented by Chemonics International. The goal of the program is to promote inclusive private sector-led growth throughout southern Libya, increasing economic resilience while putting new future opportunities in reach for a diverse group of stakeholders. LEAP/Aqfuz will enhance entrepreneurship skills, provide firm-level assistance, provide technical and vocational training, and strengthen the capacity of business development service providers. LEAP/Aqfuz will implement activities based around four primary objectives:

• Objective 1: Strengthen Entrepreneurship Skills and Opportunities
• Objective 2: Improve Productivity of MSMEs
• Objective 3: Increase Vocational and Technical Training with a Focus on Market Demands
• Objective 4: Increase BDS for MSMEs in all Life Cycle Phases

Reporting

The MSME and BDS Lead reports to the Chief of Party (COP) and supervises technical staff.

Responsibilities:

The MSME and BDS Lead will be responsible for leading LEAP’s delivery of support to enterprises, business development service (BDS) providers, and other Libyan private sector stakeholders. S/he will supervise the MSME Advisor and external consultants to deliver firm-level assistance and organizational capacity development to promote micro-, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) growth and business development service (BDS) delivery. S/he will set overall direction and strategy for technical assistance and make decisions on partner selection and deployment of technical assistance resources. In close collaboration with the project’s MEL team, s/he will monitor the daily progress of the technical delivery to measure in real-time progress against indicators, such as the ratio of project investment to jobs created and sales growth. S/he will provide support to the Chief of Party in the development of the project’s work plan. The Lead position works closely with the LEAP: grants team, MEL team, Ops, Communications, finance, and across the 4 business objectives. He/She will work with and support and project partners/sub-awardees and provides guidance on monitoring of said partners. Specific responsibilities include the following:

Project Management

• Actively contribute to weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual report
• Actively contribute to work planning and key technical deliverables
• Develop project activities that support the project’s goals and objectives as set forth in the project agreement with USAID, approved annual work plans
• Ensure that LEAP technical activities are streamlined and implemented with a high degree of technical quality and consistency
• Review and assess work plan activities periodically with the COP to ensure progress and achievement of desired results and impact
• Provide input to the communications team on success stories and best practices
• Represent the project to key public and private sector stakeholders and beneficiaries and to USAID or other donors as delegated by the COP
• Support in the preparation of up-to-date, meaningful and verifiable quantitative and qualitative information for monitoring and evaluation purposes
• Submit regular progress reports detailing the progress of technical activities

Firm-level Assistance

• Identify and assess MSME growth capability and needs, including through networking and cold calling
• Develop a robust portfolio of partner MSMEs with strong growth potential
• Provide detailed oversight of operational implementation of individual support plans for partner MSMEs
• Finalize partnerships plans leading to job creation and MSME growth
• Maintain daily communication with MSME partners, private sector stakeholders, and the broader economic growth ecosystem in Libya
• Identify prospective employers, mostly among MSMEs, with immediate recruitment needs and interest in participating in job matchmaking events including enterprise days and job fairs
• Develop tailored action plans with each enterprise that identifies their recruitment and training needs
• Track and monitor the progress of each firm in close collaboration with the project’s MEL team, and assess the adoption/impact of competitiveness enhancement recommendations made at the firm-level

Business Development Services

• Develop scopes of work and/or solicitations to engage project partners including BDS providers and microfinance institutions
• Identify, select, and supervise local and international short-term consultants, business development service providers, and/or grantees
• Manage and monitor the performance of project partners
• Provide support and strategic guidance to BDS partners to improve their organizational capacity to deliver demand-driven business services
• Track and monitor the progress of each BDS partner in close collaboration with the project’s MEL team
• Create a strong network with other international development agencies supporting MSMEs and BDS in Libya to eliminate duplication and utilize support towards the development of MSMEs

Personnel management

• Ensure close collaboration among the LEAP technical team, including the MSME Advisor, technical consultants, communications, MEL, and grants teams
• Oversee and monitor the performance of consultants providing technical assistance to MSMEs and BDS providers

Undertakes other duties as assigned by the COP

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or greater, preferably in a field related to business or economic development
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience, preferably in a technical advisory or program design role or similar on large scale USAID- or other donor-funded programs
• Direct, demonstrable experience working with or in the Libyan private sector
• Clear understanding of binding constraints for MSMEs in Libya
• Experience providing technical advice and support to MSMEs and/or managing programs to reduce constraints to MSMEs and support their expansion
• Previous experience managing technical staff and integrating work in a team environment
• Detailed knowledge economic, political, social, and cultural dynamics in Sabha and the Fezzan region of Libya
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to motivate staff, partners, and others
• Knowledge of USAID project management policies, procedures, and reporting requirements helpful
• Fluency in English and Arabic language, both oral and written, required