Equatorial Guinea: SME Development & Training Specialist

MONTROSE is an international development project management and consultancy company providing support to clients operating in the developing world. Specialised in the sectors of health, education, rural livelihoods and private sector development, our clients include bilateral and multilateral development agencies, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other development stakeholders.

Background

Montrose has been contracted to support and grow base-level entrepreneurship on the mainland region of Equatorial Guinea, through value chain upgrading and direct support to new and existing base-level entrepreneurs. Base-level enterprises are small scale, income-generating enterprises generally operating in the informal sector.

The Project’s Key Objectives are to:

1. To increase the participation of Equato-Guineans in base-level entrepreneurship

2. To improve living environments and increase the resilience of communities where the base-level entrepreneurs live

The programme will adopt a value chain development approach by which subsectors of the economy that have the potential for increased participation by Equato-Guineans, particularly at the ‘base-level’, will be identified and a range of interventions employed to increase the value that they add to the value chain.

To complement the value chain development approach, the programme will also have an entrepreneurial training, mentoring and support component. This will target both potential and existing base-level entrepreneurs drawn from middle and lower income groups. There will be a structured training programme on establishing and running a small business as well as more informal guidance through mentoring. Business start-up packages will be provided to highly promising base-level entrepreneurs. These packages are likely to focus on the subsectors targeted for value chain development. The programme will also provide business development services to entrepreneurs.

Montrose is seeking to identify an SME (small-medium sized enterprise) Development and Training Specialist who will hold a full-time position in the Equatorial Guinea office. This position is for a minimum of two years.

Role and Responsibilities:

The SME Development & Training Specialist will lead the entrepreneur support component of the project, taking an active role in design and implementation of training programmes, business development support, and provision of ‘start-up packages’ to selected base-level entrepreneurs.

The SME Development & Training Specialist will support the strategy design for these components and will be responsible for ensuring the effective planning, implementation, review and monitoring of the interventions. All work streams will be conducted in close collaboration with the Programme Director who has overall responsibility for the implementation of the programme.

Specific Tasks:

• Support the design and planning of entrepreneurship and SME development and support components of the project
• Manage the implementation of entrepreneurship and SME development and support components of the project
• Support the design and planning of overall training programme for the project
• Undertake a market assessment of training needs and market demands for entrepreneurship training
• Identify specific training needs for components of the project
• Support the design of the overall training programme
• Design training activities and plans, training materials and tools, pre- and post-tests
• Deliver training programmes with support of other team members
• Identify needs for start-up packages for entrepreneurs and support the design and implementation of this component
• Identify gaps and support the design and delivery of business development services for entrepreneurs
• Draft reports on completion of project activities and inputs into narrative project reports
• Draft, monitor and manage activity budgets for entrepreneurship and training components of the project with support/oversight from Programme Director
• Support the design and implementation of the monitoring framework and plan as it relates to entrepreneurship components of the project
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with relevant local stakeholders (e.g. vocational training institutions) related to entrepreneurship components of the project
• Work closely with, mentor and develop the capacity of national counterpart on the project team
• Support the Programme Director in the programme management and administration of the project as needed

Skills and Experience:

• Fluency in Spanish and English essential
• A relevant university degree (e.g. International Development; Business Administration)
• A minimum of five years’ experience in SME development required
• Experience in designing and delivering capacity development programmes essential: including hands-on experience in training need identification, design of training programmes and tools, and delivery of training in developing country contexts required
• Experience living and working in developing countries essential
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent computer skills
• Experience in writing and editing reports desirable
• Some experience in administration or project management desirable
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and under pressure
• High degree of initiative, flexibility and creativity
• Experience working in a team
• Ability to work well within a small team and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

If you meet the above qualifications and are interested in this opportunity, please submit a detailed CV together with a covering letter explaining how you are suited for the position to hruk@montroseint.com by 04^th April 2016.