Technical Assistance for POS System - ARE Activity

Project Background

The Lebanon Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) activity, funded by USAID and implemented by Chemonics International, supports Lebanese rural and peri-urban communities to obtain technical and financial resources in order to facilitate increased productivity, sales, and exports, improved business income, while also ensuring livelihood sustainability. To support this purpose, ARE will increase jobs; improve incomes; improve female participation and employment opportunities; increase domestic and export sales; increase private sector investment; improve access to finance; link value chain actors to domestic and international markets; and improve production through improved practices, technology, increased volume, and/or decreased cost. ARE supports two key expected results:
1. Increased domestic and export sales at both firm and farm levels.
2. Livelihoods improved, especially in rural areas and for women.

Summary of Position

The Lebanon Agriculture and Rural Empowerment (ARE) program is supporting around 190 MSMEs with material assistance in blast affected neighborhood under the intervention BBRB “Building Business Resilience in Beirut”. The supported MSMEs are mainly located in 3 areas which are: El Roum, Mar Mitr and Bourj Hammoud. Furthermore, the types of MSMEs are under various sectors such as Markets, Hair and Beauty shops, bakeries, restaurants and cafes, butcheries, small workshops and/or light manufacturing shops. ARE material support includes non-structural rehabilitation works, small equipment, small-scale alternative energy products and/or furniture, in addition to Point of Sales system (POS), with Star code software.
The objective of this consultancy is to provide MSMEs receiving POS with in-depth technical assistance to function the POS system properly on the Star code software. The provision of this service is to ensure all beneficiaries have the needed knowledge to optimize the use of the system so the delivered material assistance is efficient. The STTA will work closely with the business owners by providing in-depth training that will be an on-the-job-training (OJT), to ensure a smooth and clear transition to the new system while addressing any technical challenges that may arise.

Deliverables and Timeline

Deliverables
Timeline
1. Design training curriculum including materials for training such as presentations, user manuals, and reference guides: Month 1
2. Submit a training schedule including list of MSME's invited (Ashrafieh and Bourj Hammoud), sectors, and topics: On Bi-weekly Basis or as needed
3. A Summary Report of each of the trainings delivered to at this individual MSMEs including topics covered, photos of the training sessions, list of attendees (as documented by signed attendance sheets) and outcome and lessons learned: On Bi-weekly Basis or as needed
4. Other deliverables as assigned by the program manager or their designee: On Bi-weekly Basis or as needed
5. A Final Report of all trainings delivered (ashrafieh and Bourj Hammoud) including the methodology, training process and outcomes, list of attendees (as documented by signed attendance sheets) and outcome and lessons learned: Month 4
 

Place of Assignment

The trainings will be conducted in the premises of the business shop location in different areas of Beirut which are El Roum, Mar Mitr, and Bourj Hammoud, el Metn. The STTA will spend around 0.5 LOE days over 4 calendar days with the MSME representative during their working hours. Thus, it will be a total of 2 LOE days per MSME including the initial assessment and the delivery of the training.

Reporting

The consultant will report directly to ARE Program Manager or their designee, and work closely with the business owners who will be receiving technical assistance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in one or several of the following areas: Computer Science, Computer and communication engineering, Information Technology, or any other related fields.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience, specifically with Star Code software for point-of-sale (POS) systems focused on their functionalities, features, and configurations.
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Arabic required.
• Familiarity with industry-leading POS software solutions and their specific capabilities.
• Proven experience in implementing and customizing POS systems for businesses of different sizes and industries.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve common technical issues that may arise during training sessions.
• Understanding of network setups, integrations, and data management related to POS systems.
• Proven ability to provide customized solutions and recommendations based on the unique needs and goals of individual businesses.
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver effective and engaging training programs to business owners and end-users.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills to effectively convey complex concepts in a clear and understandable manner.
• Capacity to adapt training methods to address different learning styles and varying levels of technical expertise.