SAFI – Call for consultants - Business consultant for SAFI program cycle 2

Berytech is a leading organization in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Lebanon, that aims to provide a conducive environment for the creation and development of startups, through incubation, business support, counseling, funding, networking, and the company hosting, hence taking part in the economic revival of the country, participating in wealth and job creation, and retaining graduates and high-level skills in Lebanon.

The SAFI project supports SMEs in the agri-food sector to scale up and accelerate their business to support import substitution and food security in Lebanon.

The consultants will work under the overall direct guidance of the Program Director, in close coordination with experts from Berytech. Key deliverables will include:  

• Providing advice and counsels to the SMEs regarding the application process.
• Reviewing candidate’s proposed solution and support in ensuring all selection criteria are addressed in the full application including Business overview, Product Roadmap, Competitive edge, Impact, Financials and Import substitution.
• Identifying areas of weaknesses in the applications (business analysis, business plan, etc.) and support the SMEs in fixing them and developing a full and comprehensive application.
• Focusing on candidates in depth understanding of the solution provided and the impact it is bringing and how it is aligned with the program’s objectives.
• Supporting the candidate in developing the financial model [LE1] for the proposed solution.
• Supporting the candidate in developing or strengthening impact for vulnerable groups and to describe the level of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration in their business model.[LE2] [MF3] 
• Working closely with applicants and adopting a constructive approach to consolidate applicant’s pitching abilities and skills.
• Advising candidates on how to clearly demonstrate and highlight the impact of the solution in the pitching deck.
• Delivering direct technical assistance face-to-face (or through online conferencing for convenience) with candidates to ensure fulfilling the above-mentioned objectives. Documents of any type (trainings, specific notes, etc.) shared with candidates will be collected by SAFI team for post-intervention assessment.
• Conducting a mock presentation for candidates and reviewing their final pitch decks to ensure their readiness for the final presentation in front of the jury.
• Providing the SAFI team, at the end of the intervention, a briefing clearly demonstrating the milestones achieved in terms of the candidates understanding and comprehension of the above-mentioned objectives and depicting the candidates remaining areas of development.

   

Qualifications

• Be able to comply with national fiscal context and rules for receipt of international funds.
• BSc/BA diploma in management or a relevant field; MSc/MA is a plus
• 5 to 7 years of experience in the business consultancy field with specific knowledge in the Lebanese agro-food industry, in-depth understanding of the Lebanese mass consumer base, and with proven experience in working with businesses operating in volatile environments.
• Proven experience in writing proposals and/or designing projects and business planning, including financial proposals, with a focus on the Lebanese SME working in the agro-food sector.
• Knowledge of the local agro-food market, needs, challenges, strengths, and potentials.
• Excellent moderation skills
• Excellent English writing skills

Timeline and Application

The start date is the beginning of May. Additional service is needed for the experts in case the company that they are working with gets selected for the final selection. The expert will be asked to continually support the company in submitting another final application. Additional service is needed for the experts in case the company that they are working with gets selected for the final selection. The expert will be asked to continually support the company in submitting another final application. 

Candidates should submit the following documents:

• Technical (maximum two pages) describing the methodology to conduct the work based on the content suggested in section: “Objectives and key activities,” elaborating it further.
• Financial proposal
• Profile and project references (maximum two pages): A brief explanation of the consultant(s) background should be submitted (CVs shall be included as annex) along with project references on the topic