Business Development Officer

Near East Foundation (NEF) – Lebanon Business Development and Livelihoods officer Terms of Reference   Title:                Business Development and Livelihoods officer Unit:                Programs, Near East Foundation in Lebanon Location:         Beirut, Lebanon Travel:                         Frequent travel to the North, Akkar and Beqaa   The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for Business Development and Livelihoods officer to be based in Beirut with frequent travel to the field. For 100 years, NEF has worked to build more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive communities in the Middle East and Africa through education, governance, and economic development initiatives. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF currently operates in eight countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal and Sudan. Its programs are organized around three themes: Peacebuilding, Sustainable Agriculture, and Microenterprise Development.   Position Description The Business Development Officer is a member of Near East Foundation Senior Management Team in Lebanon. The role of the Business Development and Livelihoods officer position is to manage the business development component of the BPRM-supported project. This 1-year project will reduce household economic vulnerability and reliance on harmful coping strategies by increasing access to livelihoods and protection information and skills; home-based income-generating activities; and training and career guidance linked to savings and protection for adolescents. He/she will primarily contribute to: (1) building the partner CBO’s capacity in business development services as well as financial literacy, (2) providing business development & financial literacy training, and (3) conduct ongoing coaching and facilitation of peer networks in an aim to support the incubation and acceleration of existing and scalable micro and small home business activities and facilitating access to the necessary inputs to support their sustainability.   Reports to: Project Coordinator Direct Coordination with: Capacity Building Officer   Cash and Grants Officer                                          Protection Coordinator                             Responsibilities The Business Development Officer will:   Responsibility #1: Project Implementation Pro-actively work toward the overall project implementation as per donor agreement and NEF guidelines and agreed implementation strategy; Pro-actively work toward reaching the project objectives, i.e. strengthening the established home based activities of vulnerable individuals, identifying potential opportunities and placement arrangements to apply these skills to access available economic opportunities and facilitating access to the necessary inputs to support their sustainability. Conduct under the guidance and coaching of NEF Project Coordinator a qualitative Business Development Services (BDS) database and assessment; Develop, update and follow up a detailed work plan, in line with donor agreement and in agreement with the Project coordinator; Develop and refine training materials mainly business plans, employment skills, and financial literacy; Develop and refine ToT material; Deliver ToT to CBO staff; Conduct Business Development trainings to the program beneficiaries in line with the workplan and output of the program; Conduct regular field monitoring visits to provide support when needed to ensure quality implementation; Organize and lead the coaching and networking sessions/activities; Head, guide and supervise the grants/business evaluation committee which consists of project team, cash & grants officer and partner representatives with the aim of reviewing submitted business plans, interviewing and screening beneficiaries; Assess, along with the evaluation committee, the beneficiaries’ feasibility studies, provide guidance and follow up; Enhance referrals pathways and ensure communities knowledge about the project in close collaboration with the Project Coordinator and the partners.; In support to Monitoring and Evaluation team and in collaboration with the Projector Coordinator, ensure the project component is effectively monitored through regular data collection and analysis of key indicators, and ensure that processes and results are properly documented; Ensure proper documentation, tracking and filing of all project’s component activities in line with project objectives, donor requirements, NEF compliance rules and implementation strategy; Ensure that gender, protection, environment and other important cross-cutting concerns are taken into account in close collaboration with the Protection Coordinator; Ensure that activities reflect the needs of specific groups and individuals e.g. elderly, pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities; Ensure the confidentiality of beneficiaries’ data as per established guidelines; Coordinate regularly with field officers in the 3 locations   Responsibility #2: Reporting & Information sharing Draft narrative and quantitative reports as per NEF internal requirements and donor requirements. Ensure internal communication and information sharing on project with relevant staff.   Responsibility #3 : Representation and Coordination Support the Project Coordinator in ensuring NEF representation in the relevant technical coordination meetings at field level and all relevant forums at the field level and vis-à-vis relevant actors and partners as relevant to the project (municipalities, UN agencies, INGOs, local NGOs, community focal points, etc.). Support in the organization of field visits by donors, peer agencies, NEF Members, Media, etc. Fulfill other task as requested by her/his supervisor depending on the programmatic priorities in the Field Office.   Qualifications and Requirements: 3 years’ experience working in an NGO on project implementation and management Experience in planning and coordinating trainings is a plus Experience in Livelihoods programming is essential Ability to liaise effectively with head office, partners, and other stakeholders Strong teamwork skills Strong interpersonal skills Strong understanding of the entire project cycle management Good organizational skills Ability to work under stress Ability to work independently Computer Skills Microsoft office – all applications Software applications required for daily operations Fluent in Arabic and English