Business Development and Livelihoods Officer (National Position)

Title:               Business Development and Livelihoods Officer (National Position)

Unit:               Programs, Near East Foundation in Lebanon

Reports to:     Business Development and Livelihoods Coordinator

Location:        The position is based in Beirut

Travel:            Frequent travel between project sites within Lebanon (Bekaa, North, Akkar and South)

Start date:       01/10/2022 (pending final project approval from the donor)

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for a Business Development and Livelihoods Officer to be based in its ‎Lebanon office in Beirut. 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 ten countries. Its programs are organized around three themes: Peacebuilding; Sustainable ‎Agriculture; and Micro- enterprise Development.‎

Position Description 

The Business Development and Livelihoods Officer is a member of the Near East Foundation team in Lebanon.
The purpose of the Business Development and Livelihoods Officer (BDLO) position is to development and the business development training, financial literacy
training, and ongoing ‎coaching/ networking and market access activities. The Business Development and Livelihoods Officer will ‎support the field teams to screen producers/processors, support business planning, and coordinate the ‎evaluation committee. She/he will oversee day-to-day implementation of project activities and high-level ‎technical leadership in conducting training, facilitates adoption of improved techniques and technologies, ‎facilitate improved market access, sales, supplier agreements, commercialization strategies and guides field ‎visits; maintains direct communication and coordination with technical experts and trainers.‎

The project aims to reduce household economic vulnerability and reliance on harmful coping strategies of vulnerable families by increasing access to income-generating skills and providing livelihood opportunities. 

Under the overall supervision of the Business Development and Livelihoods Coordinator, the Business
Development and Livelihoods Officer will have the following duties and responsibilities:

Implementation and Trainings:

• Develop, update and follow up a detailed work plan, in line with project targets and deadlines
• Lead the development of all training materials related to business development, coaching and networking and ‎deliver training of trainers to partners’ staff and trainers
• Develop and tailor the remote learning/online training materials to fit the projects’ objectives and outcomes. 
• Conduct regular field monitoring visits to provide support when needed to ensure quality implementation
• With the support from the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit develop the monitoring data collection tools and ‎data analysis tools for the trainings and activities
• Monitor the small group coaching and networking sessions/activities
• Ensure that gender, protection, environment and other important cross-cutting concerns are taken into ‎account in close collaboration with the Gender and Protection unit
• 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 Siraj Centers.

Reporting:

• Ensure internal communication and
  information sharing on project with relevant staff.‎
• Preparing & Updated information
  related to local BDS providers, conditions, type of ‎services, type of ‎loans and assistance.‎
• Consolidate & Standardize Business
  Development and Livelihoods services in all NEF’s areas of operation. 

Representation & Coordination:

• Participate in committee meetings on a
  regular basis providing relevant inputs on presented Business ‎plans.‎

Other responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance with applicable donor and NEF policies and regulations.‎
• Ensure all project documentation requiredby NEF and donor is accurately collected, organized and filed.‎
• Any other duties relating to the nature of the job as requested by the supervisor.‎

Basic Qualifications:

Note: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to succeed within this position and thrive at NEF to apply for this role.

• Bachelor’s degree in development studies, business studies, social science, economics, or equivalent ‎combination of education and work experience;‎
• ‎3-5 years of experience in development and/or humanitarian organizations, including significant ‎experience working as a certified business development trainer in the UN/INGO sector;‎
• Expertise in income generation, SMEs and/or agribusiness development, poverty alleviation, livelihood ‎and value chain development, social inclusion, etc.; ‎
• Proven record of effective project management, including project planning, implementation and managing ‎a budget;‎
• Fluency in English and Arabic and ability to effectively write reports;‎
• Strong facilitation skills, including the design and management of effective trainings, workshops and ‎meetings with a diverse population;‎
• Competence with MS Office applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook.‎

Position Criteria: 

• Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multitasking skills
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work effectively across a wide variety of cultural ‎‎contexts
• Effective team player, able to develop and maintain effective working relationships
• Flexible, creative and problem solving-oriented.