EMPOWEREMENT AND BDS PROVIDER

I. JOB SUMMARY:

The Empowerment and BDS Provider will play a key role in the AWE Phase II project, focusing on the empowerment of women engaged in micro and small enterprises. She/he is responsible for the actual implementations, and monitoring of project activities on the ground and ensuring qualities and standards.

This position involves implementing targeted strategies for beneficiary selection, delivering business and life skills training, facilitating digital and financial literacy training, supporting Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) groups, establishing financial linkages with formal financial and lease institutions, and leading Social Analysis and Action (SAA) and male engagement dialogues. The Empowerment and BDS Provider will also actively engage in coaching and mentoring businesswomen and contribute to regular report writing.

The ideal candidate will possess a solid educational background, experience in business development services, and a commitment to empowering women in micro and small enterprises. Strong communication and facilitation skills, coupled with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders, are essential for success in this dynamic role. The Empowerment and BDS Provider will contribute significantly to the success of the AWE Phase II project by fostering positive change in the lives of women entrepreneurs.

II. RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

Job Responsibility #1: Facilitate beneficiary targeting and verification.

• Facilitates and leads beneficiary targeting and verification process with the active participation of the Woreda key stakeholders and community representatives.
• Ensure that the targeting process is transparent by sharing the targeting criteria, posting the final beneficiary list, and properly handling any complaints.
• Ensure the final beneficiary list is approved by the relevant government offices.

% of Time:  10%   

Job Responsibility #2:  Facilitate Planning and implementation of project activities.

• Participate in the development of Project detailed implementation plans, ensuring alignment with project goals and timelines.
• Develop and deliver impactful business and life skills training programs for project beneficiaries.
• Conduct training sessions to enhance the digital and financial literacy of project beneficiaries.
• Organize and provide ongoing support to Village Savings and Loan Association groups, fostering a culture of savings and financial inclusion.
• Establish and maintain linkages between project beneficiaries and formal financial and lease institutions to enhance access to financial services.
• Establishes and strengthens Social Action and Analysis (SAA) and leads constructive dialogue sessions.
• Facilitate business idea competition and monitor and report on the award fund usage.
• In collaboration with community-based agents mobilize project targets for training, BDS support, saving, and different project activities.
• Ensures that Advancing Women Enterprise project on-the-ground implementation is guided by CARE’s core programming approaches and principles, and gender equity.
• Facilitates dissemination of relevant information and ensures that the information is accessed and understood by the project targets.
• Provide continuous follow-up and technical support to the businesses of target groups.
• Meets regularly with Woreda stakeholders to discuss project progress updates, exchange information, discuss challenges, and share tasks accordingly.

% of Time:  40%

Job Responsibility #3:  Mentoring and Coaching of Project Clients.  

• Provide individualized and group coaching and mentoring support to women entrepreneurs, offering guidance on business development and personal growth.
• Provide individual and group-based business development support.
• Incorporate the coaching and mentoring support in the regular project reports.

% of Time:  30%

Job Responsibility #4:  Strengthen partnership, institutional linkages, and working relationships.

• Works closely with relevant government institutions, community-based organizations, and partners to build trust and ensure strong working relationships.

% of Time:  5%     

Job Responsibility #5: Reporting and monitoring

• Conduct regular monitoring visits to the women’s businesses and provide monitoring reports.
• Prepares weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports on project activities, and submits these to her/his supervisor in the appropriate formats.
• Undertakes professional development initiatives identified with his/her supervisor.

% of Time:  5%

Job Responsibility #6: Learning and Documentation of Lessons

• Facilitate documentation of project success stories and lessons learned through short videos, pictures, and case studies.
• Collects basic information, best practices, case studies, and lessons and reports to her/his supervisor.
• Include lessons learned in the regular report

% of Time: 5%

Job Responsibility #7:  Perform other duties as assigned, % of Time:  5%

III. PROBLEM SOLVING (Thinking Environment)

• The level of problem-solving this position will face is level number two. What has to be done and how to do it are clearly defined, and the incumbent will face identical or similar problems regularly.

IV. GENDER EQUALITY

• Understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender, youth and social inclusion issues.
• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and PSEAH (safeguarding), as evidenced in previous positions / programming

IIV. QUALIFICATIONS (KNOW-HOW)

A. Education/training

Required:

• Diploma in Economics, Business Administration, Sociology, or another related field.

Desired

•  Degree in Economics, Business Administration, Sociology, or another related field.

B Experience

Required:

• 2 years of relevant work experience for diploma holders or 1 year relevant work experience for first degree.

C) Technical skills

Required:

• Knowledge of local language.
• Communication skills, good human relations
• Firm belief in teamwork and gender equality, and sensitivity to HIV/AIDS
• Conceptual understanding of participatory approach and sustainable development.

D. Competencies:

• Respect, accountability, courage, excellence, stress tolerance, information monitoring, team building, interpersonal skills, coaching, problem-solving, planning, and organizing.

V. CONTACTS/KEY RELATIONSHIPS 

• The Empowerment and BDS Provider is expected to establish an open relationship with the community, government counterparts, and community-based organizations, as well as with supervisors, program managers, and other staff.

VI. WORKING CONDITIONS:

• The Empowerment and BDS Provider is expected to be on the field where targets live for about 90% of his/her time. S/he travels long distances on foot (75%) and stands for about 50% of the training session.