Senior SME Development Specialist

The overall aim of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the most vulnerable populations in the city of Tripoli in the sensitive neighborhoods of Bab el-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.

The project has three specific objectives: 1) to support the local economy through enterprise creation and support for existing businesses, 2) to sustain and strengthen the activities of the NGO Ruwwad and 3) to improve social cohesion between communities of the two targeted neighborhoods.

The project is structured around 3 components:

• Support for the creation of small and very small businesses through the launch of a seed fund. This first component aims to support the creation of new businesses from the launch of a call for applications that will select entrepreneurs accompanied. Entrepreneurs will benefit from both financial support and technical support to start their new business

• Support for the development of existing businesses through the launch of an acceleration fund. This second component targets the support of existing companies so that they can develop and sustain their activities thanks to Ruwwad's technical and financial support. Its different sub-components are based on the same model established in the framework of the first component.

• The capacity building of the Ruwwad organization in terms of entrepreneurship support and self-financing, ensuring sustainability of services provided. Beyond the benefits to the project, the capacity building of Ruwwad will in the medium term improve the activities implemented by the NGO for communities and social cohesion in these sensitive neighborhoods.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Commit to project scope execution adhering to its Implementation Plan, Logical Framework and Project Budget
• Establish a Business consultancy unit within Ruwwad in charge of providing technical support - such as HR, Sales & Marketing, IT, Accounting and Finance services - to the Business and Social Entrepreneurs targeted through the project.  
• Form, Train, Prepare and Mentor a team of qualified Junior Business Consultants from Ruwwad Scholars and Graduates to monitor the evolution of the newly created/ expanded businesses and to act as apprentices, working closely on-site with the businesses they are assigned to support.
• Develop a community outreach strategic plan ensuring wide-spread dissemination adapted methodologies within Tripoli, more specifically within the most vulnerable communities.
• Establish partnerships with organizations and conduct orientations, community meetings, visits, workshops, social media campaigns as part of the outreach strategic plan
• Attend and Participate effectively in an 3-month intensive capacity building period, followed by ongoing and progressive learning in order to enhance abilities to act as trainers/mentors and consultants throughout the project implementation.
• Refer to credible published job market and skill gap need assessments to help in identifying the industries to orient the applicants to.   
• Create an onboarding toolkit, design thinking and 360 evaluation forms designed specifically for MSMEs whether in their creation stage or expansion stage
• Design Ruwwad’s own business and social entrepreneurship training curricula for entrepreneurs and existing businesses based on pre-existing materials, innovative tools and techniques, knowledge modules, and lessons learned from previous piloted entrepreneurship trainings.
• Develop project communication material in coordination with donor
• Design project related documents, including, but not limited to,  application form, scoring sheet, interview template, business plan, training material, pitching sessions documents, evaluation forms and checklist…
• Create reporting templates (technical, financial and impact reports) in coordination with donor
• Create participant introductory materials for each phase of the program (i.e. presentations and videos)
• Organize Launching, Orientation, Training, Pitching and Closing Ceremony Events
• Conduct Screenings and Selections based on a grading system that includes application, supportive documents, Community Spot checks, and Interviews  
• Organize Trainings, Interviews and Pitching Sessions
• Set up a funding process and provide a 9-12 month post investment follow up and Technical Assistance for the MSMEs selected
• Monitor & Evaluate Project activities
• Manage Relational Dynamics with all stakeholders (Community, Ruwwad, Donor and Partners)
• Report to Finance Officer for all procurement, purchases, expenditures and budget related tasks
• Report and work closely with Lebanon Director in all project phases

Job Requirements:

-  Master’s degree in economics, finance, business administration and/or related fields

 - Five years of relevant work experience working in the field of SME-development

- Deep technical knowledge in SME development as demonstrated by successful work experience

- Sound analytical, organizational, project management and negotiation skills and the ability to conduct training and workshops/seminars

- Advanced computer skills, including word processing, spread sheet, power point, data management, and other packages

- Strong written and interpersonal communication skills in both English and French with an ability to interact with a very broad spectrum of stakeholders

- Self Motivation, Openness for Learning and Feedback