Development of a Strategy and Operations Plan for QOOT Lebanon Agri Food Innovation Cluster

About Berytech

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

The SMART AGRI-FOOD INNOVATION is a new initiative launched by Berytech in November 2016, with funds from the Dutch Embassy. The main objective of the project is to accelerate job creation and stimulate competitiveness from Lebanon. This will be achieved through:

• Leveraging and developing capacities of local SMEs and Startups in the knowledge economy
• Provide support to innovate a smarter Agri-Food Sector in the MENA region and,
•  Support export within MENA and the EU using linkages from leading innovation organizations from the Netherlands.

About QOOT Cluster

QOOT Cluster is the first Lebanese agri-food consortium that brings together Lebanese enterprises, rising SMEs, multinational companies, knowledge providers, support institutions, and investment entities to collaboratively catalyze and innovate the agri-food sector in Lebanon.

Initiated by Berytech and the Kingdom of the Netherlands with the active guidance of FoodValley, Netherland’s leading agri-food cluster, QOOT Cluster was born out of a resolve to equip Lebanon with the resources and processes that have made the Netherlands one of the leading agricultural innovators and food exporters worldwide.

Currently, QOOT Cluster includes more than 30 members of innovative companies. Members consist of small, medium and large enterprises dealing in food production, input supplies, processing, distribution, marketing, technology, and retail, among other verticals.

QOOT Cluster has received the European Cluster Excellence Label in Bronze from the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis.

Also, QOOT Cluster is a registered member on the European Cluster Collaboration Platform.

For more information: www.qoot.org

QOOT Cluster seeks an external consultant to develop a long-term strategic plan for QOOT cluster to understand what the current strategy is, what has been achieved in the past year and also what will be the strategic directions in the upcoming 5 years. The consultant will also design creative action plans to clarify the operational phase covering the different strategic business units (communication and visibility, outreach and mapping, membership and adherence, expansion and growth, funding and sustainability, risk and contingency, monitoring and evaluation…)

The consultant will work closely with QOOT Cluster’s team, board, members and various stakeholders to deliver the below specific tasks:

• Collect data and information from QOOT Cluster team and board members through meetings, key informant interviews, focus group discussions
• Conduct brainstorming sessions to understand the cluster team members needs and expectations.
• Review the researches outcomes on the food cluster trends (regional and international) in coordination with the cluster Manager
• Review the cluster internal business plan, feasibility study and other available documentation.
• Conduct field visits to the cluster members’ to better understand their challenges and expectations.
• Conduct qualitative analysis of the data collected from the relevant stakeholders and from researches, desk reviews and field visits
• Evaluate the previous experience and build on lessons learnt to propose recommendations and identify areas where improvements can be made
• Present the research findings to the cluster board members and to senior management
• Prepare the strategic report and operational plans S&OP to be approved by the cluster team and senior management

Key deliverables are as follows:

• Key deliverable 1: Power point presentation summarizing the research findings
• Key deliverable 2: Outline of the S&OP to be agreed with the cluster board members and senior management team at Berytech
• Key deliverable 3: The first draft of the S&OP to be reviewed by the cluster board members and senior management team at Berytech
• Key deliverable 4: The final copy of S&OP to be approved by the cluster board members and senior management team at Berytech
• Key deliverable 5: Power point presentation summarizing the S&OP, strategy, operations, and recommendations 

The timeline for submission of the above deliverables will be discussed and agreed upon between the consultant and the management team.  

The strategic plan will consist of three sections to be consolidated into one document:

Section I: Strategic directions:

• Mission, vision, aspirations and core values
• SWOT analysis highlighting the weaknesses, strengths, opportunities and threats of the cluster
• Objectives and strategies over a period of 5 years

Section II: Operational plans/tactics:

• Outreach and mapping
• Communication and visibility
• Networking and partnership
• Membership and adherence
• Expansion and growth
• Capacity building and mentoring
• Finance and sustainability
• Innovative cluster services
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Others to be discussed and agreed upon

Section III: Lessons learned and recommendations:

This section will include the lessons learned captured from QOOT cluster previous experience and suggest recommendations for future improvement.

The final outline of the S&OP will be agreed upon by the cluster member and senior management

• Master’s degree in business management, economics, finance or a closely related field, PhD is preferred
• 10 to 15 years’ experience in private sector finance, accounting, economics or related field 
• Experience in strategic planning within local organizations, in MENA or other regions
• Experience in the design of business units’ operational plans
• Demonstrated skills in collecting, analyzing and processing data 
• Prior experience in similar assignment as a strategic planner or business analyst.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent knowledge of industry strategies, preferably in food- cluster strategy management and operations
• Ability to connect with people from different background
• Ability to interpret and present relevant data
• Excellent writing skills in English