Business and Entrepreneurship Advisor

SNV Vietnam is looking for a Business and Entrepreneurship Advisor (Based in Hanoi with frequent travels to other provinces)

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organization. Founded in the Netherlands 50 years ago, we have built a long-term, local presence in 38 of the poorest countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors work with local partners to equip communities, businesses and organizations with the tools, knowledge and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services – empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own development.

SNV has been working in Vietnam since 1995. Using market based approaches, SNV is committed to reducing poverty by catalyzing environmentally sustainable solutions for the poor in agriculture, energy, water & sanitation, and REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).

The “Enhancing Opportunities for Women’s Enterprises” (EOWE) is 5 year programme being implemented by SNV in Kenya and Vietnam. The Programme is part of the Funding Leadership Opportunities for Women (FLOW) programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Social Development Department (DSO).

FLOW/EOWE will be implemented in collaboration with local partners in four central provinces of Vietnam: Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan (and selected Arid and Semi-Arid Counties in Kenya), leveraging on existing projects and relationships to ensure more benefits for women, emphasizing the Balancing Benefit – key women economic empowerment approach of SNV.

The programme aims at advancing women’s economic participation and self-reliance in Kenya and Vietnam by creating a conducive environment for female entrepreneurship as a vehicle for change. It shall enhance implementation of gender sensitive policies while tackling socio-economic barriers at local levels to improve the enabling environment for Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in trade, agricultural production and value chain development.

In addition, it will support women to enter business, as well as those already in businesses, to increase their profitability and viability so as to address inequalities in the economic arena.
FLOW/EOWE will build the capacity of local actors to be central pillars of this change.

The programme objectives:

(1) Increase capacity of government actors to implement and localise female entrepreneurship friendly policies and institutions.
(2) Increase capacity of local actors, including CSOs, to create bottom-up pressure for women’s economic empowerment and leverage existing policy frameworks to enhance the enabling environment.
(3) Challenge gender norms inhibiting women’s access to economic opportunities through behavioural change.
(4) Enhance women’s capacity and confidence to lead successful businesses.

The Vietnam project is inheriting the successful climate smart and gender inclusive agriculture project of SNV Vietnam (Sowing Seeds of Change project) funded by the Australian Government. The project focuses specifically on the national enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment, especially in agribusiness, increasing access to agribusiness models, assets, technology, markets, and information and on promoting women leadership in cooperatives. The project also promotes a network of the Women’s Union, agriculture sector, Cooperative Union, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and local government for technical support and policy influencing.

The project will directly intervene at the province level, as well as undertaken national-level activities in policy influencing and setting up a women’s economic platform and gender network.

SNV Vietnam is recruiting a national professional with an affinity for business, value chain/market development and women economic empowerment to join and contribute technical services to Vietnam FLOW/EOWE programme - Business and Entrepreneurship advisor

Responsibilities

• Responsible for provision of substantial advisory services on inclusive business, income generations, market linkages/value chain development and business intervention to the FLOW/EOWE programme Vietnam in general, and technical components of agribusiness for women’s economic empowerment in particular to project team and local partners.
• Facilitating the establishment of the local partners business team, training and coaching the local business team to build targets, solutions to analyse and enhance the local business intervention plan.
• Together with National Programme Manager, enhancing and completing the Business intervention strategy framework for the project, including key business pillars, women-led business initiatives promotion plan, capacity building and access improving (i.e. access to technologies and assets/inputs), inclusive approaches, and sustainable, gender-sensitive agriculture cooperative enterprises.
• Analysis the SNV Balancing Benefit approach for development of practical protocol on mainstreaming women economic empowerment into business intervention, and recommend the business working packages for the FLOW/EOWE programme Vietnam. This task will be undertaken with support from the National programme manager, Gender specialist and Value chain/technical advisors.
• Coordinating with National Project Manager, Field Advisor, Gender Advisor and local partners (PPC, DARD, WU, Cooperative Union and other potential partners) to develop (i) provincial WEE business plan; (ii) Business service hub and operational plan.
• Responsible for facilitation of development of enterprise/business upscaling and start-up support packages, in consultation and inheriting the SNV IB/IBA technical settings (as a component Lead advisor), with the support from Junior Economics Specialist. This include coordination with Field Coordination Advisor to guide and coach the local partners to ensure buy in, develop the business plan and make the plan operational.
• Support business resource person(s) (including consultants, interns, junior experts) to develop and implement the specific business intervention plans, e.g. in value chain assessment for
• selected commodities, cooperatives survey, business opportunities assessment, business stakeholders mapping and analysis.
• Advising on improvement/completion of the business plans of local businesses (supported and coordinated by Field Coordination Advisor).
• Cooperating with Knowledge Management Specialist and Marketing/Communications Officer to develop business guidelines and to support entrepreneurs to develop marketing plan and marketing material.

Candidate profile

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Economics, Business, Agribusiness or related field.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in private and/or development sector, i.e. Companies (business or consultancy), NGOs, International Programmes, with at least 5 years’ experience with business management, or value chain development-related job. Proven experience in working directly with private sector clients.
• Good experience in project management and advocacy.
• Good understanding of legal framework for business and private sector
• Fluent English and Vietnamese

Contract Duration:

SNV Vietnam offers a 1 year contract with the option of extension based on performance and budget availability.

Reporting: the position will report to National Programme Manager.

Desired start date: as soon as possible

How to apply?

Please send your application letter and CV, together with an indication of your current salary and compensation package, to [email protected] by November 12th, 2016, 5:00 P.M. Hanoi time.

For more information on SNV, please refer to our website: www.snvworld.org;

We do not appreciate third-party mediation based on this advertisement