Business Advisor 2

Enterprise, and Supplier Development Program

South Africa, May 2023

Role Title: Business Advisor – Enterprise Development

Reports to: Hub Manager

Grade: 7

Location: Mogalakwena (Limpopo)

Travel: Regular travel within target geography and to Johannesburg will be required.

Company Background

TechnoServe (www.technoserve.org) is a non-profit, economic development organization with sustained commitment to its 50-year old founding mission to work with enterprising men and women in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. We are business development specialists assisting farmers and other entrepreneurs in 29 countries, increasing their access to information, capital, and markets. The increased income our clients derive enhances resilience and prosperity for their families and communities.

In 2021, TechnoServe’s work helped improve 2.3 million lives, increasing the revenues of 407,000 farms, businesses, and employees by $250 million. Each of our interventions increases the impact on women, who represented 41% of beneficiaries globally in 2021. Our commitment to sustainable impact earned us the designation of the #1 non-profit fighting poverty in 2019 by ImpactMatters, the independent charity ratings agency.

In South Africa, we supported 779 beneficiaries in 2021 to gain $24,9 million (R396m) in increased revenue and wages as a result of our work. A large proportion of the beneficiaries were SMMEs and 43% of those with increased revenue who are women or women-owned businesses.

Program Background

TechnoServe has been competitively selected by a large South African corporate partner to deliver Enterprise and Supplier Development program in South Africa. The initiative offers the opportunity to deliver transformative economic change in South Africa by supporting local enterprises to grow their businesses to the next level. The initiative will look to drive broader development across the mining, agricultural, tourism, and retail sectors to support local economic development. Once fully scaled, the initiative aims to support 10,000 jobs across 15 locations in South Africa. This will be a global flagship initiative in proving the impact of shared value initiatives: namely how business can make investments that both deliver value to shareholders and deliver meaningful impact to individuals and communities in their areas of operation.

TechnoServe will deliver the Enterprise and Supplier Development initiative through a network of hubs, operating under the brand name of the corporate partner.

The hub will operate in and around Mogalakwena. TechnoServe will employ a team of 6 staff to operate on the hub. The hub will deliver business acceleration services (training, mentorship, business development, access to finance, linkages to market opportunities, etc.) to eligible entrepreneurs through two program pillars – Enterprise and Supplier Development.

TechnoServe is hiring a high-caliber team per hub to deliver the program. We are seeking qualified candidates for the Business Advisor – Enterprise Development 2. The Enterprise Development (ED) Business Advisor 2 will manage the ED component of the overall program; accountable for delivering targets for ED component. S/he will be responsible for managing the end-to-end process of selecting, training and providing “aftercare”/mentorship to 2 cohorts of SMEs per year. S/he will be the primary point of contact for the SMEs in the ED program and will be responsible for diagnosing their needs and developing a standardized and tailored support program to meet these needs. S/he will also engage with the financing partner and other program partners within the ED component.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Implementation, Roll out and project management:

• Develop / refine ED2 operational plans for the pillar, ensuring ongoing learnings are built into evolving design
• Implement all elements of delivering the ED program, including:
• Program implementation and roll out.
• Program promotion
• Recruitment and selection of enterprises
• Facilitate training
• Mentor enterprises
• Diagnosing individual gaps of SMEs in the program
• Develop and implement a development plan for individual businesses and Mentor the SMEs in accordance to the plan.
• Monitor and track and report on progress of SMEs in the program

Development of curriculum:

• Contribute toward the refinement standardized training curriculum for SMEs, drawing on global materials and working with TechnoServe experts in curriculum development

Direct advisory to SMEs:

• Directly provide regular 1-1 advisory services to 20+ SMEs per year
• Identify and bring in other resources to meet SME needs as necessary

Monitoring and evaluation:

• Report in an accurate and timely manner on performance of the ED pillar on all key metrics
• Ensure all learnings from each wave are incorporated to improve the offering continuously

Demand side initiatives and partnerships:

• Identify market opportunities for growth and diversification for participating SMEs on a case-by-case basis
• Partner with the Corporate Partner’s Value Chain Manager to identify value chain opportunities locally or nationally that participating SMEs can tap into
• Create opportunities for networking between program pillars

Perform other duties that would be assigned from time to time by the supervisor

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, marketing, Development or related discipline
• At least 5-10 years of post-graduate experience within the private sector and/or development spheres
• At least 2 years’ experience running own business
• Experience working in SME development
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (in English and local language)
• Strong organizational skills
• Knowledge of the South Africa economic, social and development context – at provincial level preferred
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills in a multi-cultural environment
• The ability to work independently, adhere to strict deadlines, and function effectively as a member of a global team
• Current / past work / living in target geography (province) preferred
• Strong commitment and dedication to economic development
• Long-term commitment to the project
• Valid driving license

How to Apply

Qualified and interested applicants should apply via the link on or before 26 May 2023. Please identify the position for which you are applying in the subject line. Only applicants meeting minimum qualifications will be considered or contacted. Applications will be considered as received. No phone calls please.