Entrepreneur Capacity Development Specialist

MONTROSE is an international development project management and consultancy company providing support to clients operating in the developing world. Specialised in the sectors of health, education, rural livelihoods and private sector development, our clients include bilateral and multilateral development agencies, the private sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other development stakeholders.

Background

Montrose has been contracted to support and grow base-level entrepreneurship on the mainland region of Equatorial Guinea, through value chain upgrading and direct support to new and existing base-level entrepreneurs. Base-level enterprises are small scale, income-generating enterprises generally operating in the informal sector.

The Project’s Key Objectives are to:

To increase the participation of Equato-Guineans in base-level entrepreneurship

To improve living environments and increase the resilience of communities where the base-level entrepreneurs live

The programme will adopt a value chain development approach by which subsectors of the economy that have the potential for increased participation by Equato-Guineans, particularly at the ‘base-level’, will be identified and a range of interventions employed to increase the value that they add to the value chain.

To complement the value chain development approach, the programme will have an entrepreneurial training, mentoring and support component. This will target both potential and existing base-level entrepreneurs drawn from middle and lower income groups. There will be a structured training programme on establishing and running a small business as well as more informal guidance through mentoring. Business start-up packages will be provided to highly promising base-level entrepreneurs. These packages are likely to focus on the subsectors targeted for value chain development. The programme will also provide business development services to entrepreneurs.

Montrose is seeking to identify an Entrepreneur Capacity Development Specialist who will hold a full-time position in the Equatorial Guinea office. This position is for a minimum of two years.

Role and Responsibilities:

The Entrepreneur Capacity Development (ECD) Specialist will take the lead on the implementation of this component of the project, along with a national counterpart. The ECD Specialist will support the strategy design for this component, and will be responsible for ensuring the effective planning, implementation, review and monitoring of the interventions. The ECD Specialist will receive technical support from an Entrepreneurship Development Expert and the Programme Director who has overall responsibility for the implementation of the programme.

Specific Tasks:

Support the design and planning of entrepreneurship and SME development and support components of the project
Manage the implementation of entrepreneurship and SME development and support components of the project
Support the design and planning of overall training programme for the project
Undertake a market assessment of training needs and market demands for entrepreneurship training
Identify specific training needs for components of the project
Support the design of the overall training programme
Design training activities and plans, training materials and tools, pre- and post-tests
Deliver training programmes with support of other team members
Identify needs for start-up packages for entrepreneurs and support the design and implementation of this component
Identify gaps and support the design and delivery of business development services for entrepreneurs
Draft reports on completion of project activities and inputs into narrative project reports
Draft, monitor and manage activity budgets for entrepreneurship and training components of the project with support/oversight from Programme Director
Support the design and implementation of the monitoring framework and plan as it relates to entrepreneurship components of the project
Develop and maintain positive relationships with relevant local stakeholders (e.g. vocational training institutions) related to entrepreneurship components of the project
Work closely with, mentor and develop the capacity of national counterpart on the project team
Support the Programme Director in the programme management and administration of the project as needed
Skills and Experience:

Fluency in Spanish and English essential
A relevant university degree
A minimum of five years’ experience in entrepreneurship and SME development required
Experience in designing and delivering capacity development programmes essential: including hands-on experience in training need identification, design of training programmes and tools, and delivery of training in developing country contexts required
Experience working in one or more of the following areas an asset: business skills training, business incubation hubs, business development services
Experience living and working in developing countries essential
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
Excellent computer skills
Experience in writing and editing reports desirable
Some experience in administration or project management desirable
Ability to work to tight deadlines and under pressure
High degree of initiative, flexibility and creativity
Experience working in a team
Ability to work well within a small team and able to work independently with minimal supervision Excellent communication and interpersonal skills