In alignment with the youth-centric focus of the project, we encourage applicants with progressive and modernized thinking, and innovative and transformational approaches to required project deliverables.

Position Title: Enterprise Development Specialist
Department: USAID BIJOYEE Activity
Number of Position: 01
Location: Based at CARE Bangladesh Dhaka Office
Duration: Duration of the contract will be up to June 30,2028

I.Job Summary:  

CARE is one of the world's leading international humanitarian and development organizations, committed to helping people in poor communities improve their lives and alleviate poverty. Founded in 1945, CARE is working over 100 countries to fight global poverty and marginalization. CARE has been active in Bangladesh since 1949 and is one of the largest programs in CARE confederation. Women and girls are at the core of all CARE programs because they represent half of the marginalized group and it is not possible to overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE Bangladesh works to implement programs with long-term impacts that result in sustainable changes for the extreme poor and marginalized communities.

CARE Bangladesh, a non-profit international development organization is implementing Bangladesh Integrated Youth Activity (BIYA), a five-year’s project with a consortium of youth-led and youth serving organizations funded by the USAID. It aims to empower youth not in education, employment, or training (NEET) particularly young women and socially marginalized young people, by equipping them with market-oriented soft and life skills, resources and social capital for green and gainful employment and greater social and environmental impact.  Strengthening youth ecosystem, organizational development support to national and grassroots youth organizations, incubation and start-up support to young entrepreneurs, youth inclusive policies and planning are some examples of key interventions of BIYA to be implemented in urban/ per-urban areas in five hubs encompassing seventeen districts. Department of Youth Development (DYD) and relevant govt. and private sectors are the strategic partners of this project.

The Enterprise Development Specialist will play a pivotal role within the USAID Bijoyee Activity funded by USAID. This initiative aims to empower youth to advance economically by fostering skills development through tailored training and establishing linkages with the private sector. The incumbent will lead the enterprise development component through capacity building of youth entrepreneurs, provide them with necessary startup support and link them with the financial institutions to enhance their competitiveness and productivity. S/he will foster partnerships and collaborative initiatives with relevant stakeholders, including private sector companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and business associations. The Enterprise Development Specialist will help set up Youth Savings and Loans Groups (YSLAs), train youth groups on savings so that they can pool together savings and take loans from the YSLA for startup capital. S/he will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the YSLAs and the enterprises set up under Bijoyee and identify areas for improvement. S/he will collaborate with local communities, NGOs, and other organizations to promote inclusive and sustainable enterprise development practices.

II. Responsibilities and Tasks: % of Time
Responsibility #1: Strategic leadership on Enterprise Development
20%
  • Collaborate with project leadership to devise and execute strategic plans for enterprise development initiatives aimed at empowering youth entrepreneurs. Ensure alignment with project objectives and donor guidelines.
  • Implement USAID's FtF model of training youth entrepreneurs as LSPs. Connect youth entrepreneurs engaged in YSLAs, particularly women, with FTF-supported projects and producer groups to become distributors and traders in Bijoyee geo-locations in peri-urban and urban areas

 
Responsibility #2: Support youth entrepreneurship
40%
  • Develop and deliver tailored training programs and capacity-building initiatives to equip youth entrepreneurs with essential business skills, including business planning, financial management, marketing, and product development.
  • Provide comprehensive support to youth entrepreneurs in launching and scaling their businesses, including assistance with business registration, access to startup capital, mentorship, and technical assistance as needed.
  • Facilitate connections between youth entrepreneurs and financial institutions to secure financing, including loans, grants, and investment opportunities. Provide guidance on financial literacy and assist in preparing loan applications and investment pitches. Engage private sector partners to mentor youth entrepreneurs and facilitate linkages to private sector investment.           
  • Support youth entrepreneurs in accessing markets and value chains by providing market intelligence, facilitating market linkages, and identifying export opportunities. Help entrepreneurs adapt products and services to meet market demand.
  • Design and provide technical support (business planning, legal support, demand/supply side value chain support etc.) to emerging youth entrepreneurs ensuring marginalized identities are included.
  • Identify and mobilize youth business owners (including women and marginalized youth) to mentor youth entrepreneurs, particularly on social enterprises and climate-smart initiatives.
  • Support existing network of entrepreneurs from FtF to establish governance in the networks to capacitate them on advocacy and group negotiation.
  • Support youth entrepreneurs to form Youth Savings and Loans Associations (YSLAs) and link youth entrepreneurs engaged in mature YSLAs with financial institutions (PKSF, SMEF, Mobile Financial Services) to access additional capital for business ventures.
  • Provide comprehensive assistance to awarded youth entrepreneurs/YLOs supported by the Grant Facility, including business incubation, upscaling, youth-led product and service design, and access to learning resources.

 
Responsibility #3: Partnership management
15%
  • Identify, cultivate, and maintain partnerships with private sector companies, financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders to create opportunities for youth entrepreneurs. Facilitate linkages and foster collaboration to support startup ventures.
  • Engage with government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and other stakeholders to foster collaboration and coordination in supporting youth entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
  • Connect youth entrepreneurs with FtF-supported and other producer groups to become distributors and traders.

 
Responsibility #4: Support other initiatives of USAID Bijoyee Project.
20%
  • Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to monitor the effectiveness and impact of enterprise development and YSLA interventions. Collect and analyze data to measure progress, identify challenges, and inform program adjustments.
  • Organize entrepreneurship hackathons for youth entrepreneurs engaged in YSLAs.
  • Support designing Youth Futures Grant Facility, informed by consultations with NYC, DYD, YLOs, youth entrepreneurs, social campaigners, and climate activists.
  • Engage in disbursement of grants to grassroots YLOs and youth entrepreneurs to advance civic engagement initiatives and social enterprises

 
Responsibility # 5 Other responsibilities
5%
Responsibility # 6 Adhere to and support CARE Bangladesh’s Safety and Security policy and systems

As part of this role, the job holder will be expected to adhere to and support CARE Bangladesh’s Safety and Security policy and systems as part of their day-to-day duties, and comply, at all times, to safety & security protocols and directives, including reporting. Staff must maintain situational and self – awareness and be aware of the safety – security related consequences of their actions upon themselves, their team and the organization as a whole.
Responsibility # 7 Safeguarding

CARE is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct and expects staff to promote the welfare of children, young people and adults at all times.  CARE expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our Code of Conduct.  We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate this commitment are recruited to work with us.
III. Reporting to:  
The Enterprise Development Specialist will directly report to COP of USAID BIJOYEE Activity
IV. Working Condition:  
The Enterprise Development Specialist is based in Dhaka with necessary field travel.
V. Qualification:
  • Minimum of 8 to 10 years of total experience along with 6 years in enterprise development, entrepreneurship, or related fields, with a focus on youth empowerment and economic development.
  • Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Economics, Entrepreneurship, or equivalent combination of education. Master's degree is preferred.
  • Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing successful enterprise development programs, preferably in Bangladesh or similar contexts.
  • Proven track record of establishing partnerships with the private sector, financial institutions, and other stakeholders.
  • Strong understanding of business development principles, including finance, marketing, and operations.
  • Experience working on USAID-funded projects or with other international donors is highly desirable.
  • CARE Core Competencies as noted below:

 

Candidates need to be highly motivated and committed to CARE Bangladesh’s vision, mission, and long-term development work to significantly improve the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized Candidates must be capable of displaying great learning agility, support and encourage knowledge sharing across projects, for the ultimate benefit of all of CARE’s mission wide initiatives.
 
Compensation

Attractive remuneration packages will be offered to the really deserving candidate. In addition, CARE offers Provident Fund, Gratuity, Festival Bonus, Leave Encashment, Life and Health Insurance, Day Care Facilities and Working Mother Benefits etc.

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements should apply through CARE Bangladesh’s e-recruitment site: https://career.carebangladesh.org/ on or before June 01, 2024. 

Note:

  • CARE Bangladesh aims to attract and select a diverse workforce ensuring equal opportunity to everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, HIV status, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion.
  • Women are particularly encouraged to apply.
  • Any personal persuasion/phone-call will result in disqualification of candidature. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria.
  • CARE Bangladesh has a non-negotiable policy of ZERO TOLERANCE towards discrimination, harassment and abuse. All employees are expected to abide by the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse & Child Protection Policy of CARE Bangladesh.
  • Internal and external applicants shall be treated equally in the entire selection process.
  • To ensure transparent processes during recruitment, internal candidates should discuss potential applications with their Line Managers to ensure endorsement of their applications by respective Line Managers.
  • THERE IS NO COST INVOLVED WITH APPLYING FOR POSITIONS WITH CARE BANGLADESH. ANY SOLICITATION OF JOB APPLICATION COSTS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS FRAUDULENT.