I. Job Context:

ICCO Cooperation (www.icco-cooperation.org) is an international organization, whose mission is to end poverty and injustice in the global south, in partnership with enterprising people. We invest in the power and dreams of entrepreneurial people, stimulate their entrepreneurial spirit, and connect them with businesses, governments and social organizations. 

ICCO Cooperation is planning to implement EU funded “Sustained Opportunities for Nutrition Governance (SONGO) project” to improve maternal and child nutrition in Kurigram and Gaibandha districts. The SONGO project is 5 years duration with 4 inter-linked outcomes; (1) establishing upazila nutrition governance, (2) improving maternal and child health, nutrition (3) improving WASH infrastructure and practices (4) enhancing availability and access to safe and nutritious food.

SONGO will work with SMEs on new or improved (resilient) pro-poor product propositions. The propositions will focus on creating attractive, affordable products that can improve dietary intake and nutrition. Examples are more healthy versions of local snacks, locally grown nutrient rich food, protein rich small fish, etc.  SONGO will support the SMEs in developing a proposition that is desirable, viable and feasible through workshops, design support and market-based pilots. When a product has been successfully tested, support will be provided to scale marketing & distribution of the product to the full project working area. This support will result in sustainable, profitable distribution models. A business plan for scale-up and investment beyond the project will be supported as well.

SONGO will facilitate the federations to promote a model of Private Local Service Provision by identifying and mobilizing local Farm Business Advisors (FBA) to provide agri-food sector related technical assistance and commercial services. In close cooperation with the federations, SONGO will select, train and coach potential candidates. Selection criteria will include: entrepreneurial mind-set, integrity, pro-poor attitude, social acceptance. The selected FBAs will act freelance sales agents and/or dealers linking private sector organizations (Chambers of Commerce, business leaders) and the PGs.  SONGO will train the FBAs on the necessary business skills, as well as on the use of specialized toolkits to provide a range of services on inputs usage, production technologies, market information, and private sector linkages. Selected FBAs will be taken on learning visits to other successful entrepreneurs and will meet quarterly in an Upazila network to share experiences and contacts with relevant private sector actors.

The (ICCO) Inclusive Business Development Advisor (IBD) will be the focal person ensuring quality control and effective implementation of inclusive business actions. Experienced in building effective inclusive business propositions for the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) the IBD advisor will be the key support for the team to interpret the dynamics in the field and challenge the status quo for efficient utilization of all resources.

II.            Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Develop the community sales agents and entrepreneurs with innovative tools to work as a catalyst for community mobilization, bridging the public & private sector and civil society as well as build up capacities of local SMEs.
• Develop strategy for sustainable entrepreneurs’ and market actor’s development and establish last mile distribution points for products and service delivery to the target communities.
• Capacity building the SME and market actors through training conduction and innovative training toolkits development.
• Provide technical support, capacity building, leadership and strategic direction to technical expert, PNGO staff to meet quality standards in delivery.
• Contribute to the design and validation of intervention strategies, based on different types of research (e.g. desk, action, formative) at different levels;
• Identify Nutrition Sales agents (NSA) and build their capacity on nutrition messaging, door to door sales
• Capacity development of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) to improve nutrition, WASH and food situation of target group
• Provide training to WASH entrepreneurs on WASH products and service including scaleable business
• Organize training for private sector extension agents for creating linkage between producer and market actor
• Provide business development training for selected FBA
• Assess local market demanded and organize off farm skills training to selected women, youth and PWDs
•  Curriculum and Module development of all kind of business development training for different stakeholders
• Initiate MOU singing with producer group and input and output market actors to ensure the quality inputs and end market of homestead on-firm and off-firm products
• Maintain regular coordination with the consortium partners, project manager and ICCO Dhaka team to ensure supports to the project.
• Establish strong working relationships with all consortium members and develop an in-depth understanding of the activities, support needs and strengths of each partner with regards their respective implementation.
• Develop action plans on partnerships activities for the project on annual basis through coordinating with consortium members at the districts levels.
• Establish networking relationships with the public-private sectors and other partner organizations.
• Ensure that planning and monitoring tools are developed and standardized, and that data is regularly collected, based on the overall PMEL mechanism.
•  Compile and analyses monitoring data and produce monthly monitoring reports.
• Conduct and coordinate regular monitoring covering operational issues (finance and compliance), capacity strengthening and overall partnership at field level

III.          Working Conditions:

• Working days from Sunday to Thursday with 40 hours per week. This position may be required to work some overtime hours to attend meetings such as the Annual Audit.
• Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor from time to time.
• Yearly renewable the contract based on fund availability and performance.
• Have to follow ICCO HR, Admin and Finance related policy.

IV.       Key contacts:

Project Manager, Operation Lead, Head of Programs, PNGOs, Manager, HR & Admin and Finance department of ICCO

V.    Key Qualifications:

• Master’s degree on social science, business development, agriculture marketing or relevant subject.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience of working with inclusive business development for poor and extreme poor
• Knowledge in developing the community sales agents and entrepreneurs  with innovative tools to work as a catalyst for community mobilization, bridging the public & private sector and civil society as well as build up capacities of local SMEs .
• Skill in strategy development for sustainable entrepreneurs’  and market actors development and capacity building through training conduction and training materials development.
• Working experience with multi-stakeholders such as local government, government line department, private sectors, market actors, local service providers.
• Extensive experience to design and implementation of suitable business plan and model  for SMEs
• Candidates having prior working experiences with on-firm and off-firm value chain development for poor and extreme poor households
• Capacity to coordinate and liaison with private sector, local government officials, PNGOs and ICCO senior management
• Management experience of nutrition / health projects in developing countries and interest in market-led approach and a feeling with business aspects
• Ability and willingness to manage project implementation and team-player with good interpersonal skills; aptitude for community mobilization and capacity-building
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English.
• Excellent in activity monitoring and reporting.
• Good computer skills in MS Office.