Job Vacancy

Job Position: Head of Inclusive Development

RFA No: 72016722RFA00004

Project: USAID/Kosovo Inclusive Economic Engagement

Salary Range: Competitive

Position Information: Full time

Period: Start 1st of Nov, 2022

Project Summary:

The overall goal of this activity is to empower women and minorities through increasing economic opportunities throughout Kosovo. This activity will help revive micro-enterprises and small businesses owned by women and minorities operating in the COVID-19 pandemic environment through the following: enhancing and creating efficiencies in their businesses, enabling partnerships with local organizations and the private sector, and providing funding through grants.

Inclusive Economic Engagement aim is to advance these women and minority owned businesses by:

• Working with women and minority communities to help them be more resilient and less prone to negative external influences through technical assistance to promote efficiencies, grants/funding, and network development.
• Supporting women and minority owned businesses to become an important contributor to the economic development and overall society.
• Supporting minority businesses in Kosovo to become more competitive in serving domestic and regional market needs as a way to foster inter-ethnic collaboration between Kosovo Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.
• Facilitating private sector led solutions and dialogue with supply chain stakeholders to integrate small businesses into the value chain.

This purpose will be achieved through three mutually supportive objectives:

Objective 1: Women-owned and minority owned businesses become more resilient through tailored technical assistance and grants.

Objective 2: Women-owned and minority owned businesses integrate into Kosovo and regional markets through market linkages.

Objective 3: Sustainable business partnerships among women owned businesses and minority owned businesses and associations and other networks established.

Scope of work:

This position will be responsible for managing IEE Empowerment activities related to Women and other target groups empowerment and inclusion scope. Lead in supporting IEE’s wider efforts to strengthen women’s and other target group inclusion and empowerment and gender sensitive and transformative approaches across all aspects of IEE’s activity and work. Responsible to build effective working relationships with women’s and other target group inclusion and empowerment related NGOs and other sectorial associations and Economic Chambers in Kosovo in order to develop and maintain horizontal links and to foster learning, innovation, good practice between project activities, as well as supporting access to finance to target women-owned entrepreneurs.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Identify critical constraints currently faced by women entrepreneurs and other target groups in both starting and scaling their businesses, and opportunities for addressing these constraints through formal (i.e. policy changes) and informal (i.e. mentorship networks) remedies.
• Research technology modalities, uses, needs, and preferences of Women-SMEs and Minority-SMEs, and the most promising tools, business training, content, and networks for driving business growth, workforce development, and digital transformation.
• Review existing development potentials such as incubator or accelerators, and programs to assess potential to serve as institutional host (and gaps in skills and programming that may be remedied).
• Design, plan and upgrade women empowerment activities and plans, training programs, and other materials.
• Identify gaps and lead the design and delivery of business development services for women owned entrepreneurs.
• Lead and supervise the preparation of annual work plans for Women Empowerment Objective and the subsequent development of implementing action plans.
• Organize IEE’s activities to identify and support specific private sector development opportunities related to women empowerment matters
• Collaborate closely IEE implementing partner network, other USAID and donor projects, and Kosovo governmental and municipal agency projects in identifying, developing, and co-funding private sector development opportunities, to avoid duplication / overlap and advance complementarity regarding women empowerment.
• Ensure proper implementation and record-keeping for Grant Investment / disbursals related to The Entrepreneurship and Training Development Objective
• Plan and contribute to professional capacity building in IEE implementing partners, with particular focus on the Private Sector Development and Training.
• Ensure the collection and recording of quantitative and qualitative data required by the IEE Performance-Based Management / Monitoring & Evaluation system.

Deliverables, Outputs, and Outcomes:

Outputs and deliverables for this position are:

• Updated annual work plans and action plans to identify and improve economic opportunities and job-creation opportunities in selected municipalities.
• In depth analysis and proposals for Grant investments to stimulate job creation and economic development at the project target level.
• Weekly, quarterly, annual, and other ad hoc reports for inclusion and empowerment objective of specific target groups as required by Chief of Party.
• Achievement of all Performance Management Indicators relevant to IEE Women Empowerment Objective.

Mandatory Required Qualifications:

The following are the key minimum capabilities required for the proper execution of the above scope of work:

• Economic Faculty/Business Administration or relevant University Degree.
• 3 - 5 years relevant professional experience.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and facilitate group action
• Knowledge of USAID strategic goals for Kosovo and their operating methodologies
• Ability to organize and manage the work of outside relevant experts for greatest productivity
• Strong strategic and organizational change private sector capabilities
• Knowledge and experience in support for job creation across a range of sectors
• Strong conceptual and communications skills in verbal presentations and writing, in both local language and English on the Level IV.

Reporting

This position will report directly to Chief of Party.

Duration:

The assignment will be for the period of over 5 years, including the three (3) months’ probation period. This is a full-time appointment for which the Head of Inclusive Development is required to work a minimum of forty hours a week under a work schedule determined by the Chief of Party.

Only prequalified candidates will be invited for interview. CV and three verifiable references must be submitted no later than October 24, 2022 at 16:00 pm, through email address at [email protected].