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August 26th, 2021 at 12:27 pm
WUSC (World University Service of Canada) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees.
WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD 40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office, and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the African Development Bank.
Job Description
- ELIGIBILITY: Local National, must be legally entitled to work in Ghana
- REPORTS TO: INVEST Project Director
- CONTRACT TERM: 2 years with the possibility of renewal
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: Position open until filled
- EXPECTED START DATE: October 4, 2021
The INVEST Project
The Innovation in Non-Traditional Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST) is a 5-year initiative that will build sustainable pathways to enhanced economic empowerment, well-being, and inclusive growth for 5,000 urban poor young women in Accra, Kumasi, and Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana.
Working in high-growth sectors, the initiative will test and scale innovative, sustainable models to improve the enabling environment, reduce gender-specific barriers to women’s economic participation, and enhance access to decent work for marginalized women in non-traditional sectors.
The AWCE Project (ends November 2022)
The Accelerating Women Climate Entrepreneurs Project (AWCE) is focused on building the gender-lens investing ecosystem for women entrepreneurs to start and grow climate-related businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The Project will contribute to poverty reduction by identifying and promoting good practices to support women entrepreneurs in climate-related value chains and developing a road map for international development stakeholders to provide further gender-responsive support to women climate entrepreneurs and intermediaries.
Nature and Scope
WUSC Ghana seeks to hire a Business Development Advisor to guide strategic direction and technical assistance for the improvement of linkages between aspiring entrepreneurs, industry, and business development services.
The Business Development Advisor role will have a proven track record for brokering private sector partnerships (specifically business development support and gender lens investing) and utilizing said experience to establish sustainable pathways for aspiring young women entrepreneurs to access support services.
The advisor will take responsibility for capacity building and training of economic intermediaries, such as incubators and accelerators, and facilitate learning platforms for intermediaries, investors, and businesses to better use gender lens and climate-responsive approaches.
The Advisor will liaise and consult on an ongoing basis with the main project partners, including the private sector, technical and vocational training providers, government regulators, economic intermediaries (incubators and accelerators), and women’s rights organizations. Knowledge and experience working with climate-related sector actors (e.g. energy, agriculture) a plus.
The Business Development Advisor will report directly to the INVEST Project Director and have reporting accountabilities to the AWCE Project Lead.
RESPONSIBILITIES
We are seeking an experienced Business Development Advisor to deliver on key activities contributing to outcomes for the INVEST and AWCE projects (funded provided by the Government of Canada):
- Coordinate and deliver initial consultations with key stakeholders including the private sector, women entrepreneurs, economic intermediaries, and other ecosystem players to support program activities, identify potential partners, and activate key networks
- Support Lead Researcher in deploying research protocols in consultation with economic intermediaries to understand current gaps in knowledge and practice related to supporting climate-related businesses run by female entrepreneurs. This will support the design of the workshop series in each country.
INVEST (50% LoE)
- Management of the primary implementing partner responsible for developing the Women in TVET business competition.
- Ensuring effective roll-out of Women in TVET competition
- Support local incubators, accelerators for the delivery of gender-sensitive business development services and after-care for women entrepreneurs
- Develop sponsorship engagement strategy for the project key innovations (co-matching mechanisms) for sustainability
- Cultivate strategic partnerships to ensure the project reaches its beneficiary targets of women accessing market-relevant skill training
- In collaboration with the INVEST team coordinate integration of private sector partner representation within public social marketing campaigns and outreach to identify potential new women and female youth enrollees in INVEST training programs and related TVET programs.
- Provide oversight and management for the launch and roll-out of the project’s innovative challenge fund for industry workplace solutions
- Co-organize annual forums engaging the private sector to support women in TVET.
- Regular engagement with the private sector to present project business cases
- Undertake any other tasks assigned by the Project Director
AWCE (50% LoE)
- Lead and produce a country strategy and work-plan aligned with the AWCE project’s overall work-plan and strategy in close coordination with the WUSC Program Manager, Project Officer, and MERL Advisor (WUSC project team)
- Provide strategic input to support research related to women’s contribution to green growth and a roadmap on gender-sensitive green entrepreneurs in coordination with MERL Advisor.
- Support knowledge dissemination to economic intermediaries, entrepreneurs, and international development audiences through organized events, knowledge products, networking social media, and other avenues.
- Identify and support potential partners (economic intermediaries) to apply for AWCE capacity building fund
- Maintain relationships with economic intermediaries and women entrepreneurs established during the research project.
Required Skills or Experience
- Degree in business or other relevant degree or adequate experience;
- At least 10 years technical experience in a similar capacity in private sector relationship building, entrepreneurship, business development services, or other relevant sectors;
- Strong experience in business development, climate change, and/or women’s economic empowerment programs desirable.
- Possess an extensive network comprising of industry players and private sector actors
Competencies
- Competent in engaging effectively for project planning and management with the private sector, government, and technical and vocational education and training institutions;
- Extensive experience working with entrepreneurs, economic intermediaries, and other business development support organizations and experts in Ghana. This could be direct experience with these groups or on related assignments (e.g. private sector development initiatives, foundation activities);
- Willingness to travel frequently to Western and Ashanti Regions;
- Strong grasp of concepts such as climate change, environmental sustainability, entrepreneurship, business development support services, impact investing and gender lens investing;
- Excellent presentation, leadership, mentoring and coaching ability, and team-building skills
- Familiarity with inclusive market systems approaches to international development;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
- Experience in building the capacity of staff and partners, both formal and informal;
- Ability to actively participate as an effective member of a team and take initiatives to strengthen the implementation of the project;
- Proven ability to work productively with various stakeholders and to meet tight deadlines with a focus on producing quality products;
- Knowledge of, or willingness to learn and use google applications (google docs, google hangouts, etc.;
- Demonstrate a commitment to gender equality and youth empowerment;
- Curious, enthusiastic, and willing to innovate and adapt.
How To Apply
Join Us. Our work is important, cutting-edge, and fast-paced. We encourage curiosity, innovation, and flexibility. And we provide a phenomenal learning experience.
WUSC offers a dynamic work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce. We offer employees exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference in the lives of youth around the world. Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment.
The WUSC office is centrally located in Accra. We offer competitive benefits, four weeks of annual leave (for full-time employees), safe and healthy working conditions, and fair compensation.
CLOSING DATE : ONGOING
APPLICATIONS
WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives, and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization.
WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion, sexual exploitation, or abuse of any form. Successful applicants will be required to undertake an enhanced criminal record check where appropriate.
WUSC is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No telephone calls, please.