Project Summary:

CARE International in Uganda with funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has launched a new initiative to work with Government and the Private sector to create an enabling environment for Women Economic Empowerment. Deliver Women's Economic Resilience through Enterprise & Market Systems (DREAMS) initiative is a 3-year women’s economic empowerment (WEE) project, with the overall goal of strengthening the economic resilience of 340,000 women through gender transformative WEE policies, enterprise growth, and accessible market systems. DREAMS is capitalizing on a critical moment in Uganda’s political landscape, and current private sector growth philosophy. The Program supports strategic policy, regulatory and programmatic initiatives that advance Government buy-in to drive the scale up of a WECs agenda in Uganda. Through this initiative, CARE will identify and strengthen key entry points in the policy and programming space that the Government of Uganda (GoU) can leverage to build momentum around scaling WECs in Uganda.

CARE is scaling this intervention by Implementing the BMGF funded DREAMS initiative in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MFPED) and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD, Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA) and Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL). The Project will work with GoU under the Parish Development Model (PDM) and World Bank Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity of Women Enterprises (GROW) project to promote Enterprise development for Women Economic Empowerment (WEE).

Job Summary:
The Enterprise and Markets Systems Coordinator’s (EMC) position will Coordinate the Enterprise and Markets development portfolio. This position will also facilitate establishment, nurturing and development of sustainable business enterprises for women. The EMC will apply market systems approaches to improve the competitiveness of agricultural producers and other enterprises, identify and expanding market opportunities to transition women from Micro to Small, Medium and Large Enterprises

Specific roles

Job Responsibility # 1 Strategic Planning and oversight of DREAMS Enterprise and Markets (30%)

• Take lead in identifying and facilitating the development of dynamic and inclusive businesses that are aligned to Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP) goals.
• Providing technical backstopping for businesses through provision of Business Development Services (BDS) and linkage to service providers.
• Continuously source and share market intelligence and assessments to inform programming, and these shall include identification of sectors and value chains that have high potential to benefit the smallholder farmers and other small and micro enterprises.
• Facilitate access to Formal Financial Services (FFS) for women entrepreneurs.
• Take lead in promoting and rolling out innovations including digitalization of women enterprises.
• Build capacity and oversee community structures such as Community Based Trainers (CBTs) to support emerging women entrepreneurs.

Job Responsibility #2:  Strategic Engagements, Partnerships & Coordination (30%)

• Exploring and developing partnerships with private sector actors to provide sustainable business models that equally add up to the input and output marketing services to smallholder farmers and other enterprises.

§  Work closely with Local Governments and Private Sector to identify Private sector stakeholders to leverage the opportunities, resources, and networks for building a vibrant private sector ecosystem for the benefit of delivering DREAMS Project.    

• Identify opportunities for engaging with strategic actors in promoting policies and regulatory framework that create an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs.
• Promote and support the WEE National Coordination mechanisms to harness synergies from different actors.
• Create viable linkages between Government programmes such as Parish development Model and GROW to ensure transition of women entrepreneurs from micro to small and from small to medium enterprises.
• Coordinate with other development partners to ensure delivery of gender transformative approaches for women enterprises.
• Convene regular meetings and support UWEAL and partner field staff for improved delivery of services at community level.

Job Responsibility 3: Program QUALITY and LEARNING (20%)

§  To guide regular review and sharing of emerging best practices in enterprises and markets.

§  Submit regular periodic reports and briefs on the progress of women entrepreneurs.

§  Measure impact and review progress with advocacy strategies and plans and ensure ongoing development of these in response to changes in the external environment.

§  Coordinate regular data collection and reporting using tools developed by the project.

§  Participate and share merging best practices during district and other partner meetings.

·        Practice a behaviour that is consistent with CARE’s core values, and promotion of Gender Equity and Diversity (GED) goals.

·        Play a leadership role in identifying and implementing initiatives that enhance CARE’s commitment to gender and diversity.

·        Ensure that CARE Safeguarding policies and procedures are adhered to by all and the staff that S/he supervisors both directly and indirectly.

·        Ensure that staff and related personnel under your jurisdiction are familiar with the following organisational policies and procedures and can identify when needed how these may have been breached, The CI Safeguarding Policy, Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse and Child Abuse, The anti-discrimination and harassment policy, The code of conduct and the organizations Values.

Job Responsibility 5: Any other duties assigned from time to time (5%)

·        Support country office Partnership functions from time to time.

·        Step in and cover for Program Managers from time to time.

·        Take on stretch assignments as assigned by supervisor from time to time.

Qualifications and Experience

§  Minimum of bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Agribusiness, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Enterprise Development. Post graduate qualification in related field is an added advantage.

§  At least 5 years of working experience in NGO, private sector, or Government, at technical level across development programmes focusing on any of the following fields: enterprise development, market system development, private sector engagement, value chain development, value addition, pro-poor financial services, business management or agri-business with strong private sector linkages.

§  Experience and knowledge in the design and implementation of both on-farm and off-farm enterprise development projects for individuals and groups.

§  Experience with a wide range of stakeholder and partner engagement with national/regional companies; international agencies; community-based organizations; agribusinesses

§  Skills in training/facilitation of development processes including organization and mobilization of communities, enterprise development and networking among different development partners.

§  Proven experience in integrating gender transformative approaches in market systems development and functioning is a plus.

§  Strong skills in speaking and writing English with solid computer skills in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and others.

§  Strong analytic and quantitative skills; ability to determine trends and propose solutions.

§  Strong skills in report writing and developing abstracts to inform earning.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Excellence: Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; successfully completes assignments; sets standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed; ensures interactions and transactions are ethical and convey integrity.

• Integrity: Maintains social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adheres to codes of conduct and ethical principles inherent to CARE.

• Communicating with Impact: Diplomatically, logically, and clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the recipient / audience and helps them understand and retain their message.

• Facilitating Change: Supports and manages the change process at CARE Uganda by developing a culture affirmative of change; encouraging others to seek and act upon opportunities for different and innovative approaches to addressing problems and opportunities; critically analysing evolving and fluid situations; facilitating the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace; actively engaging with resistance to change.

• Strengthening Partnership: Identifying and utilizing opportunities within and outside of CARE Uganda to develop effective strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas/departments/units or external organizations to achieve CARE’s objectives.

• Management Excellence: Makes the connection between values and performance. Influences the performance of others, and ultimately, the performance of the organization. Sets direction, coaches & develops, promotes staff wellness & safety, practices & promotes compliance, models gender equity & diversity, communicates effectively.

• Developing Teams: Using appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal style to help build a cohesive team; facilitates the completion of team goals.

• Diversity - Promoting, valuing, respecting and fully benefiting from everyone’s unique qualities, background, race, culture, age, gender, disability, values, lifestyle, perspectives, or interests; creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes diversity.

• Adaptability- Expected to well adjust with the country, the Co-operating environment and with the Project team to function effectively and efficiently

• Coaching - Ability to demonstrate to enhance skills and capacity of staff working in the field and office for them continue to serve CARE in the future program activities