Junior BDS Advisor

Job Summary:

Business development and management services are essential to ASMED’s work. Although there is a growing number of service-oriented SMEs offering training, finance, and communication-related services, Afghan enterprises also need administrative services to organize their businesses, production expertise to maximize use of raw materials and gain operational efficiencies, legal advice to hedge uncertainty, agent and distributor services to facilitate trade, marketing support for branding and promotion, access to technology for increased productivity, reliable and affordable transport services, and consulting services to provide industry-specific best practices.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• The Junior Advisor will assist in the analysis of the current state of the BSP industry in Afghanistan. In each province (Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar and Kabul), the Junior Advisor will quantify the number of BDS providers currently operating, what services they offer, what sector they are targeting, their financial strength, capacity for expansion, and overall ability to deliver key services needed. This competitive analysis will allow ASMED to understand the supply and demand gap for BDS services, and to direct support to BSP companies towards market niches identified.
• Work with contracted business service providers to identify key technical and skills constraints faced by the SMEs in Afghanistan.
• Interview established SMEs in each region to understand what business services are needed and what services these firms are willing to pay for.
• Work with Sector leads to identify the supply and demand gaps in the ASMED sectors.
• Provide on-going quality control for BDS training programs funded by ASMED.
• The Junior Advisor will analyze the BSP offerings, provide strategic marketing advice, and necessary training in conjunction with the Training Coordinator to ensure that the services offered by these leading firms are of the highest quality possible.
• Review and provide recommendations for improvement of various programmatic activities under business skills development with specific emphasis on effective communication and information exchange between BSPs.
• Assist SMEs and BSPs in establishing market linkages.
• Identify key legal and regulatory constraints hindering SME growth and ensure that those issues are relayed into the activities.
• Assist BDS Senior Advisor in developing BDS training materials.
• Support BSP companies with technical assistance in strengthening their capacities.
• Assist BSP firms in developing new markets through marketing, promotion and education.
• Provide mentoring and day-to - day technical assistance to BSP companies.
• Provide support to Afghan Consulting Companies Association.
• Assist BDS Senior Advisor to promote effective communication and information exchange among BSP firms.
• Organize various public relations events, press-conferences, presentations to promote business development component activities.
• Maintain the ASMED BDS contact database using the TAMIS database and in cooperation with the M and E Coordinator.
• Assist with reporting requirements and monitoring/evaluation tasks.
• Any additional tasks necessary to successfully implement the BDS Component work plans.
• Manage an audit reporting system and prepare a component plan for data entry and reporting.
• Filing, including archiving of all BDS and BSP documentation
• Advise and support both the BDS team and other components as needed.
• Data management work plan submitted on the first of each month.
• Assist in preparation of USAID and project reporting requirements as well as ad hoc client requests.
• Any other task assigned by the supervisor or COP/DCOP.

Job Requirement:

• Degree or diploma or equivalent in business or economics
• Five years work experience
• At least two year experience in Business Development sector, preferable
• Knowledge and understanding of the role and function of Business Development sector
• Proven organization skills
• Good knowledge and experience in writing reports/concept papers/contracts/MoU’s etc.
• Work experience in the implementation of technical assistance projects and knowledge of USAID rules and regulations.
• Excellent teamwork skills, including interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to prioritize
• Computer proficiency especially in MS-Word, MS-Excel
• Excellent English language skills (both written and spoken)
• Preferably Dari and Pashto fluency

Job Location: