Chemonics International seeks a Policy Analyst for its USAID Small and Medium Enterprises Activity (SMEA) in order to work with the Business Enabling Environment Component which undertakes technical activities to propose reforms in the policy and regulatory domain, specifically for SMEs in Pakistan. USAID SMEA is a 5-year, $35 million project that is aimed at improvement of financial and operating performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan in selected high-performing industrial, manufacturing and services sectors. SMEA aims to support improvement in the business-enabling environment (BEE) for SMEs by working with counterparts to reduce policy, legal and regulatory barriers and, build the capacity of the institutions key to SME-led growth in Pakistan. SMEA’s BEE activities will focus on: i) key areas that improve the enabling environment for SME growth across Pakistan’s economy; ii) strengthen and support the legal, policy, regulatory and institutional reform processes pertaining to the sectors selected under SMEA; and iii) capitalize on USG on-going/past efforts and programs supported by other donors.
Policy Analyst:
The Policy Analyst will support the BEE team in successful implementation of all tasks pertaining to the BEE work plan and achievement of project objectives (including but not limited to routine reporting, operational, managerial, technical). The Policy Analyst will also support the Senior Policy Advisor/Regional Program Manager in activity coordination across the BEE and Competitiveness Enhancement (CE), components at the provincial level. The individual will also be required to support fellow project colleagues in the successful implementation of all aspects of the project’s work plan and achievement of the project objective, as and when directed by the BEE Deputy Lead.
The Policy Analyst will particularly be responsible for managing SMEA SME Core Group consisting of private sector industry champions and leaders from within the chambers of commerce and industry, specific trade associations, policy makers from the federal and provincial governments, technical service providers, and academia to inform activities, obtain feedback on the work plan and help mitigate any obstacles during implementation. He/She will be organizing and managing the Core Group periodic meetings and develop meeting highlights for wider circulation within SMEA and USAID.
Other duties and responsibilities include:
- Effectively liaise with senior project management, the USAID SMEA PMU, and other divisions of Chemonics on all aspects of the USAID SMEA Project work plan implementation;
- Develop and implement the strategic direction, work plan, and resource (technical assistance, training, commodity, and other) allocations necessary for the timely and successful completion of the USAID SMEA Project work plan tasks and the achievement of component goals and objectives;
- Ensure that the scheduling, budgeting, technical, and documentary attributes of component actions and related data are fully up to date in the USAID SMEA Project work plan, including but not limited to updates no less frequently than weekly;
- Ensure that all scopes of work and other project documentation are compliant with Chemonics and the USAID SMEA Project policies, consistent with achieving the overall component goals and objectives, and up to date in the project work plan;
- Ensure that the technical work of all local and expatriate consultants fielded under the component and ensure that all end-of-assignment deliverables and other consultant and subcontractor performance results are a) consistent with and compliant with the consultant’s scope of work, b) are of high technical quality and good overall readability, and c) are acceptable to USAID and other component counterparts and beneficiaries;
- Provide overall component-related technical and managerial guidance for the solicitation, evaluation, selection, award, and disbursement of any procurements and grants that may be undertaken as actions in the SMEA Project work plan, including compliance with the USAID SMEA Project grants manual and procurement manual criteria and processes;
- Ensure that all necessary routine and ad hoc reporting on BEE component activities provides a timely, high quality, and accurate reflection of the component’s progress toward its goals and objectives and are acceptable to the Senior Management and USAID;
- Ensure close inter-component and inter-office collaboration with the other SMEA Project components and sub-components and promote close collaboration with the support teams; operations, procurement and monitoring and evaluation. Ensure timely and successful implementation of the BEE work plan;
- Work with private sector and government stakeholders and with project colleagues to ensure optimal design and implementation of the BEE work plan;
- Regularly conduct research, policy analyses for SMEA on economic issues, especially related to SMEs, business environment, ease of doing business etc. as required and assigned by the Deputy Lead, in order to help design BEE interventions.
- Analyze the environment in which reforms are to be initiated and propose mitigation and promotional measures.
- Develop a framework for analyzing existing policy; suggest reforms and regulatory changes required.
- Develop a monitoring framework for such reforms.
- Propose an advocacy plan for reform acceptance.
- Analyze reform-based constraints to female position creation and entrepreneurship;
- Develop gender opportunity strategy to ameliorate reform-based constraints;
- Integrate gender equity into all aspects of component activity.
- Maintain and manage BEE component periodic updates on progress of activities (weekly, bi-weekly, quarterly, annually).
- Design technical briefs, policy brief’s, write-ups, activity plans, budget sheets, concept notes as assigned by the BEE Deputy Lead.
- Manage BEE targets for the project and report on progress of indicators. The Policy Analyst will be required to closely coordinate with the M&E team for provision of supporting documents for verification.
- Conduct outreach activities to launch and garner support for SMEA reform efforts. In particular, participate in and conduct meetings (with government and other private and public sector entities) with BEE team, as various stages of the reforms implementation.
- Undertake necessary travel to various regions of Pakistan in order to map out BEE interventions relevant to the overall scope of SMEA through primary and secondary research. Identify opportunities for economic reforms in KP and the Newly Merged Districts (Former FATA) and Balochistan.
- Provide all necessary operational support to BEE for organizing events, meetings, workshops, policy dialogues and prepare resource material (presentations, handouts, record notes, etc.) as required.
- Perform any other ad hoc task as assigned by the BEE Deputy Lead.
Duty Post: The position will be based in Islamabad, Pakistan; with regular travel to other parts of Pakistan.
Qualifications:
- At least 2 years of experience in planning, designing, execution and monitoring of Business Enabling Environment related interventions in government sector or donor agencies including the following:
- Experience in planning and implementing technical assistance for policy/ regulatory reform and institutional capacity building in a variety of sectors;
- Experience of working with the government on policy and planning, and economic reforms is preferred.
- Prior experience of working with USAID or other donor projects is preferred;
- Background in strategic planning and financial management will be helpful.
- Ability to perform successfully as a member of multiple project-related teams;
- Demonstrated successful interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to interact with public sector entities.
- Excellent communications and writing ability in English;
- Fluency in both English and Urdu required, pushto strongly preferred;
- Experience of working in the KP-FATA region with government or private sector is preferred
- Females are strongly encouraged to apply.