Business Enabling Environment (BEE)
Specialist

Business Enabling Environment (BEE) Specialist: 

Chemonics International seeks an Business Enabling Environment (BEE) Specialist for its USAID Small and Medium Enterprises Activity (SMEA).  Pakistan 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.  

This position shall report directly to, and be supervised by, the BEE Deputy Component Lead and the  specific tasks 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 for the remaining life of the project;
• 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 relevant to SMEA purview and as a follow-up to BEE activities in the past years since the inception of the Project.
• Develop a monitoring framework for such reforms, and maintain all necessary documentation for meeting the targets under SMEA.
• Propose an advocacy plan for reform acceptance with the Government.
• Identify, develop and curate technical interventions for enablement of a conducive business environment for women-led businesses, particularly SMEs, youth and women entrepeneurs  in Pakistan. The individual will be responsible for integrating gender equity into all aspects of the component activity. He/she will particularly be responsible for the design, implementation and advocacy activities for BEE reforms concerning women-led businesses and youth (with a greater focus on KP and the Newly Merged Districts)
• Identify, design and manage technical activities for BEE relating to SMEs export promotion, regulatory standardization for enhanced trade activities, competitiveness of domestic markets post COVID-19 , increasing access to finance for SMEs through appropriate policy reforms, interventions in ICT sector and IT enabled services for promotion of digitalization of SMEs across Pakistan.
• Maintain and manage BEE component periodic updates on progress of activities (weekly, bi-weekly, quarterly, annually).
• Design technical briefs, policy briefs, write-ups, activity plans, budget sheets, and concept notes as assigned by the BEE Deputy Lead.
• Manage BEE targets for the project and report on progress of indicators. The BEE Specialist  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, at 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. In particular, 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, and 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.
• Coordinate between the BEE, CE and CF components, identifying areas of collaboration and synchronization between the two components.
• Identify the gaps of targeted sectors under the CE component with respect to policy/ regulatory environment and institutional capacity.
• All component actions and activities as may be added to the USAID SMEA Project work plan from time to time.

Qualifications and Experience: 

• A Master’s degree or higher in Economics, Business or related field is required. Master’s in Development Economics / Public Policy from a University of repute is preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience in planning, designing, execution and monitoring of Business Enabling Environment related interventions in government sector or donor agencies
• Experience of working with the government on policy and planning, and economic reforms is preferred;
• Prior experience of undertaking research (primary and secondary) on topics related economics, public policy, SMEs, private sector led growth, etc. is preferred;
• Prior practical knowledge and experience of policy work in areas of finance, ICT, E-commerce and export-led economic growth, is preferred.
• Prior knowledge of policy and regulatory challenges of women-led businesses is desired.  
• Demonstrated successful performance in undertaking advocacy activities with government and private sector.
• Ability to interact and mobilize private sector stakeholders using strong networking connections from the past
• 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,
• Females are strongly encouraged to apply;