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USAID Small and Medium Enterprise Activity (SMEA)’s development hypothesis is that SME-led economic growth will result in poverty reduction, job creation, and entrepreneurship development contributing to increased GDP. SMEA is working to increase incomes and employment in project-assisted economic sectors and improve the enabling environment for private sector led growth in Pakistan. This activity will contribute to achieving USAID/Pakistan’s “Development Objective: “Improving economic status of focus populations.” SMEA will achieve the following objectives and sub-objectives:

Objective 1: Improved Business Enabling Environment (BEE)

  • Improved Government of Pakistan (GOP) ability to develop and implement reforms of policies, laws and regulations
  • Strengthened private sector and civil society engagement in policy-making

Objective 2: Improved economic performance of focus enterprises through SME Competitiveness Enhancement (CE)

  • Improved economic performance in select sectors
  • Improved technological readiness and innovation
  • Increased access to markets
  • Increased access to finance
  • Enabled women SMEs run profitable business

Sub-objective 3.2.2B: Improved technological readiness and innovations (Pakistan

Challenge Fund for Technology and Innovation)

  • Technical assistance to ICT firms to develop and market new technologies to enhance competitiveness in selected sectors
  • Creation and diffusion of innovative, sustainable, and scalable ICT and business solutions to improve the competitiveness of Pakistani SMEs
  • Collaboration between industry and academia addressing supply side constraints in terms of trained labor
  • Commercialization of ICT research
  • Increased technology literacy

SMEA is working on the following manufacturing, industrial and service sectors:

  • Information, communication and technology (ICT)
  • Textile (minus spinning)
  • Agri Business & Processing
  • Hospitality
  • Logistics
  • Light engineering
  • Women Led Businesses from any Sector

I. Position Title: Specialist - Competitiveness Enhancement: The Specialist will assist individual and group of SMEs in multiple sectors to identify, design and develop interventions  to address key business hampering challenges within the sector at collective and at individual basis. The CE Specialist will act as a process manager to identify the possible set of bottlenecks, opportunities and capacities that exists at the demand and supply sides, and how the project can assist the identified issues by providing workable and logical facilitation in terms of strategy development, capacity building, business development services integration, marketing and business development to support SMEs . The position holder will have primary responsibility for the Women Led Business sector, along with the Textile sector as well.

II. Objective and specific tasks. 

The Competitiveness Enhancement Component works on improving accessibility and utilization of Business Development Services (BDS) by SMEs as well as capacity building of SMEs. The overall objective is to help SMEs increase their jobs, sales, exports and adoption of new technology and management practices. The project has a network of Business Development Service Providers (BDSP) and catalyzes matchmaking between these and SMEs to share the cost of BDS in areas such as digital marketing, social media management, website development, software, compliance certifications, ERP systems and other BDS.

The specialist will be responsible to manage the assigned sector(s) by sourcing, designing and implementing SME specific BDS cases. The specialist will be responsible to support the position’s supervisor and fellow project colleagues in the successful implementation of all aspects of the project’s work plan and achievement of the project objective.

Specific tasks: As directed by the supervisor for this position, or by the Chief of Party or the Chief of Party‘s designee, the individual holding this position shall perform and support the performance of the following specific tasks: 

  • Design and develop the assigned sectors development hypothesis and focus, business model with financials, implementation work plan and budget. The work plan, budget and strategy should reflects the overall requirements of anticipated activities. This would reflect the specific challenges and needs of working with women led businesses (WLB)
  • The component works on sharing the cost of business development services for SMEs. Since the project supports WLBs from any sector, the Specialist will need to work with the ecosystem stakeholders and BDS providers to generate BDS cases and in each case, analyze how the BDS can help the business grow.
  • Develop, coordinate and record day-to-day field work activities e.g. marketing and promotional activities, liaison with sector stakeholders, individual meetings, presentation, and potential areas of working within the sector to achieve assigned targets.
  • The specialist will be responsible for raising awareness, knowledge and compatibility of potential SME clients and BD service providers to strengthen the outreach and to achieve the project targets.
  • Improve access of BD services into assigned sector(s) through advising, assisting and promoting SMEs and work closely with BDSPs to address the required services within a sector.  
  • Design and develop a separate working methodology for women owned businesses and support them through matchmaking with relevant BDSP(s).
  • Establish strong relationships and work closely with the network partners e.g. academia, associations, business chambers and clubs, community clubs and government to strengthen the business development and programmatic activities within the sector. 
  • Identify and collaborate with potential BDS providers, consultants and training institutes at national and international level to increase the program outreach and to link these service providers with SMEs
  • Design and manage the contractual relationship between BDSPs and SMEs which is complaint with the projects policies.
  • The specialist is responsible to achieve monthly, quarterly and annual targets of under the below given categories to achieve and accomplish project’s goals and objectives;
    • No. of SME support cases
    • Enrollment/ registration of BDSPs
    • Project management of approved cases for timely completion
    • Drafting and finalizing biweekly, quarters and annual reports along with any other reporting requirements
    • Project marketing event(s)
    • Training events/seminars/workshops
    • MoUs, Strategic alliances, collaborations with stakeholders.
  • Support cross cutting project activities related to competitive enhancement, challenge fund and business enabling environment work plans.
  • Develop exit strategy for the assigned sector and identify the appropriate stakeholders to hand over the project technical assets, publications, success stories and database after project closure.
  • Develop Scope of Work (SOW), Request for Proposal (RFQ), and Request for Proposal (RFP) and Technical Purchase Action Request (TPAR) for specific work plan activities.
  • Ensure close inter-component and inter-office communication, coordination and cooperation with other project components and sub-components.
  • 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
  • Ensure the ethical and professional transparency during assisting the BDSPs and SMEs to promote and assure fair and clean competition and selection.
  • Any other special assignments/ tasks assigned by the COP/CE component lead or his designee.

III. Position Classification. Long-Term Local Professional Staff, located in Islamabad, Pakistan

IV. Estimated Duration of Assignment. Duration of SMEA contract.

V. Ultimate Authority and Chain of Command.  Ultimate day to day field supervision and authority for all project personnel and all aspects of project activities rests with the Chief of Party or his/her designee, and in the Chemonics home office, with the project management unit (PMU) Director.  The individual holding this position shall take no managerial or technical direction from any individual who is not formally employed in the chain of command between the individual and the Chief of Party, the Chief of Party’s designee, or the PMU Director.

VI. Reporting Responsibilities. For all routine responsibilities and duties, either directly or indirectly related to this position description, the individual holding this position shall report directly to, and be supervised by, the CE Component Lead, or his/her designee.

VII. Candidate Profile. The ideal candidate for the position will have the following:

  • Sixteen years of education in business, economics, development or a related field
  • At least 5 years of experience working; preferably in the development sector or with USAID funded economic growth projects
  • Experience working with Women Led Businesses is essential 
  • Experience working directly with Small and Medium enterprises in any industrial or service sectors is necessary with an understanding of their challenges and the sector ecosystem
  • Knowledge of the types of business development services available in the market, especially those relevant to SME growth is seen as a strong advantage
  • Must have excellent written and oral communication skills since reporting and report writing is an essential part of the job