Background

The Social Enterprise Officer will play a crucial role in supporting women entrepreneurs with direct enterprise training, business incubation, network creation, and coaching. They will work closely with expert field staff to support women-led, nature-based enterprise creation efforts while simultaneously improving market access for beneficiaries by engaging horticulture investors, processors, exporters, and buyers. In addition to supporting women individually, the Social Enterprise Officer will support community groups to create and manage VSLAs and other financial structures as part of community forest management committees and community-owned processing facility. Based full-time on Unguja Island, Zanzibar, the Social Enterprise Officer will join a dynamic team of local and international staff to implement the Zanzibar Women’s Leadership in Adaptation (ZanzAdapt) project funded by Global Affairs Canada. The project aims to improve gender equality and nature-based climate adaptation capacity in vulnerable coastal communities on Pemba and Unguja Islands, Zanzibar.

Responsibilities and Key Performance Indicators

Enterprise Development

• Conduct community consultations to identify and select women beneficiaries for invitation into business network formation.
• Support women-led nature-based enterprise formation in agroforestry and conservation livelihoods including assisting women entrepreneurs to develop and execute business plans for their nature-based enterprises.
• Follow up to evaluate performance of short-term and long-term business plans.
• Support women dependent on natural resources (mangrove forests) to benefit and profit from market driven eco-friendly investment
• Contribute to women’s peer-to-peer network formation in consultation with beneficiaries and ZanzAdapt project’s gender justice specialists and host periodic peer-to-peer network convening events to strengthen collaboration and generate shared opportunities.
• Support women groups and members to formalize their business to attract more market regionally and internationally, including supporting community-owned processing facility
• Facilitate registration and linkages between business network members and formal support institutions including economic development agencies, financial institutions, and government services
• Develop, facilitate, and drive strategic collaborative partnerships and networks focused on developing targeted responses to identified social inclusion and economic development needs.
• Develop and execute strategic marketing plans through social media that focus on linking beneficiaries with diverse business stakeholders
• Engage relevant Authorities for branding and product quality assurance supports and best practices and support women entrepreneurs to improve access to local, regional, and international markets.
• Periodically monitor the progress of micro, small and medium (MSME) enterprise incubated by women groups and report the business performances to CFP/CFI management.
• Support the development business tools for collecting business data.
• Developing and executing marketing strategies to increase the sales of women groups

Enterprise and Leadership Training

• Conduct community consultations to identify and select Training of Trainer (ToT) women beneficiaries specifically for off-site leadership program enrollment.
• Develop key training program content in alignment with the ZanzAdapt project’s objectives, including Gender Equality Gap Analysis and Action Plan. This includes but is not limited to developing curriculums on financial skill, business planning and business management for women.
• Deliver gender transformative training, study tours, and events related to themes such as enterprise development, business operations, marketing, value-addition, and financial independence.
• Develop and set standards for quality control/quality assurance on all product associated with ZanzAdapt Project with women and ensure they have the training and resources to maintain quality assurance.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Conduct pre-training baseline surveys with participants and continuous post-training participatory monitoring & evaluation of activities with participants and incorporate learnings into project refinements.
• Develop activity concept notes and accompanying budgets needed to implement activities in line with activity development and procurement protocols on monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
• Document and promote success stories in alignment with ZanzAdapt media gap analysis and strategy.
• Develop and execute monthly and quarterly work plans in conjunction with other field staff and management.
• Maintain activity tracking and develop quarterly reports on key program indicators, activity progress, and detailed lists of beneficiaries and groups engaged.

QUALIFICATIONS & ABILITIES

Experience

• At least 3 years of demonstrated professional experience in working with local stakeholder and government engagement and community training.
• Relevant degree(s) and/or certificates in agriculture, community development, business development, or related field.
• Experience in designing and implementing community-based initiatives.

• Experience with VSLAs and other financial schemes
• Familiarity with robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, and community, members.
• Experience working with gender-responsive approaches and understanding of women’s roles in natural resource management.
• Experience working with coastal Islamic cultures and traditions.

Core Competencies

• Collaboration. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders to interpret the ideas, information, and needs of others.

• Team Work. Working together in friendly way to achieve organization and project overall goals and objectives
• Facilitation. Strong facilitation skills, with the ability to organize, lead, and motivate groups, deliver effective training, and foster collaboration and cooperation between multiple parties.
• Communication. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to effectively communicate with diverse stakeholders with clear and accurate language.

• Problem-solving. The capacity to identify challenges, develop creative solutions, and make informed decisions.
• Attention to Detail. A keen eye for accuracy, ensuring that data is accurate, well-considered, and complete.

• Entrepreneurial Embodies the entrepreneurial and visionary spirit and demonstrates a talent for developing new ideas to help women excel and creatively meet targets.
• Accountability. Holds self and others accountable for all decisions and interpersonal relationships while following through on commitments and focusing on those activities that have the greatest positive impact.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and other relevant software for data analysis and reporting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Swahili
• Familiarity with online collaboration tools like Google workspace and Zoom
• Technical expertise in horticulture, gender-equity approaches, and/or mangrove ecosystem restoration and conservation is an asset.

• Conduct community consultations to identify and select women beneficiaries for invitation into business network formation.
• Support women-led nature-based enterprise formation in agroforestry and conservation livelihoods including assisting women entrepreneurs to develop and execute business plans for their nature-based enterprises.
• Follow up to evaluate performance of short-term and long-term business plans.
• Support women dependent on natural resources (mangrove forests) to benefit and profit from market driven eco-friendly investment
• Contribute to women’s peer-to-peer network formation in consultation with beneficiaries and ZanzAdapt project’s gender justice specialists and host periodic peer-to-peer network convening events to strengthen collaboration and generate shared opportunities.
• Support women groups and members to formalize their business to attract more market regionally and internationally, including supporting community-owned processing facility
• Facilitate registration and linkages between business network members and formal support institutions including economic development agencies, financial institutions, and government services
• Develop, facilitate, and drive strategic collaborative partnerships and networks focused on developing targeted responses to identified social inclusion and economic development needs.
• Develop and execute strategic marketing plans through social media that focus on linking beneficiaries with diverse business stakeholders
• Engage relevant Authorities for branding and product quality assurance supports and best practices and support women entrepreneurs to improve access to local, regional, and international markets.
• Periodically monitor the progress of micro, small and medium (MSME) enterprise incubated by women groups and report the business performances to CFP/CFI management.
• Support the development business tools for collecting business data.
• Developing and executing marketing strategies to increase the sales of women groups
• Conduct community consultations to identify and select Training of Trainer (ToT) women beneficiaries specifically for off-site leadership program enrollment.
• Develop key training program content in alignment with the ZanzAdapt project’s objectives, including Gender Equality Gap Analysis and Action Plan. This includes but is not limited to developing curriculums on financial skill, business planning and business management for women.
• Deliver gender transformative training, study tours, and events related to themes such as enterprise development, business operations, marketing, value-addition, and financial independence.
• Develop and set standards for quality control/quality assurance on all product associated with ZanzAdapt Project with women and ensure they have the training and resources to maintain quality assurance.
• Conduct pre-training baseline surveys with participants and continuous post-training participatory monitoring & evaluation of activities with participants and incorporate learnings into project refinements.
• Develop activity concept notes and accompanying budgets needed to implement activities in line with activity development and procurement protocols on monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
• Document and promote success stories in alignment with ZanzAdapt media gap analysis and strategy.
• Develop and execute monthly and quarterly work plans in conjunction with other field staff and management.
• Maintain activity tracking and develop quarterly reports on key program indicators, activity progress, and detailed lists of beneficiaries and groups engaged.

• Enterprise training
• Business incubation
• Network creation
• Coaching
• Business plan development
• Market access improvement
• Financial structure management (VSLAs)
• Community forest management
• Gender equality principles
• Nature-based climate adaptation
• Social media marketing
• Branding and product quality assurance
• Data collection and reporting
• Training program development
• Gender transformative training delivery
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Budget development
• Success story documentation
• Work plan development

• Experience in supporting entrepreneurs
• Experience in business incubation
• Experience in network creation
• Experience in coaching
• Experience in enterprise development
• Experience in market access improvement
• Experience in financial structures (VSLAs)
• Experience in community forest management
• Understanding of gender equality principles
• Understanding of nature-based climate adaptation
• Proficiency in social media marketing
• Knowledge of branding and product quality assurance
• Skills in data collection and reporting
• Ability to develop training programs
• Ability to deliver gender transformative training
• Skills in monitoring and evaluation
• Ability to develop budgets
• Ability to document success stories
• Ability to develop work plans