At the Rainforest Alliance, we are building an alliance to create a better future for people and nature by making responsible business the new normal. To advance our mission, we focus on amplifying our impact on the ground through systemic transformation: change across the entire supply chain, change in the relationship between people and nature, and change within our own organization. We achieve this transformation by working in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders to create a stronger Alliance. Together, we amplify the voices of farmers and forest communities, improve livelihoods, protect biodiversity, and help people adapt to climate change in bold and effective ways. We embrace transparency because we believe that the best way to build trust across our alliance is through openness about our tactics, our impact, and partners on the ground. Together, we can achieve our vision of a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. Position summary: The Business Strengthening Manager (BSM) will lead the business skills component in Climate, Nature and Communities´ Project (CNCG), which provides support and technical assistance to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), cooperatives and community-based enterprises to build business skills capacity and improve competitiveness for each landscape where CNCG implement further activities. BSM will implement business skills support to standardize approaches, develop and adapt BS tools and promote best practices. The BSM will direct diagnostic services and design community-based enterprise models and coordinate their implementation with CNCG´s staff and local partners through training and technical assistance activities. The community based enterprise models will include specific business capabilities and tools to help SMEs improve accounting, cost controls, setting price points, and managing risk and growth. The models will also include information on organizational strengthening for greater productivity, transparency, and communication with shareholders, business strategies and operating plans. Responsibilities: Under the direction of the Chief of Party, the DCOP will: Management Coordinate activities with the CNCG´s market team according to regional guidelines and best practices; Prepare scopes of work for and oversee consultants as local service providers; Prepare and/or review the implementing reports, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports for projects and business skills component for all landscapes; Prepare the annual operational plans for the business skills component in the region; Engage financial entities of investment opportunities with timber and non-timber SMEs; Technical oversight: Coordinate the process of providing training and technical assistance directly to groups to supplement and strengthen activities conducted by local service providers; Coordinate diagnostic analyses of organizational strengths and business skills training needs; Develop and implement training and technical assistance activities for specific organizational and business skills strengthening and business capacity building; Implement training and technical assistance for clusters by timber and non-timber products; Refine the suite of SME tools developed by the CNCG program and develop new tools as needed; Coordinate use of local consultants or service providers to deliver training and technical assistance when it will apply; Coordinate the process of providing training and technical assistance directly to groups to supplement and strengthen activities conducted by local service providers; Prepare timber and non-timber products for SMEs to adapt business models to include payments for environmental services and non-timber forest products; Engage local, national and international business partners to support commercialization of the commodities; Assist SMEs to identify and access investment opportunities in the context of their business strategies and plans; Ensure compliance with all aspects of USAID environmental regulations, including development and monitoring of EMMP. Qualifications: Degree in Business Administration, Economics or a related field; Master’s Degree in Economics a plus; Minimum 7 years experience in business skills strengthening, entrepreneurship, business or financial planning; Minimum 7 years experience working on development projects; Previous experience with community based forest operations and/or cooperatives; Strong sense or positive behaviour to work with communities, indigenous groups and women; Strong communications skills, in both Spanish and English required; Strong computer skills (MS Office and Internet); Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently as well as in a team environment, assess priorities and multi-task with strong attention to detail; Strong analytical skills; and Ability and willingness to travel 60% of the time. Salary: Commensurate with experience. Deadline: September 20, 2020
