Business Enabling Environment (BEE) Associate

Activity Background:

Associates in Development Pvt. Ltd. (AiD) is a Pakistan-based development and management consulting company which provides high-quality consulting services in the core areas of 1) Social Sectors, 2) Engineering and Infrastructure, and 3) Environment and Climate Change.

USAIDs Economic Recovery and Development Activity (ERDA) is a five-year (2022-2027) activity designed to expand environmentally sustainable, socially equitable and climate resilient economic opportunities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its Merged Districts (MDs) by strengthening and modernizing the agriculture sector and promoting on and off farm Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Activity Objectives:

USAID-ERDA’s objective is to expand economic opportunities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its MD’s by strengthening and modernizing the agriculture sector and promoting micro and small enterprises.

Sub-Objective 1:

Agriculture sector capacity enhanced and modernized through strengthening of agriculture production resources.

Sub-Objective 2:

Micro, small, and medium businesses promoted by strengthening MSME’s in both farm and non-farm sectors.

Sub-Objective 3:

Improved business enabling environment through policy reforms and technical assistance to the GoKP.

Grants Component:

ERDA will provide direct on-farm and non-farm grants to support the achievement of the three activity sub-objectives.

Objective and Specific Tasks:

Under the overall leadership of the Economic Growth Lead, the Business Enabling Environment (BEE) Associate will assist the agriculture and MSME & private sector development technical teams in the design and execution of activities under the Business Enabling Environment Component. The post is designed to assist technical lead and senior management to improve the overall quality and efficacy of the activities under the BEE component.

The Associate will directly assist technical teams in secondary and background research and information validation for the development of concept notes, proposals, SOWs development and correspondence with the Government departments etc.

The Associate will be responsible for managing day-to-day tasks, administrative activities, record and data keeping, attend meetings/events, liaison with stakeholders as directed by the supervisor, and any other special request from senior management.

Specific Tasks:

• To assist in the implementation of the strategic BEE activities to ensure the successful implementation of the project’s work plan and components.
• To assist technical teams and MSMEs team in secondary research, data gathering and management and information validation which will form basis for development of interventions concept notes and grant business proposals.
• To assist in development of scope of work (SoW) and terms of reference (ToRs) for engagement of individual consultants and consulting companies as per the BEE assignments.
• To assist in drafting presentations, activity briefs, reports (quarterly, annual), internal reporting trackers, progress updates, monitoring & evaluation sheets, scopes of work and all other technical documentation as directed and advised.
• To assist with administrative support to generate travel requests, itineraries, event management and logistics arrangements for team members and consultants, and ensure all such requests are forwarded to the Operations Team on time.
• To provide support in managing events, focus group discussions, organizing and setting up meetings and other forms of engagement. Furthermore, Arrange and participate in meetings, conferences, and project team activities, take and prepare minutes of those meetings.
• Coordinate with the operations team to ensure that all conference rooms/venues, equipment, catering arrangements, logistics and other requirements are booked for meetings, conferences and relevant project activities.
• To assist the team in archiving in a compliant manner all documents related to work plan actions including, but not limited to, position descriptions, scopes of work, background readings, deliverables, and other documents.
• To ensure that all necessary routine and ad hoc reporting on component activities provides a timely, high quality, and accurate reflection of the component’s progress toward its goals and objectives and ensure they are acceptable to USAID.
• To assist in managing and supervising the tasks and deliverables of the consultants working on various project activities.
• Undertake research and work with private sector, government stakeholders and with project colleagues to ensure optimal design and implementation of the BEE work plan as directed.
• Provide assistance to carry out primary and secondary research on existing and proposed activities; working with public sector institutions, stakeholders, associations, developmental organizations, SMEs and other donors.
• Perform all other relevant duties assigned be respective supervisor.

Position Reports To: For all routine responsibilities and duties, the individual holding this position shall report directly to Agribusiness and Market Development Specialist.

Qualification Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Public Sector Management, Social Sciences, Public Relations, Business Management, or relevant disciplines.
• Minimum 4-5 years of relevant experience is required. This includes experience of assisting interventions design and execution, with a focus on government and private sector engagement.

• Excellent presentation and editorial skills with demonstrated ability for logical and analytical writing, editing, and proofreading skills in English.
• Previous work experience in donor-assisted projects in the relevant field will be preferred.
• Ability to perform as a member of multiple project-related teams.
• Strong computer literacy skills required in word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, web browsers, and email.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines.
• Willingness to travel to all provinces of Pakistan.