Catholic Relief Services is currently recruiting 35 positions of Business Development Coaches for below mentioned councils in Lesotho.
Job Title: Business Development Coaches x 35
Reports To: Local Entrepreneurship Specialist
Contract Type: Temporary (6 Months)
Location: Five Community Councils: Metsi Maholo, Tosing, Thaba Mokhele, Bolahla, Phuthiatsana.
CRS Background:Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education and microfinance.
Project Summary:Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and partners Dunamus Agri Advisory (SA based), Doorways (Germany based) and Caritas Lesotho (Lesotho based) are currently supporting the implementation of the five-year (2023-2027) World Bank (WB) Pathways to Sustainable Livelihoods Project (PSLP) in Lesotho. The aim of the PSLP is to improve the efficiency and equity of selected social assistance programs and to strengthen the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable households – in alignment with goals outlined in the Government of Lesotho’s (GoL) NSDP II (2021-2031); The GoL National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) II (2021-2031); and the WB Group Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Lesotho FY2022–2026 recently finalised.
The Pathways to Sustainable Livelihoods Project (PSLP) is a 5-year intervention by the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development (MGYSD), funded by the World Bank. PSLP aims at improving the efficiency and equity of selected social assistance programs and to strengthen the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable households. This is to be realized in alignment with the Government of Lesotho goals; NSDP II (2021-2031) and the World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework for Lesotho. CRS Lesotho is the prime recipient of the component 1A – Economic Inclusion Program (EIP) funding and is partnering with Caritas Lesotho, Dunamus Agri Advisory, and Doorways as sub-contractors. The economic inclusion package includes the following interventions:
These interventions will give an opportunity to individuals to engage in economic activities, save, be referred to relevant services and graduate out of extreme poverty. This features a strategy grounded in good practice from the “economic inclusion approach,” a sequenced, time-bound, and targeted set of interventions designed to support beneficiaries to move sustainably out of poverty and build their resilience.
It is against these background that CRS seeks to employ 35 business development coaches who will be responsible for coaching the first cohort of clients so that that microenterprises are successful. Spec
Roles and Responsibilities- To plan, coordinate and conduct coaching sessions to identified project target beneficiaries which residing on above mentioned community councils.
- Provide guidance and support on the development of detailed Business Development Plans and viable financial records keeping.
- On a monthly basis, provide ongoing technical guidance on holistic business management to ensure clear direction and best practices are followed.
- Conduct weekly monitoring visits as needed, to identify business practice, learning gaps and to provide technical assistance and ongoing support in a form of coaching and mentoring.
- Support smooth implementation of the project by being part of reflection meetings and providing reports when needed.
- Work closely with MEAL Officer and other relevant officers to collect data, support data analysis process, share lessons learned to facilitate improvements in decision-making and documentation of best practices.
- Present suggestions and recommendations on project management, productivity, compliance, quality, and safety requirements
- Prepare and produce detailed monthly reports based on coaching activities conducted.
- Establish relationships with local organizations, government ministries and other institutions, specifically those with interest on MSMEs empowerment.
- Build entrepreneurial networking and communications support system.
- Provide linkages to Mentors and Access to Markets.
- Identify business opportunities, expansion, and growth for identified project beneficiaries.
- Identify and provide guidance on advertisement platforms that are affordable and ensure businesses of project beneficiaries are marketed and promoted to attract more clientele.
- Participate in existing microenterprise forums and share best practices for the success implementation of the project.
- Identify risks that may affect businesses ventures of project beneficiaries and provide strategies to mitigate those risks.
- Must reside in one of the following community councils: Metsi Maholo, Tosing, Thaba Mokhele, Bolahla, Phuthiatsana.
- Diploma in business management, Entrepreneurship, Agric-Business,Marketing.
- Minimum work experience of 6 months advising, coaching, and mentoring micro, small and medium enterprises on business ideation, Formation, starting or growing their businesses.
- Additional relevant experience will be considered.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Strong skills in training, mentoring, and coaching.
- Organized and proactive, able to create, execute plans and attain goals.
- Strong analytical skills.
- Computer literate.
- Ability to Network and forge relationships
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team.
- Fluency in Sesotho and English.
- Must be willing and able to travel up to 80% of time within above mentioned community councils.
Please note that the position is only open to applicants who are Citizens of Lesotho and Resides to the above-mentioned Councils. Interested Basotho candidates should complete the form on the following link https://tinyurl.com/eip564 and also submit their CV and Cover Letter no later than 27th December 2024 at 10:00am by email to [email protected] with the subject line: Business Development Coaches. If the subject line does not indicate the position, the applicant will not be considered. HARD COPY APPLICATIONS NOT ACCEPTED. ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.
Please be advised that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, all successful candidates will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and their personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate their behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.
Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position
CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer
