Zantchito Entrepreneurship
Job Opportunity:
Business Incubation Officer and Incubation / BDS Officer
Who we are:
Nathan, a Cadmus Company and Imani Consultants Limited, commenced implementation of Zantchito Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance in October 2022. Zantchito Entrepreneurship and Access to Finance (hereafter Zantchito Entrepreneurship) is a business incubation support programme under the Zantchito Skills for Jobs apex programme. It is financed by the European Union (EU) in Malawi and coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Malawi office and the Government of Malawi. The objective of the programme is to promote entrepreneurial culture, sustainable enterprise creation and decent, formal jobs.
Zantchito Entrepreneurship aims to enhance pre-incubation, incubation, post-incubation support and the provision of Business Development Services (BDS) to Technical, Entrepreneurial, and Vocational Training (TEVET) graduates and Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs).
Reporting to the Team Leader, Zantchito Entrepreneurship is looking to recruit three (03) full time Business Incubation Officers and one (01) Incubation / BDS Officer to be based in Lilongwe and in Blantyre – to support the on-going implementation of the programme.
Business Incubation Officer: What you’ll contribute:
The Business Incubation Officer will be responsible for undertaking the following activities:
- Verification of milestone claims submitted by business incubators (as set out in their individual
UNDP contracts) and confirmation that documentation is as per the requirements of the contract. - Supporting the development of incubate support plans and the provision of input for the revision of incubate business plans.
- Monitoring of the disbursement of grant funds to incubates through individual incubators and
cross-verification of the work of the assigned Business Development Officer (BDO) at each incubator as per incubate support plans. - Reconciliation of funds requisitioned for disbursement to incubates against actual expenditures
incurred. - Preparation of requests to UNDP for disbursement of the funds by the selected financial service
provider, including whether funds should be paid in line with incubate support budgets. - Reviewing the performance of the BDS providers to the incubator to ensure that they are in line
with service delivery agreements. - Highlighting any divergencies in BDS service agreements and incubate support plans and budgets to the Team Leader.
- Supporting the close monitoring of business incubators, ensuring the BDO and incubator manager report monthly on incubate progress, issues, and outputs.
- Ensuring that data is regularly inputted to the CommCare reporting system as guided by the
monitoring and evaluation lead. - Preparation and submission of work plans, budgets and reports on progress against agreed
performance indicators for each stage of incubation to UNDP, as required.
Incubation / BDS Officer: What you’ll contribute:
The Incubation / BDS Officer will be responsible for undertaking the following activities:
Regarding BDS strengthening:
- Supporting and reviewing the interface between BDS providers and business incubators.
- With the guidance of the team leader, delivering regular assessments of the quality of the wider
BDS services provided to incubates (short incubate surveys). - Continuously reviewing the service delivery by BDS providers to incubates, and providing input to the Team Leader, and Project Director, for the development of capacity of BDS providers.
- Supporting the development of incubate support plans and the provision of input for the revision of incubate business plans.
Regarding the provision of incubation services:
- Monitoring of the disbursement of grant funds to incubates through individual incubators and
cross-verification of the work of the assigned Business Development Officer (BDO) at each incubator as per incubate support plans. - Highlighting any divergencies in BDS service agreements and incubate support plans and budgets to the Team Leader and Senior Incubation Expert.
- Supporting the close monitoring of business incubators, ensuring the BDO and incubator manager report monthly on incubate progress, issues, and outputs.
- Ensuring that data is regularly inputted to the CommCare reporting system as guided by the
monitoring and evaluation lead. - Verification of milestone claims submitted by business incubators (as set out in their individual
UNDP contracts) and confirmation that documentation is as per the requirements of the contract. - Reconciliation of funds requisitioned for disbursement to incubates against actual expenditures
incurred. - Preparation of requests to UNDP for disbursement of the funds by the selected financial service
provider, including whether funds should be paid in line with incubate support budgets. - Reviewing the performance of the BDS providers to the incubator to ensure that they are in line
with service delivery agreements. - Highlighting any divergencies in BDS service agreements and incubate support plans and budgets to the Team Leader.
- Preparation and submission of work plans, budgets and reports on progress against agreed
performance indicators for each stage of incubation to UNDP, as required.
Who we’re looking for:
- Minimum of a Master’s degree in a related field (such as International Development, Economics or a relevant subject).
- 2+ years of experience working with early-stage entrepreneurs, MSMEs or in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- Experience in project management, including financial management (specifically creating and
adhering to budgets, cashflow forecasting, financial documentation). - Ability to monitor risks and provide timely solutions.
- A track-record of working within the entrepreneurship / business environment in Malawi with
proven business development dynamics. - Understanding of project monitoring and evaluation processes, including data collection, review and integration into programme log frames.
- Ability to write and communicate with a range of stakeholders – from rural entrepreneurs to
organisation management – clearly and concisely. - Competency in research, reporting and the presentation of results for both programme management purposes and analytical studies.
- Proactive, highly motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
- Demonstrated proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite – Word, Excel, PowerPoint is essential.
Experience with data collection software such as CommCare / Kobo is beneficial. - Spoken and written fluency in English is essential.
Method Of Application
If you might be the right fit:
Please submit your CV and a cover letter to [email protected] by Wednesday, 31st January 2024. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.