Organization Description:
Village Enterprise is an innovative microenterprise development organization working in East Africa to reduce poverty with the mission – “*To end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship and innovation.”* Village Enterprise provides business training, seed capital/start-up funds and mentoring to entrepreneurs annually to start new and sustainable businesses.
Project Overview:
Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) for refugees provides an innovative solution that will drive refugee self-reliance. Working in Uganda and Ethiopia–home to 10% of the world’s refugee population–DREAMS will provide 150,000 of the most vulnerable refugees with the security and dignity that comes from providing for one’s family. The program will integrate two proven models –poverty graduation and Market Systems Development –layering these approaches in a new way that will ensure that the poorest refugee households are able to improve their income and well-being significantly. Graduation will provide the capital and skills to support refugees as they establish their businesses, and Market Systems Development will help build market access pathways to ensure those businesses can be successful. Through rigorous evaluation, we will generate evidence that DREAMS’ approach to self-reliance is not only possible, but also more cost effective than long-term food assistance.
Position Overview:
The Enterprise and Savings Lead works to support the success of the DREAMS Project in West NILE. This individual will focus on ensuring that Graduation layers, sequences and integrates well with the Market Systems Approach. His/her role will bring the necessary skills to understand and implement key activities which put Refugees and Host Community entrepreneurs on the Graduation component on a pathway to success.

Key Result Areas
1. Graduation and Market Systems Development layered, sequenced, integrated and successful.
2. Business Success Project Average (Business Progress Survey)
3. Business Savings Groups Project Average
4. Safeguarding
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Facilitate the layering of Private Sector Actor’s activities for DREAMS project entrepreneurs.
• Responsible as the on ground point person for integration of Graduation and Market Systems Development.

• In-charge of ensuring that the activities of Private Sector Actors are properly layered, sequenced and integrated into the implementation of Graduation
• Work closely with Mercy Corps on the ground person to ensure that Private Sector Actors are delivering on their contractual obligations to the entrepreneurs.
• Work closely with the Regional Manager, Field Coordinators, Business Mentors to ensure that Village Enterprise entrepreneurs are taking on the different selected value chains.
• Design and implement activities that build Field Coordinator and Business Mentors capacity to deliver on the integration of Graduation and Market Systems Development.
• Organize and represent Village Enterprise in forums that are relevant to the position including savings group approaches, microenterprise support, market linkages, etc.
• Participate in DREAMS working group to share ideas, and well thought out plans to achieve success and overall impact.
• Work with a team of matrixed indirect reports to deliver on Graduation outputs and outcomes
• Support excellent team performance on Business and Savings Health
• Lead in Identifying the core drivers of business success and build innovations around it that deepen and improve business and savings group performance for DREAMs
• Develop strategies to identify, evaluate and appraise businesses for grant allocation in collaboration with the field team.
• Build staff capacity to identify and support impact at the business group and business savings group level.
• Gather, analyze and act on quantitative and qualitative market and business performance data for DREAMS
• Working with the PD/PM/RM/FC’s/BM’s to develop and manage an up-to-date understanding of the microeconomic environment and overall DREAMS Project performance
• Responsible for assuring data flows to the appropriate decision makers connected directly to our business owner’s success
• Analyze and act on business performance data through creating feedback loops and interventions that ensure our businesses are being fully supported to being successful.
• Safeguarding: “Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility”
• Continuously sensitize program participants about possible risks of child abuse, sexual/financial exploitation, prevention and response mechanisms.
• Ensure compliance with VE’s safeguarding policies and Code of Conduct in all programs, operations and practices.
• Report any incident of child or adult safeguarding in program operations for appropriate action and follow up.
Living Our Values
Ubuntu: We serve people living in extreme poverty with respect, empathy, and dignity regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, or education level, and value our common humanity.
Passion: We believe passionately in our mission and the ability of people living in extreme poverty to improve their lives.
Integrity: We operate with the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness.
Innovation: We value innovation as a means to reduce poverty and treat new ideas, new technologies, and new partners as opportunities to grow our impact.
Sustainability: We are committed to ensuring that our businesses and our organization are sustainable in the long-term.

Qualifications
• University degree or equivalent in development, market systems, program management, international development or other relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Five years’ experience working in management of development programs for an INGO.
• Experience working in Graduation, Market Systems Development and Refugee setting is a STRONG advantage
• Fluency in English is a must. Ability to speak or understand language in West Nile is an added advantage.

Key competencies
• Deep experience with supporting those in extreme poverty through microenterprises, Savings Groups, market and financial linkages and familiarity with Poverty Graduation approach.
• Ability to work in challenging and changing environments, and to see through challenges to find solutions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to exercise diplomacy and tact as demonstrated in previous roles that required communication with a broad and diverse set of partners.
• Outstanding communication skills, both in writing, in person, and via other forms.
• Computer literate and proficient in basic Microsoft packages and email and other technology (including project management software, Salesforce, Cloud Storage etc.).

Please send your application and CV in single attachment to

ugandajobs@villageenterprise.org 

addressed to the

Human Resource Coordinator,

P.O BOX 274,

Soroti-Uganda.

Email subject should read ‘’DREAMS PROJECT ENTERPRISE AND SAVINGS LEAD’’. Your cover letter should explain why your experience and background make you the ideal candidate for this position, and should be no more than one page. Note: Please do not contact Village Enterprise to enquire as to the status of your application. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.