JOB DETAILS:

Job Summary

Responsible for driving young women enterprise business growth and maintaining strong customer relationships by coordinating private sector engagement, and entrepreneurship development among participating young people.

Roles    & Responsibilities

Capacity Building 

• Participate in livelihood and market assessment including enterprise viability and barrier analysis to inform market-relevant skilling for young women.
• Support POs and peer trainers to facilitate YSLA members to prepare business plans to anchor business with a purpose drive.
• Conduct business diagnosis and customized trainings in key areas of need for young women’s business growth.
• Support Skilling Officers and peer trainers to provide tailored cohort-based training and mentorship on business development, including market analysis, business planning, financial management, and marketing.
• Identify market needs and skills gaps and provide relevant needs-based capacity development.
• Identify potential growth sectors, opportunities, business relationships and partnerships.
• Develop a comprehensive business development strategy which aligns with SIYEP skilling focus in AFARD.
• Offer customized business development services to young women businesses, including guidance on product development, registration, and marketing.
• Ensures gender and safeguarding and disability inclusion are mainstreamed in the program activities.

Access to markets

• Provide market linkages with traders, large-scale buyers or processors and other existing marketing platforms and networks and enroll participants on AFARD FAMIS digital marketing platform.
• Organize Seasonal markets for young women in agribusiness.
• Support, train and coach young women on market standards to improve on agronomic practices
• Develop and maintain a database of key market actors and operators to strengthen and expand market opportunities
• Facilitate linkages between young women entrepreneurs and inputs and output market actors
• Coach POs, peer trainers, marketing committees and young women in agribusiness in collective marketing.

Access to Finance

• Provide financial literacy education for the rural young women.
• Facilitate linkage banking, youth SACCO formation, strengthening & linkages to government programs

Partnership and Networking:

• Liaise with local businesses, employers, and industries to create job placement opportunities, internships, and apprenticeships for trained young people.
• Leverage networks to connect youth-led businesses with potential customers, investors, and collaborators.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitor and analyze market trends, customer behavior, and industry developments.
• Report on business growth and marketing performance

Person specifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Economics, Business Administration, or related field.
• A minimum of 3 year’s experience in Youth Entrepreneurship, marketing, youth business development
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing business development programs for young people in rural settings.
• Strong understanding of market analysis, business planning, financial management, and value chain development.
• Proven experience in providing training and technical assistance to startups and Micro Small and Medium scale Enterprises.
• Excellent networking, negotiation, and partnership-building skills.
• Familiarity with financial inclusion and access to finance initiatives.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal.
• High level of honesty, integrity, and accountability.
• Strong business acumen and ability to achieve results with minimum supervision.
• Ability to work in teams and build collaborative relationships.
• Familiar with digital marketing tools and platforms.
• Willingness to travel to remote districts of Uganda as and when required.