Technical Assistance Facility Director in Central America

The Fund’s TAF Director oversees the development and delivery of the TA to the investee companies. Responsibilities include development of the TAF model, recruitment and management of staff to provide gender TA, quality assurance and the monitoring of the results of such TA services to the companies, and contribution to learning and evolution of the field of gender lens investment.

The position will start at 2 days/week LOE but will evolve to a full time position when the TAF is coming on line and the investment companies are being enrolled in the fund (subject to funding).

Responsibilities

1. Oversee the design, planning and launch of the TAF model:

• In collaboration with CARE Enterprises, lead the design of the tools, templates and methods for delivering gender TA to investee private sector companies as shown in the examples above;
• In collaboration with CARE Enterprises, design and implement iterative training to CARE staff and consultants to ensure consistent and effective approaches and tools for busy growth-stage companies;
• Coordinate the launch of the TA facility with CARE Enterprises, Bamboo (the Fund’s Investment Managers) and CARE Country Offices, with development and coordination of any needed systems, policies, procedures, and productivity standards.

2. Recruit and train a cadre of gender experts from CARE and possibly local consultants ready to fulfill the TA delivery to the companies. Gender experts will have skills in business acumen, behavioral science, and organizational change processes to deliver coaching, mentoring and training services to the companies during the timeline of the Fund’s investment:

• Oversee recruitment of approximately 15 deployable CARE staff and local consultants;
• Support negotiations and supervise the governance and management expectations and agreements for CARE staff who are seconded to the TA Facility for short assignments, and their managing supervisors and offices (in accordance with jointly developed TAF MOU and Manual, applying any updates as needed);
• Design and implement virtual and in-person orientation and training modules to a cadre of TA facility gender experts, to systematize consistent understanding and approaches and have deployment-ready staff in advance of the Fund’s investment, with appropriate refresher training as needed.

3. Lead the design and deployment of TA to companies in the Fund’s Portfolio, in close collaboration with the Fund’s Investment Team:

• Meet with investment team routinely to anticipate and track company TA needs and progress;
• Provide gender-business expertise in suggestions for design of TA package, in collaboration with TA cadre and the Fund’s investment team;
• Assign responsibility for specific consultancy tasks with investee companies, monitor TA progress, supervise quality of deliverables;
• Ongoing coaching, counseling, problem solving and feedback to TA cadre;
• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed;
• Supporting diversity within firms receiving investment from The Fund.

4. Maintains quality of TA services by:

• Developing simple performance standards for TA;
• Monitoring and reinforcing quality and customer service standards;
• Analyzing and resolving quality and customer service problems;
• Recommending system improvements.

5. Project management and contribution to business development:

• Provides regular communications about planning, monitoring, and appraising results of TA to TA cadre, relevant CARE offices and Fund investment team;
• Monitor overall TAF progress, generate reports and updates;
• Closely monitor TAF spending, with regular monitoring of TAF gender cadre invoices, working with CARE finance staff in relevant offices to ensure routine paperwork is submitted and invoices are paid in a timely way;
• Write and submit regular donor reports as needed;
• Support fundraising for ongoing TA facility funding as required.

6. The TAF Director will contribute to CARE Enterprises’ goal of contributing to overall thought leadership including contributions to the learning and evolution of the gender lens investment field, by innovation, documenting lessons, sharing learning new tools and approaches, and public speaking:

• Document innovation and lessons learned from the TAF;
• Contribute to publications, blogs, presentations, articles.

7. Support the Fund investment team in applying a gender lens throughout the investment cycle:

• Screening, evaluation and due diligence, deal structuring, post deal engagement and impact measurement.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in related field;
• Qualifications and/or at least 8 years experience in business/economic development or management consulting, ideally in emerging economies;
• Proven experience in gender-smart business practices / gender-based diversity and inclusion initiatives policy and design for private sector enterprises, ideally in low resource settings;
• Proven experience in conducting, and supporting teams to conduct, gender audits or gender assessments, develop actions plans and support implementation of those plans;
• Previous experience in building staff capability and training including development of high quality and effective training materials using virtual and in-person adult-centered training techniques and feedback mechanisms;
• Proven capability in remote management and mentoring of staff to ensure the highest standards of TA delivery to clients;
• Project management experience in the international development field, including specific skills like financial literacy and experience in reporting to donors;
• Extensive cross-cultural experience across Central America preferred, including ability to negotiate and manage conflict in multi-cultural environments;
• Spanish and English language fluency.

Skills

• Facilitation and training skills using adult-centered learning techniques;
• Highly responsive communication skills, with ability to conduct meetings, trainings and regular communication using virtual communication technologies;
• Able to self-manage / self-direct with minimal supervision and proven skills in problem solving;
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, including ability to tailor complex information to multiple audiences and present to and work with diverse senior managers across sectors and organizations;
• Client-focused approach, with demonstrated commitment to excellence, establishing rapport with and driving world class standards of technical support to private sector companies. Remote project and staff management abilities;
• Understanding of impact investment and gender lens impact investment highly preferred;
• Understanding of CARE and/or large complex international NGO operations highly preferred;

Location

Most of the work of the TAF Director will be in Central America. Some on-site supervision and management will be required in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and potentially in other Central/Latin American countries.