Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Cross-cutting Specialist

Background:

The USAID/Jordan Business Growth Activity (BGA) is recruiting for a Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Cross-cutting Specialist to be based in Amman, Jordan. USAID Jordan BGA will enable Jordan’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to improve their productivity and competitiveness, create new jobs and innovation within a range of sectors, and advance Jordan towards a more prosperous, resilient, and inclusive future. Through a series of evidence-based interventions, BGA will support these enterprises with direct firm-level assistance and broad-based capacity building programs to mobilize millions in capital and address constraints through advocacy and public-private dialogue that complements USAID’s policy reform initiatives. The activity strives to allow growth-oriented small and medium enterprises to reach new markets and buyers, increase collaboration along value chains, and improve efficiency and quality to meet demand. The activity will empower these enterprises to access tailored and competitively priced debt, equity, and new hybrid financial products to operate within a more responsive business environment better informed by public-private dialogue and advocacy. This will allow small and medium enterprises to engage women, youth, and persons with disabilities, and increase sales, exports, and broad-based job creation.

Objective:

The WEE and Cross-cutting Specialist will support the identification and classification of business enabling environment (BEE) impediments as voiced by SMEs and start-ups and resolving them or directing them to the proper programs or government authorities. Additionally, the specialist will take a lead role in improving the quality, relevance, and inclusiveness of all Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and WEE-specific activities in Jordan BGA and integrate GESI and WEE principles across all aspects of project implementation. Furthermore, the WEE and Cross-cutting Specialist will liaise with USAID, USAID implementing partners (Ips), other donors, and other stakeholders periodically to align and integrate emerging opportunities that can be leveraged. S/he will be responsible for the cross-cutting solutions related to gender, youth, people with disabilities, and innovation and entrepreneurship and ensure that they are fully integrated into the services BGA provides. This may include, but is not limited to, the development of implementation of development activities, quality assurance reviews; monitoring progress toward achieving established objectives and deadlines; attending operational meetings and networking with affiliated groups and stakeholders, and contributions to publications (reports, briefings, papers, etc.) and research, and other similar supporting activities.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The WEE & Cross-cutting Specialist will perform related responsibilities as required. S/he shall be responsible for, but not limited to, the tasks detailed hereunder:

• Work Plan Activity Leadership: supporting BGA’s dialogue to identify and classify BEE, WEE and GESI impediments as voiced by SMEs and start-ups and resolving them or directing them to the proper programs or government authorities, as assigned by the component director. Preparing and contributing towards activities that aim at resolving challenges and impediments that face SMEs.
• Engagement, Reporting and Research: Support direct engagement with SMEs, donors, stakeholders, to ensure cooperation, alignment and identifying any policy or other challenges that the SMEs face. Identify core issues, conduct research & analysis as requested by component director/activity leader. Maintain a database of relevant information, policies, laws, regulations as well as of stakeholders’ contact information and other important details. Produce regular reporting required for BEE, policy and WEE activities directly implemented by USAID BGA and under this SOW.
• Gender and social inclusion: Utilize the findings of BGA’s GESI analysis and in cooperation with the SME competitiveness and the financial transaction components, design and implement GESI- and WEE-specific recommendations tailored to Jordan BGA objectives and activities related to improving attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors that promote women, youth, People with Disabilities (PWD), social and economic participation, and expanded access to business service providers, finance, and related services for women-led and women-owned SMEs.
• Implementation: Draft, seek approval for and manage scopes of work for short-term consultants, RFPs, and RFAs needed to engage external consultants and technical experts to assist in executing activities and move implementation forward. Participate in technical evaluation committees and bidder’s selection processes, and support in grants reviews and assessments; prepare internal and external communication memoranda and reports.
• Coordinate closely with technical teams to ensure the use of GESI data in designing project interventions with USAID Jordan Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership Activity (WEELA) as well as with other relevant USAID and other development programs.
• Stakeholder Relations: In coordination with component director, help USAID BGA maintain positive and productive working relationships with activity counterparts, including intervention partners (such as private sector entities [Chambers of Commerce, business associations, etc.], intermediaries, and other organizations working towards the same objectives as USAID BGA), and implementers (subcontractors and grantees), as well as SMEs.
• Grants: Evaluate and provide technical supervision of the GESI/WEE aspects of grant applications and awards. Monitor the implementation and regular follow-up of awarded grants assigned under the work of the Stakeholders Engagement, and Cross-Cutting Solutions component to ensure successful implementation and completion of the grants’ work plan.
• Monitoring and Evaluation Support: Align the project BEE, WEE and social inclusion strategy with the workplan, Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP), and related project planning materials. Maintain ongoing monitoring and evaluation and learning of GESI-specific initiatives and activities, ensuring that GESI-specific activities are not siloed.
• Problem Solving: As a professional with years of experience, s/he is expected to monitor all assigned activities closely, identify any implementation problems as early as possible (“early warning”) whether technical or administrative, recommend solutions to problems as they arise and work with USAID BGA executive team to execute agreed-upon solutions.
• Events: Work closely with the USAID BGA Communications Team to organize and manage project-related events, workshops, and seminars in coordination with USAID BGA teams and external stakeholders; helping prepare, deliver, and follow-up on all external events, training programs, workshops, and other related activities.
• Support component in other USAID BGA-related activities, such as SME Competitiveness Component, Financial Transaction Component, and any other task assigned by the component director.

Skills and Knowledge Requirements:

• Policy/BEE, WEE, innovation and crosscutting experience
• Project management, procurement, reporting, and evaluation
• Professional technical writing, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills
• Professional presentation & communication skills: able to describe conditions and status verbally concisely and accurately, through presentations, and in writing
• Teamwork: must be an excellent team member, and able to work independently
• Experience with USAID technical reporting and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) requirements.
• Multi-tasking skills
• English and Arabic Proficiency (written and verbal)
• MS Office Proficiency (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project)

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of six (6)+ years of professional experience in economic and business development activities; policy/BEE issues, innovation, SMEs development in Jordan, gender, social inclusion, youth, and women’s economic empowerment.
• Master’s degree or equivalent Public Policy, Economics, International Development, or a relevant field;
• Knowledge of activity work planning and implementation
• Ability to work closely with the private sector, especially SMEs with a special focus on women, PWD, youth and entrepreneurs
• Experience managing and executing multiple projects and working with policymakers and executives is preferred.
• Solid problem solving, organizational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to represent USAID BGA professionally and confidently with its variety of stakeholders (private sector, international and Jordanian).
• Experience with economic growth programming, particularly small and medium enterprise support, and/or livelihoods-related programming, highly desired
• English and Arabic fluency