Small Business Manager

Musike is a Zambian non-profit company, supported by the Swedish Embassy in Zambia, Norwegian Government’s NORAD and IRISH AID which stimulates private investment in the agricultural market, with a particular focus on the smallholder and emerging farmer sectors.

Musikc’s operations are national in scope and stretch across the agricultural industry, working primarily with those corporate in the sector that are committed to engaging the rural poor as their clients, suppliers and consumers. Musika provides its clients with high quality, commercially focused technical advice and business Support to catalyse and strengthen mutually beneficial commercial relationships between the corporate and smallholder markets- Musike’s approach to reducing poverty and creating wealth in rural Zambia involves stimulating the development of a supportive market environment that provides long term and sustainable opportunities for farmers to invest in their own businesses and to graduate out of poverty.

Musika invites applications from suitably qualified, experienced Zambian Nationals to fill the following position:

SMALL BUSINESS MANAGER – NORTH-WESTERN- SOLWEZI X1

Key responsibilities:

• To utilise reconvnendations from commercial agribusiness partners, to undertake a detailed initial assessment of the small businesses that exist within the area of operation to understand their capacities, their capacity gaps, their existing business linkages and their needs
• To facilitate Business Trainings and assist in the development and continuous upgrading of the training curricula for the range of small businesses covered by Musika’s operations
• To monitor and coordinate all the after-training activities and mentorship strategies built around the small businesses within the programme
• To participate in the design of interventions and development of intervention proposals that relate to the region
• To contribute to the management of the interventions within the region and to ensure that, in the absence of a team member, all roles of intervention management are able to be covered.
• To contribute to the and continuous reporting on the activities undertaken within the region
• To prepare and coordinate timely reports, assessments and feedback as required by the Knowlecte Management Team.
• To manage an information system that tracks progress relating to Musika’s indicators as specified by the Knowledge Management Team

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant subject such as Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Economics, Economics. Business Administration etc.
• A strong understanding of the Zambian agricultural sector
• Highly self-motivated with good analytical and facilitation skills
• Good verbal communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to function as part of a team
• Ability to write clearly and coherently and articulate complex issues
• Willingness to work in and/or travel to rural areas
• Clean drivers’ licence
• Good computer literacy
• Some experience in business development preferable
• At least five years’ experience in agriculture or agriculture-related work, ideally with private sector experience

Only qualifying candidates sh0uld apply, enclosing their detailed curriculum vitae, which should include three referees, contact address and daytime phone/mobile numbers.

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