Brief Description:

City Mtwara, Tanzania

Start Date Mar - May 2018 (flexible)

Length of Placement 9 Months

Language Requirements English

Open to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada only

The Volunteer’s Role

As the Business Management Advisor, you can apply your management skills to mentor small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for our Tanzania Local Enterprise Development (T-LED) project.

The project supports SMEs overcome existing barriers in growing businesses in food production, natural resource products, and other agribusiness value chains. T-LED pays particular attention to the challenges women-led SMEs face by matching them with skilled volunteers with management and entrepreneurial experience to provide guidance. The project also provides SMEs with financial resources through matching loan initiative and financial mentorship to support SMEs that are ready to expand their operations.

Your role will be to coach various SMEs to grow their businesses in food processing and natural resource product production. You will establish working relationships with local SMEs through the introduction of SIDO and the T-LED field manager and build a mentor-mentee relationship. By utilizing your management skills, SMEs will learn from your business insights in the production and sale of goods.

By working with T-LED national volunteers, you will be supported in language and cultural interpretation when fostering relationships with various local SMEs. This role does entail a solid understanding of business fundamentals, as well as some work experience as an entrepreneur or in manufacturing, to properly advise SMEs on the growth of their businesses.

You will be well supported by the Mtwara team, all eager to collaborate with you to improve the local growth of SMEs through your knowledge and input. Come join a dynamic T-LED team!

As a volunteer, you will:

-Train SME staff in business management, including market analysis and developing business plans

-Support and recruit target SMEs to achieve the standard required by the foreign investors

-Coach and mentor SIDO, TCCIA and TWCC staff to improve business support services

-Develop tools and training materials with SIDO, TCCIA and TWCC staff that can be used in their business development services

-Improve the capacity of SMEs to win contracts with companies in the extractives and agriculture value chains

Essential Academic Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Management, Value Chain Management, or another relevant field

Essential Professional Background:

- 3 – 5 years’ work experience in a management position

- 3 – 5 years’ management experience in the production of goods for sale

- Facilitation and training skills; experience in the development and delivering workshops

Support Package

- Modest monthly living allowance (varies depending country)

- Accommodation while in placement

- Return airfare and visa/work permit costs

- Cost of required vaccinations, antimalarial medication and health insurance

- Pre-departure training and in-country orientation

- Travel and accommodation for reintegration debriefing weekend

- Modest support for accompanying partners and dependents going on placement with you for 12 months or longer (Return flight, emergency medical insurance, vaccinations)

- Access to Employee Assistance Program while in placement and upon return

- Cuso International assessment day (Candidates must cover the first $200 of the most cost-effective travel expenses and all accommodation costs).

- Travel and accommodation for the five-day pre-departure training course and for in-country orientation

- Bonus: Additional return flight home or cash in lieu after 12 months of service for volunteers who extend for another 6 months

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