Senior Business Development Advisor - Kakuma at African Entrepreneur Collective (AEC)

About the Opportunity

This position provides you with the opportunity to work directly with our entrepreneur clients in Inkomoko communities as well as mentor and coach direct reports.  As a member of the Business Growth Services team this role will contribute to the direct impact of Kenyan micro and small entrepreneurs to create thriving communities. 

The position holder will be based in Kakuma or Kalobeyei and will report to the Business Development Manager. The Senior Business Development Advisor role has responsibilities as follows:

Responsibilities

MANAGEMENT & GENERAL ADMINISTRATION (50% time)

• Serve as a coach, mentor, and advisor to Business Associates (BAs) and Business Development Advisors (BDAs) to enhance their business development skills
• Ensure client recruitment targets are achieved in assigned locations
• Assist BDAs/BAs and review work as needed to ensure high-quality work is delivered to clients
• Coordinate the BDAs and BAs activities with other department activities, ensuring the highest quality of organization and client services outcomes
• Work with the Business Development Manager and Inkomoko leadership team to develop annual goals for the BGS department
• Build the capacity of BDAs and BAs team to achieve Inkomoko Kenya’s annual business development service objectives, market linkages, advocacy & access to finance.
• Represent Inkomoko in Kakuma/Kalobeyei in stakeholders meetings and activities.
• Maintain and develop relationships with partners, business community leaders in Kakuma and Kalobeyei
• Keep up to date on the latest business and industry trends in Kakuma/Kalobeyei and in Kenya
• Ensure set KPIs on individual business, market linkages and advocacy are met in the locations under his/her supervision.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT & CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (40% time)

• Conduct regular site visits to provide real-time coaching for assigned client portfolio based on business needs, challenges and opportunities 
• Provide informed, strategic, and realistic advice to help clients meet their objectives for business growth. 
• Ensure up-to-date clients’ business information across locations in an accurate manner using the applicable project management tools
• Review BDAs & BAs consulting work to define immediate client needs and areas of improvement.
• Assist BDAs & BAs to implement recommendations on learnings/insights within businesses, helping them to navigate challenges, make sound business decisions and achieve their business/growth goals
• Connect clients to other Inkomoko services, including access to finance, advocacy and market linkages
• Manage the schedule and delivery of services throughout client engagements
• Provide the training using Inkomoko training materials in Kiswahili, English & any additional language as required within the area of operation
• Coordinate with the training and field teams in organizing training logistics, field activities such focus group activities, refresher trainings and training supplies ensuring all are within budget
• Ensure up-to-date the clients’ business information is collected and shared in an accurate manner using the applicable project management tools.
• Support and coordinate with the MEL, training and admin teams on location activities

COMMUNICATION AND REPORTING (10% time)

• Regularly track and report on the progress of client work and project deliverables, gathering learnings/insights and reporting to management for improvement.
• Review & submit weekly, monthly and quarterly program reports in a timely manner.
• Communicate program priorities/details to clients, in line with Inkomoko policies.
• Perform any other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who will navigate fast-paced and resource-constrained environments with enthusiasm, resilience, a sense of humor, and imagination.

The ideal candidate will fulfill the following requirements:

• Bachelor Degree in Business Administration/Management or related field
• 3+ years of work experience in business development services or related field
• Experience in client relationship management skills, business planning, and coaching
• Experience in working with groups (CBOs, Self Help Groups, LNGOs etc.) is desirable.
• Excellent computer skills, especially with MS Excel and Word
• Good written and oral communications skills
• Good presentation and training skills
• Shows perseverance, personal integrity, and critical thinking skills
• Show personal drive, initiative and learning agility 
• Must speak fluent English and Swahili; knowledge of other languages i.e. Arabic, Somali, Turkana is an added advantage
• People management experience.
• Must be able to legally work in Kenya.