Director of Enterprise Development

Director of Enterprise Development

USAID VIETNAM SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY

Introduction

The new USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity is recruiting for multiple positions. The team is looking for extremely well organized and self-directed individuals with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgement, and strong operational focus.

Project Background

The Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management. SFMA will implement a “Green Prosperity” approach that strengthens local communities’ ability to protect their natural resource base and reduce emissions while building a strong foundation for sustainable livelihoods and equitable economic growth.

SFMA will work in six provinces and focus on five activities:

• Strengthening community forest management;

• Promoting conservation-friendly enterprises;

• Improving law enforcement to tackle environmental crimes;

• Enhancing the management of production forests; and

• Mobilizing domestic resources.

Summary of Primary Duties

The Director of Enterprise Development will identify and facilitate access to economic and other incentives for SFM project participating communities to stop forest conversion and degradation activities. Incentives could include PFES, Government subsidies, access to training and technical assistance in best practices, market information and access to unmet demand opportunities promoting with existing and new products, better understanding of and through integrated value chain analysis from forest to markets while addressing barriers to entry, facilitating appropriate co-investment and financing, building strong partnerships with private sector entities to catalyze finance for landscape investments. S/he will build capacity of forestry enterprises and business associations to foster sustainable supply and competitive production, action plans, and business services support in SFM landscapes to increase conservation-friendly enterprises.

Essential Duties

• Provide technical leadership and strategy development in entrepreneurship and enterprise development based on third party certifiable and legal sustainable supply of timber and non-timber forest products;

• Identify and facilitate economic and other incentives for participants - interested forest dwelling communities and businesses consistent with project sustainability objectives;

• Identify and conduct integrated analysis of sizable - scalable - viable value chains to facilitate solutions to address weak links, technical and non-technical barriers to entry and or scaling up, conduct mapping and propose participating SMEs, communities, businesses and service providers;

• Facilitate strategic partnerships and alliances that incorporate Vietnam enterprises into competitive value chains to target viable unmet demand and insufficient supply, including the establishment of producers-buyers partnership, sales agreements and others;

• Conduct financial – social – environmental viability analysis for promoted production and consistent with GVN and USAID requirements;

• Provide direct technical assistance and advisory services as needed, coordinating closely with potential lenders and investors to enable Vietnam firms to access affordable finance and investment they need to grow, increase profits to incentivize sustainable production while increasing employment incorporating gender perspectives.

• Track progress towards core component indicators and learning objectives, and propose strategic adaptations in response to market shifts to capture opportunities in key international markets.

• Engage, collaborate and share international best practices and lessons learned from SME programs with government, financial institutions and business service providers.

• Coordinate with existing programs to expand entrepreneurship initiatives and create dynamic entrepreneurship support-systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, finance, marketing, or relevant area required; advanced degree preferred.

• 10 years of experience in the private sector or with development projects, preferably with a focus on environmental issues in Vietnam, with a strong emphasis on access to finance, entrepreneurship and SME support

• Knowledge of forestry and agroforestry value chains in Vietnam

• Expertise in business planning and strategy development, business models, product pricing, investment, and entrepreneurship development.

• Demonstrated passion for using innovative approaches to solve complex development problems, with practical experience mobilizing and working with diverse teams.

• Knowledge of the landscape of Vietnam ecosystem actors and SME service gaps.

• Prior experience managing teams preferred in technical strategy development, activity planning, and relationship building with public and private stakeholders.

• Excellent networking and communication skills.

• Fluent in English; fluency in Vietnamese preferred

Level of Effort, Location and Reporting

The level of effort is 260 days per year. The employment contract will be on a yearly basis, with possible extensions until the close of the project. The Director of Enterprise Development reports to the Chief of Party. The position is based in Hanoi, with travel to priority SFMA municipalities.

Application instructions:

https://fs9.formsite.com/daisuppliers/a1ejkczlwj/index.html?1593530224883

Select the Director of Enterprise Development position, fill out the required information and upload CV. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as interviews will be conducted soon. Please note, due to the volume of applications that we receive and the urgency to fill-up positions only shortlisted applicants will receive notifications on next steps. Positions are for Vietnam Nationals only.

About DAI

DAI works at the cutting edge of international development, combining technical excellence, professional project management, and exceptional customer service to solve our clients’ most complex problems. Since 1970, DAI has worked in 150 developing and transition countries, providing comprehensive development solutions in areas including crisis mitigation, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. Clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and host-country governments. More information about DAI can be found on the DAI website (www.dai.com).

Application Deadline: 06 Sep 2020