Pioneering Enterprise Portfolio Manager

Scope of Work

Pioneering Enterprise Portfolio Manager (PE)

Background

Vietnam has taken significant strides towards sustainable economic growth, however small and growing businesses (SGBs) face numerous challenges in accessing knowledge, capital, and markets. The Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Activity (“Activity”) is a five year, US$ 36 million dollars funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to remove policy, market, and firm-level constraints inhibiting the growth of SGBs, including those owned or led by women and vulnerable populations. The goal is to foster an innovative and dynamic Vietnamese private sector that expands economic opportunities domestically and is able to compete regionally and globally. Deloitte Consulting LLP (“Deloitte”) is implementing this Activity from 2020 to 2025. The Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment is the Vietnam Government project owner.

The Activity is made up of four interrelated Objectives:

• Objective 1. Building business management capacity of SGBs, including those led by vulnerable populations (particularly women and ethnic minorities),
• Objective 2. Improving efficiency and productivity by promoting innovation, technology adoption, and sustainable business models,
• Objective 3. Enhancing business enabling environment for a broad-based inclusive economy,
• Objective 4. Strengthening business-to-business (B2B) and cross-sectoral linkages.

USAID IPSC works intensively with top industrial experts and consulting firms to design and provide market-driven solutions for improving business management, access to technology, innovation, domestic and international markets for 5,000 SGBs. Among those, priorities will be placed to rigorously select and co-finance with 60 Pioneering Enterprises (PEs) across Vietnam who are high growth SGBs with demonstrated ability to expand in the industry and locality, lead trends in the sector, strong management capacity and innovative mindset, and produce highly competitive products with Vietnamese origin. Qualified PEs will receive cutting edge consultancy and tailor-made solutions to help develop and implement strategy for positioning their “Made by Vietnam” products in the international markets or global supply chains. IPSC seeks a high-calibre individual with passion to support and manage the stimulating PE portfolio in a fast-paced, intellectually challenging environment and collegial and collaborative culture.

Summary of Activities

The PE Portfolio Manager will be in charge to manage the engagement, prospecting, selection, and oversight technical assistance delivery of 3- 5 assigned PEs per year. Working closely with the PE team, AED, IPSC Senior Management, consulting firms and industrial experts, the PE Portfolio Manager plays a key role in engagement, finetuning and implementing the strategy and process to i) increase the success rate of PE selection, ii) produce deeply rooted PE diagnostic assessments and achievable action plans, iii) deliver timely and impactfully technical support to PEs based on committed cost-sharing and intimate relationship with PEs for accelerating their growth targets and IPSC’s high impacts.

Specific Tasks

The Portfolio Manager PE shall perform the following tasks:

• Implement, coordinate, and manage activities planned in the Annual Workplan, in particular working closely with selected PEs and service providers to meet the agreed schedule and follow up, review, and monitor the quality of services delivered based on approved, customized strategies and action plans.
• Collaborate in developing and designing the overall approach and specific methods for selecting PEs and facilitate selecting appropriate service providers to complete assessments and implement agreed actions for the PEs.
• Capture relevant data and proactively provide an on-going view of performance, exposures, and risks of the assigned PEs while collaborating with other PE Portfolio Managers.
• Facilitate identifying, screening, and selecting PEs potentially eligible for project support based on IPSC’s selection criteria. Monitor IPSC landing page with applications and assist in preparing short-listed firms for consideration of the PE Selection Committee, consisting of AED, USAID, and IPSC.
• Support the PE team to mobilize high quality PE candidates through provincial Departments (Departmemt of Planning and Investment, Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Agriculture and Rural development, etc.)and associations, top business listing publications such as Vietnam National Value, VNR500 Private Sector, FAST500, etc.
• Actively communicate with other development professionals, especially those involved in developing Vietnam’s private sector and seek relationships that leverage the Project’s investments.
• Facilitate appropriate guidance, support, and recommendations directly to PEs when appropriate to assist them in improving their business performance and serving as models for other Vietnamese enterprises, promoting “Made in Vietnam” values and branding. Provide inputs in developing scopes of work/Request for proposals to select appropriately qualified providers to deliver technical assistance (TA) for PEs.
• Liaise with AED to provide informatione to ensure their expectation, objectives are addressed in the ongoing prepartion and implementation of project activities. Arrange periodic meetings with assigned Pes to monitor project support and resolve any emerging issues.
• Being a focal point to collect information on the workflow in the PE team; directlysupportthe PE Director, PE team lead and closely collaborate with PE team members to organize the work for the whole team in terms of PE selection, scope visits, diagnostic, technical assistance and related meetings.
• Work closely with other members of the IPSC pillars to enhance the understanding, learning, managing efficiency, and progress of the PE pillar and other relevant topics.
• In conjunction with the MEL Manager, monitor PE initiatives, collect, and report on relevant data for reporting to USAID and AED.
• Contribute regular inputs for IPSC’s weekly, quarterly, and annual reporting, in addition to creating success stories as required.
• Carry out additional tasks, as per the request of the PE Director and IPSC Project Director.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree preferred) in Economics, Business Administration,Finance, Marketing, or related field with a minimum eight years of full-time professional experience.
• Minimum 5 years experience working on private sector development, particularly one of these areas including founding, capacity building, managing, consulting, investing in SGBs or PEs.
• Minimum 3-year experience in designing and managing capacity building and technical assistance programs with demonstrated growth results for SGBs or PEs.
• Experience in supporting enterprises to develop a Vietnamese brand or bringing Vietnamese products to regional and international markets is a plus, particularly those in the Vietnam’s top listing businesses.
• Minimum 2 year proven experience in effective strategic business planning and direction setting, with strong conceptual and analytical skills.
• Practical understanding of social inclusion, gender equity, and women’s economic empowerment is a plus.
• Demonstrated high level organizational and time management skills, including the ability to manage workflow and balance competing priorities to ensure deadlines are met.
• Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills to effectively represent IPSC to all stakeholders, and to be effective in a collaborative team environment.
• Strong ability to give attention to details while maintaining focus on the big picture.
• Highly motivated individual with profound ability to organize functions, work independently when necessary, and solve problems.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and initiative. Candidate needs to be resourceful and a team player who enjoys a high-performance culture.
• Vietnamese nationality and willingness to travel.
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Vietnamese and proficiency in reporting and presenting.

Reporting Requirements

This position will report to the PE Director. Competitive salary and benefits.

Place, Period of Performance and Level of Effort

Level of effort:            Full time

Expected start date:       April 2023

End date:                      December 2025

Location:                       Hanoi, Vietnam with travel to other provinces as required

Application:                    [email protected] stating Job Title with CV & CL.

USAID Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Key Concepts and Definitions

• Small and Growing Business (SGB): An organization/economic unit of Vietnam, including enterprises, under the provisions of the Law on Enterprises, cooperatives operating under the provisions of the Law on Cooperatives, and business households registered in accordance with Vietnamese law, which employs no more than 500 full-time employees, has growth potential but lacks the resources of knowledge, finance, human resources, and technology to realize its goals and growth potential. 
• Pioneering SGBs or Pioneering Enterprises (PEs): A growing Vietnamese enterprise with Vietnamese-branded products, good competitiveness, the ability to lead and expand in the industry, sector, and locality, good management capacity and willingness to innovate and produce products with high added value, with the vision/objective to build a Vietnamese brand in the international market.
• Business Development Service Provider (BDSP): Agencies, organizations and enterprises in both the public and private sector with functions, duties/business lines providing non-financial services to support enterprises to improve operational efficiency and business development.
• Business Support Organization (BSO): An organization with the function and mission to connect and support business development, often including business associations/clubs, industries, etc.

Deadline for application: 8 March 2023 at 5pm Vietnam time