Business Development Manager

Closing date: 15 Oct 2010
Location: Malawi - Blantyre

Position Objective:

Water For People has received a large grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop and test sustainable business models to expand sanitation coverage in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This four-year grant aimed at achieve sustainable excreta management through catalyzing sanitation businesses and supporting the development of approaches that can be taken to scale without the need for external grant funding. Whilst undertaking this process the project with develop and document a series of business landscaping and market analysis studies which enable replication in other settings and the testing of innovative sanitation technical solution which overcome exiting constraints and improve potential for commercially viable private sector organizations.

Based in Malawi, this position will search for opportunities and drive the development of viable sanitation business based solutions that can be taken to scale within Malawi. This achieved by providing business development expertise, conducting market analysis studies, and mentoring emerging sanitation businesses.

Essential Job Functions and Duties:

1.Provide expertise in developing sanitation businesses in Malawi. Identify needs, opportunities, gaps, and constraints in potential sanitation markets, models, and entrepreneurs, and provide mentoring and support to sanitation businesses.
2.Continually the search for new sanitation business opportunities with Malawi, both inside and outside the existing Water for People program activities. The aim is to develop businesses in urban, small town and rural settings by the end of the project.
3.Conduct business landscaping studies, and conduct/oversee the management of market analysis work.
4.Engage with local government to understand and if necessary improve the regulatory operating environment for emerging sanitation businesses.
5.Undertake a review of the financial sector and identify both constraints and opportunities, working with the financial community to develop financial packages that relate to the identified requirements of businesses operating in the sanitation sector.
6.Document successes and failures, and share knowledge internally and externally. Communicate regularly with project staff worldwide, and country and regional Water For People staff, to share lessons learned and project updates.
7.Build trust and relationships with key local entrepreneurs, and gain an understanding of the private sector in Malawi.
8.Ensure all the incubator and larger scale businesses developed within the project have relevant and informative management information and monitoring systems which allow objective assessments of the progress the businesses are making.
9.Liaise with ‘Program Analyst – Methodologies’ and support their reiterative learning process aimed at developing and documenting improvement methodologies for catalyzing sanitation as a business.
10.Feed into and support the global efforts for idea generation and new technology testing.

Supervisory Duties:

This position will directly report to the Country Coordinator – Malawi, and functionally report to the Program Operations Manager. Depending on growth of the project within Malawi, this position may need to hire and manage a team of support officers.

Job Qualifications:

Knowledge, Skill & Ability

1.Must be risk taker, and have a nose for entrepreneurial opportunities.
2.Willing to test innovative approaches and develop ideas from mistakes and unexpected outcomes.
3.Good analytical skills and the ability to extrapolate lessons to other situations.
4.Comfort and talent in communicating with diverse and international constituents.
5.Must be flexible, innovative, proactive, to work under tight deadlines and have excellent follow through skills. Be a self starter and to work with limited supervision
6.Some knowledge of or willingness to learn about the sanitation sector.

Education or Formal Training

1.Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant subject
2. Advanced Degree desired

Experience

1.Five years directly related experience is preferred
2.Experience living, working and negotiating in developing country context. Familiarity with Malawi (including knowledge of local language and business environment) would be desirable.
3.Experience with running or investing in a business in a developing country, particularly in the informal business sector.

Material and Equipment Directly Used

1. Personal computer
2. Telephone
3. General office equipment including but not limited to fax machine, photocopier, printer, etc.

Working Environment/Physical Activities

1. Based in Water For People’s office in Blantyre, Malawi. Office environment.
2. Ability to travel domestically and internationally regularly, often to remote field locations

How to apply

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and CV detailing relevant experience to careers@waterforpeople.org

Find more details regarding Water For People’s Sanitation as a Business programming at http://www.waterforpeople.org/programs/how-we-work/initiatives/sanitation-as-a-business.html

Reference Code: RW_89JMJX-52

People who read this post also read :