Mentorship Consultant

Working title: mentorship consultancy – START YOUR BUSINESS porject 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

ActionAid Palestine (AAP), through funding from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, and in cooperation with ActionAid Italy and Volontariato Internazionale Per Lo Sviluppo (VIS), is implementing a three-year project entitled: “START YOUR BUSINESS” Project in Hebron and Bethlehem governorates.

The overall objective for this project is “Contribute to durable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full employment and decent work for all (SDG 8) in Palestine with a particular focus on the socio-economic development of disadvantaged youth and vulnerable women.”

The project’s RESULT 1 aims at promoted the development of new start-ups / commercial and social enterprises and increased the spread of social business through the offer of specific training, incubation, and acceleration services. In that regards, and as part of ActionAid Palestine continuous efforts to support youth, particularly young women’s who established  entrepreneurial, business start-ups and social enterprise initiatives in 2018 and 2019 respectively, we are inviting qualified consultants to submit their financial and technical offers to provide mentorship support to 25 young women and men from Hebron and Bethlehem as outlined in the purpose and objectives below. 

PURPOSE & RATIOANALE 

The rationale for this consultancy is to provide mentorship support to existing 25 businesses that were granted through ActionAid two call for competitions, named as Tafawoq competition (6 social enterprises and 19 business start-ups for a period of 6 months. The consultant is required to provide these businesses with tailored mentoring support that will reach on average to 4 days per business in a time span of 5 months starting from October 2020. The mentor should be able to assess the support needed by each entrepreneur, including but not limited to networking, marketing techniques, finance management/bookkeeping. The mentorship could be conducted through online sessions, and field visits, which will be contingent upon the emergency in Palestine. Furthermore, the mentor should be able to provide advice to entrepreneurs on the need for increasing investment, direct entrepreneurs to avenues where financing can be obtained e.g. zero internet loans, connecting them with private sector for incubation (which will strengthen corporate social responsibility in relation to small enterprise development…etc)

The consultant is required to meet the following aspects: 

1. Review all business plans for the 25 businesses and meet with all 25 enterprenuers to assess the  particular support needed by each entrepreneur, including but not limited to networking, marketing techniques, finance management/bookkeeping.
2. Develop tailored mentorship plan and risk management plan for each business/entrepreuner that is requiring ActionAid Palestine as well as the 25 entreprenuers approval. 
3. Provide advice to entrepreneurs on the need for increasing investment, Direct entrepreneurs to avenues where financing can be obtained e.g. zero internet loans
4. Advice entprenurs on how to mitigate risks related to COVID19 state of emergency and any potntial challenges that are expected to face their specific enterprise.  
5. Connecting enterpreuners with private sector for incubation (which will strengthen corporate social responsibility in relation to small enterprise development…etc)

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 

The mentor is expected to deliver a monthly and a final report that correspond to the specific tasks undertaken as part of the mentorship support process. Reporting timeline to be discussed with the successful candidate for this mentorship opportunity. The mentor is required to design a reporting template that captures the activities conducted and progress performed.  

METHODOLOGY/Duties 

The mentor will be responsible for providing the following duties: 

1. Provide guidance and support to twenty-five core businesses. 
2. Create a tailored mentorship plan for action with mentees and develop an activity timeline, going through (the assessment stage, developing of mentorship plan for each)
3. Stay in touch with the entrepreneurs through the suitable communication channel for each (agree with mentees if online of face-to-face support is most appropriate for them to facilitate dialogue and cross-fertilize ideas.
4. Provision of actual mentorship sessions and reporting on progress, successes, challenges and how the latter have been overcome.
5. Participate in a coordination webinar with the businesses that will be set by ActionAid Palestine.
6. Transmit his/her knowledge and experience to mentees to help them develop strategies for taking actions. 
7. Encourage participants to have ongoing commitment to aims and goals of the projects.
8. Provide feedback to ActionAid Palestine Project Officer on the process and activities of his/her mentees.

SCHEDULE 

The assignment shall be conducted between October 1, 2020 to Feb 28, 2021. 

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QUALIFICATIONS OF CONSULTANT

• Bachelor/master’s degree in business, economics, or any other related fields from a recognized university.  
• A minimum 7 years of relevant experience in providing similar mentorship work either through national/international organizations or through consultancy work. 
• Strong financial analytical skills 
• Excellent technical knowledge with online meetings techniques.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
• Time flexible and able to work under pressure with youth.
• Ability to travel to the businesses’ locations and conduct field visits and meetings. (Considering COVID-19 situation)

Consultants that meet the requirements should submit expression of interest, which should include the following: 

1. Cover letter including the consultant’s suitability for the assignment and current contact information
2. Curriculum Vitae with relevant consultancy experience as stated in the QUALIFICATION section.  
3. At least 2 recommendation letters from former clients that testify the applicant/s experience and performance in conducting mentorship activities.  
4. Include 1-2 samples of previous mentorship work 
5. Technical offer: respond to the call for consultancy TOR, showing the consultant/s understanding of the assignment and how this can be taken forward. 
6. Financial offer: detailed budget breakdown based on expected daily rates in USD and initial work plan. 

Prerequisites for accepting Consultants Financial offer:

• Prices must be VAT exempted for official registered firms.
• Local individuals who are not registered at official quarters, prices subject to 5% income tax deduction 
• The Consultancy firms have to provide a valid deduct from source certificate along with the offer. 
• Prices must be in US Dollars valid for 30 days from the closing date of proposal submission. 
• Prices must include all expenses related to this consultancy e.g. travel, stationary, per diems…etc,
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Technical and financial price offers must be submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. on Sunday 27 of September 2020 to [email protected] by indicating the [mentorship consultancy] in the e mail subject section.