Business Entrepreneurship Officer

CARE Palestine (West Bank/Gaza) is looking for a committed professional to the values of Transformation, Integrity, Diversity, Equality, and Excellence for a 12-month contract with possibility of extension, to fill the following vacancy:

Business Entrepreneurship Officer

The Business and Entrepreneurship Officer - BEO, based in Ramallah, will support the implementation of key development projects aimed at promoting resilience, protection, and socio-economic inclusion as part of CARE’s efforts in the West Bank/Gaza. This includes working on several projects, among them three current ones, which are:

1. “AMALI: Empowered Women and Youth for Resilient Communities”

    - Objective: Advance socio-economic resilience for vulnerable women and youth, including Violence against women & girls (VAWG) survivors and individuals with disabilities, while improving access to psychosocial support (PSS), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and Violence against women & girls (VAWG) prevention and response services.

2. “Empowering Women-Owned Businesses in the West Bank and Gaza”

    - Objective: Empower women entrepreneurs to overcome barriers, stabilize businesses, and build economic resilience in fragile contexts.

3. "The Women Equality and Empowerment Program - Palestine (Powered by Women)"

    - Objective: advancing women & girls equality and empowerment across nine districts in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Business and Entrepreneurship Officer - BEO is responsible for providing technical support in business development activities across all project components. This role focuses on delivering direct business development services, including business planning guidance and capacity-building support, to targeted women and youth entrepreneurs, as well as implementing partners. The BEO will work closely with the project team and partners to ensure effective execution of business-related activities that contribute to the project’s overall goals.

S/he will collaborate with the Project Manager, MEAL Specialist, Women & Girls Specialist, procurement team, finance, and local partners to strengthen business support networks and facilitate smooth implementation. Reporting to the Project Manager in the West Bank, the BEO will contribute to unified reports for CARE and the donor. This position pertains to business technical support within projects' implementation. The Officer will also ensure that CARE WBG projects align with the Country Office's Program & Strategy.

Responsibilities:

Job Responsibility 1: Project Implementation and Entrepreneurship/ Business Technical Support. (50%)

• Provide tailored business development support services to women and youth entrepreneurs, including business planning, financial literacy, and market access strategies.
• With the PM, work closely with the partners to develop and finalize selection criteria of the beneficiaries, and needs assessment to select potential actors on different levels.
• Support the identification, verification, selection, and monitoring of project beneficiaries.
• Providing targeted women & youth entrepreneurs with regular mentoring and business plan guidance when needed, and assisting beneficiaries in finding market linkages and conducting promotional activities.
• Identify market opportunities and link beneficiaries with market actors to promote value chain inclusion.
• Provide technical support to the Project Manager (PM) and implementing partners, who are the direct implementers of specific interventions and outputs.
• Directly implement key business development activities that fall under CARE’s responsibilities, under the supervision of the PM.
• Design, guide and actively contribute to promotion & marketing events to promote the products of the women/youth enterprises/Cooperatives whenever applicable according to the Action Plan, and support exchange visits.
• Collaborate with the project team to ensure timely implementation of business development activities in alignment with project work plans.
• Responsible for implementing specific procurement activities, logistics and materials for the project’s business development activities
• Work with the PM and develop BoQs and procurement plans in accordance with CARE and donor requirements.
• In cooperation with the PM and other relevant CARE team, following up monitoring process and the implementation process for business development activities.

Job Responsibility 2: Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Reporting. (20%)

• Work with the PM and MEAL team to track progress, collect data, and evaluate the impact of enterprise development activities.
• Ensure that relevant data and information on the project outputs, indicators and impact are collected in accordance with a clear M&E plan using agreed upon tools, and that relevant information is entered in the database, reporting systems, and trackers as needed.
• Prepare and submit regular progress reports to the PM, ensuring alignment with donor reporting requirements.
• Identify and document lessons learned and best practices to inform future programming and scale-up opportunities.
• Conduct regular field visits to the partners, beneficiaries, and project sites to offer all needed business technical support to the partners and the field staff, and to monitor the projects’ business activities to ensure project M&E objectives are met.
• Contribute to improving systems to supervise and manage the implementation, monitoring, learning and evaluation of projects.

Job Responsibility 3: Coordination & Communication (10%)

• Support effective communication and coordination between CARE, project partners, and beneficiaries.
• Participate in regular project coordination meetings and contribute to strategic planning discussions.
• Liaise, coordinate, and collaborate with representatives of national authorities, municipal and village councils, private sector entities, other consortia, community committees, and other relevant actors through the provision of information about the project and project activities.
• Coordinate with CARE staff in other projects to ensure efficiency, responsiveness, synergy, and maximize the impact.

Job Responsibility 4: Financial and Compliance Management. (15%)

• Support the PM overseeing procurement and resource allocation related to business and enterprise development activities, ensuring timely and transparent execution.
• Support the PM in managing contracts, agreements, and in-kind grants and awards ensuring adherence to CARE and donor policies.
• Support the PM in overseeing financial performance (accurate financial tracking, reporting, and budget alignment) and ensure alignment with project objectives, and ensuring compliance with CARE’s financial and procurement policies.
• Work with the PM and PC to develop/monitor budgets, BoQs and procurement plans

in accordance with CARE and donor requirements.

• Maintain accurate records of financial transactions, procurement documents, and audit-compliant archives to uphold transparency and accountability
• Participate in supplier evaluations, procurement planning, and goods verification to ensure quality, cost-effectiveness, and timely delivery. Maintain an updated inventory list, track received items through proper documentation

Job Responsibility 5: Perform other duties (as assigned by supervisor) (5%)

جميع الحقوق محفوظة لموقع جوبس.

Qualifications & Preferred Skills

Education/Training

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, Community Development Business Development, Development Studies, or a related field (Master’s degree is preferred).

Desired

• Strong understanding of business planning, market analysis, and providing technical support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly women- and youth-owned businesses.
• Knowledge of sensitive programming and microfinance institutions, women’s economic empowerment, and working with marginalized communities (e.g., Violence against women & girls (VAWG) survivors and persons with disabilities).
• Capacity to track project outcomes, prepare reports for donors and internal stakeholders, and ensure project accountability and learning.

Experience & Technical Skills

Required

• Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience in business development, entrepreneurship support, or economic empowerment programs.
• Experience in providing business development services and effective entrepreneurship support.
• Experience in value chain development and linking small businesses with market actors.
• Proven track record in implementing livelihood or economic empowerment programs focused on women, youth, and marginalized communities.
• Strong monitoring and evaluation experience, including data collection, tracking project outcomes, and reporting for donors and internal stakeholders.
• Experience in coordinating and working with multiple stakeholders, including local authorities, private sector actors, and civil society organizations.
• Ability to conduct needs assessments and beneficiary selection in collaboration with project partners.

Desired

• Experience working in fragile contexts, particularly in the West Bank and Gaza.
• Technical knowledge in SME development and supporting women- and youth-owned businesses in fragile contexts.
• Familiarity with donor compliance and strong presentation and communication skills
• Fluency in English and Arabic (spoken and written) to facilitate communication with beneficiaries and partners.

Interested applicants are encouraged to send their CV by e- mail to [email protected], to the attention of the HR Department no later than COB Sunday, 27/04/2025, indicating the job title in the subject line and cover letter.

Applications received after this date or that do not meet the qualifications above will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Applications from female candidates are strongly encouraged.

CARE International promotes the principle of Equal Opportunity for all.

***Due to the urgency to fill this role, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Kindly note that the position might be filled before the vacancy announcement is closed.