Job Reference:
Job Title: / Pacific Women Business Counsellor
Work Unit: / Social Development Programme (SDP)
Reports to: / Gender Equality Adviser, North Pacific
Number of direct reports or total head count (if relevant): / None
Job Purpose: / To support women’s economic empowerment through the matching of clients to appropriate business training and mentoring
Date: / September 2017
Vision:

“All CROP (Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific) agencies contribute to achieving the vision embodied in the Pacific Plan of a region of peace, stability, economic growth, good governance and sustainable development. SPC is committed to these values and to working in partnership with national, regional and international organisations and development partners to serve its members.”

Organisation Context:

Through the first Pacific Women Country Plan for the Federated States of Micronesia 2016-2019, endorsed in July 2016 by the FSM Government, the Australian Government proposes to invest in activities to increase economic opportunities for women. Other investments will address reducing violence against women and expanding services, and increasing women’s leadership and decision-making. The plan identifies the Pacific Community (SPC) as the implementing partner for developing women’s entrepreneurship.

The Pacific Womenbusiness counsellor will lead and coordinate the Pacific Women Growing Businesses (PWGB) project and report to the Social Development Program’s Gender Equality Adviser in Pohnpei.

A scope exercise to assess a potential WEE project for FSM recommended a project that would lift women’s labour force participation and incomes through successfully supporting the growth of women’s businesses (both formal and informal). Pohnpei was selected to pilot a women’s entrepreneurship program because:

  • As the second largest state, it has a sufficiently large population to absorb the project
  • It has the largest gap in male and female labor force participation
  • preliminary investigations indicate potential for business growth, particularly in the tourism-related sectors of organic food and handcrafts
  • A growth in tourism is anticipated due to Nan Madol recently acquiring world heritage status, and additional air routes from December 2017 providing easier access to the main island of Pohnpei.

Unlike other FSM states, Pohnpei does not have a Small Business Development Center. The only source of business advice for small and emerging businesses in Pohnpei is the Center for Entrepreneurship (CfE) at the College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM), which is focussed on developing entrepreneurial skills of students within the COM-FSM. The CfE collaborates with other COM-FSM departments, and particularly the Business Division, to enhance activities related to entrepreneurship. CfE also connects students to Micronesian entrepreneurs and leaders. Over its first three years, CfE has supported five successful student businesses through an incubator program. With cooperation from other COM-FSM campuses, the CfE hopes to expand its program to all four state campuses. The business division runs courses including bookkeeping, as well as accounting and information systems.

The Women’s Business Development Counsellorwill work closely with CfE and the business division to support collaboration, avoid duplication with CfE initiatives, and enable cooperation providing specialist training e.g bookkeeping, computing, taxes and business diagnostics.

The aim of the position ofPacific Women Business Development counsellor is to lead the Pacific Women Growing Businesses project and meet the business development needs of women in small and emerging businesses and therefore the scaling up of women’s businesses in Pohnpei.

Key Result Areas:

The position of Pacific WomenBusiness Development counsellor encompasses the following major functions or Key Result Areas:

  1. Clientsupport
  2. Coordination with COM-FSM

3Liaison with partners and stakeholders

4. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting

The requirements in the above Key Result Areas are broadly identified below.

Jobholder is accountable for

/
Jobholder is successful when
Client Support
  • Attract potential clients through community presentations, advertising, networking, responding to requests, CfE and SPCidentified opportunities
  • Develop a screening questionnaire, and assess the needs of potential clients
  • Develop a guideline for doing business in Pohnpei
  • Step clients through business development processes, including concept development, business plans accounting, filling loan applications, marketing.
Coordination with COM-FSM
  • agree six month plans for business courses including both COM and other presenters
  • match clients with business students
  • Make arrangements for courses, client attendance and payments of lecturers and student mentors
Liaison with partners and stakeholders
  • Involve partners in courses and events
  • Report on business events and opportunities
  • With COM and SPC, organise six monthly coordination sessions
  • Identify and report on gaps in business support and barriers facing businesses and how these can be addressed
Monitoring Evaluation and reporting
  • Finalise a monitoring and evaluation plan for the project
  • Collect monitoring and evaluation data from project beneficiaries
  • Identify lessons and modify project activities to respond to these lessons
  • Complete all project reporting
/ The program is well known and women wanting to expand their businesses apply for entry
Potential clients are clear at the end of the interview what the program offers them.
Clients development needs are identified
Client needs reflected in plans for business courses & support
Mentoring and business planning support is appropriate to clients’ needs
Courses and events run smoothly
Timely presentation of accounts for payment
Budget is planned and managed
The Pohnpeibusiness sector is aware of the program and its activities
Partners take responsibility for business support in the longer term
Pohnpei state improves the design of loans in its Small business guarantee and finance corporation
  • M&E data is collected and analysed on a routine basis
  • The project is using learnings to shape future program delivery.
  • All reporting is completed and submitted on time.

Note

The above performance standards are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for this position will need further discussion between the jobholder and supervisor as part of the performance development process.

Work Complexity:
Most challenging duties typically undertaken:
  • Accurately Identifying the business development needs of clients
  • Ensuring that, when working with couples, that the woman is able to clearly articulate her business needs and have them responded to as a priority
  • Identifying the gaps in business support available and what might services could fill those gaps

Functional Relationships and Relationship Skills:
Key internal and/or external contacts / Nature of the contact most typical
Internal
Gender equality adviser, north pacific
Finance officer, MRO
Finance officer, SDP
Director, SPC Micronesia Regional Office / Reporting, planning
Reporting, production of appropriate authorities and records
Publicity, Contact with other programs
External
Business clients
Manager CfE
Manager, business school COM
Chamber of Commerce, Pohnpei state / Interviewing, liaison, collecting evaluations (written and oral)
Planning & designing joint activities, cooperation
Liaison over courses
Information on activities
Level of Delegation:

The position holder has no delegated authorities as per SPC’s Instruments of Delegation.

Person Specification:

This section is designed to capture the expertise required for the role at the 100% fully effective level. (This does not necessarily reflect what the current jobholder has.) This may be a combination of knowledge / experience, qualifications or equivalent level of learning through experience or key skills, attributes or job specific competencies.

Qualifications
Essential: / Desirable:
Diploma or tertiary qualifications in business studies or equivalent / Degree in business studies

Knowledge / Experience

Essential: / Desirable:
  • At least two years experience in business support or mentoring
  • A demonstrated understanding of the barriers facing women in business in FSM
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
  • Ability to work under pressure with a team-oriented approach to meet deadlines and achieve team goals
  • A demonstrated understanding of basic program management skills, including project implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting
/
  • Pohnpeian speaker
  • successful experience as an entrepreneur
  • Good knowledge of, and experience working with, the Pohnpei business community and the College of Micronesia
  • Understanding of the impact of gender norms and expectations on women in business

Key Skills /Attributes / Job Specific Competencies

The following levels would typically be expected for the 100% fully effective level:

Expert level / detailed understanding of the entire business development process, including concept development, drafting business plans plans, accounting, filling loan applications, etc.
Advanced level / Interviewing and assessments
Gender equality and women’s empowerment
Managing information
Presentation and Communication skills
Working Knowledge / Training and development
Awareness / Barriers facing Pohnpei businesses
Key Behaviours

All employees are measured against the following Key Behaviours as part of Performance Development:

  • Change and Innovation
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Teamwork
  • Promotion of Equity and Equality
  • Judgement
  • Building Individual Capacity

Personal Attributes

  • High work ethic
  • Honest
  • Polite
  • Team player
  • Efficient
  • Effective
  • Able to work independently with clear guidance
  • Able to take input from supervisors and to work on areas of weakness with positive attitude

Change to Job Description:

From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of our work environment – including technological requirements or statutory changes. Such change may be initiated as necessary by the line manager. This Job Description may be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle.

Approved:

Manager/SupervisorDate

EmployeeDate

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