Director of Non-Financial Services

Title:  Director of Non-Financial Services

Reports to: Country Director

Program Location: Northwest, Northeast Syria

Position Location:  Amman, Jordan

Disciplines: Food Security, Agriculture, Livestock and Livelihoods

Type:  Full-time, Project

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is a non-profit international development organization that has supported livelihoods recovery and community-based economic development in the Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to improve livelihoods and local governance among conflict and crisis-affected groups, while maintaining neutrality and ensuring inclusiveness in our approach. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF has operations in ten countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. Our programs are organized around three pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-Resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

Position Description:

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is seeking candidates for Director of Non-Financial Services for its innovative livelihoods program Syria. The position is based in Amman, Jordan, and provides remote management to staff located in Northwest and Northeast Syria as well as to a small team based in NEF’s regional office in Jordan.

The Director of Non-Financial Services is responsible for thought-leadership, strategy and business development, and program implementation of NEF’s non-financial livelihoods work. The Director will lead the non-financial program strategy and implementation to strengthen economic resilience and incomes in Syria. The Director works closely with NEF’s Access to Finance Director to ensure overall program success and impact.

The position reports to the Country Director, Jordan & Syria, and works closely with the Director of Access to Finance to ensure program success and sustainability. The Director of Non-Financial Services will equally have support from a global team of experts who are renowned for bringing innovation to livelihoods and economic development with a deep commitment to co-creation and localisation, cornerstones of NEF’s work globally.

About the Role

The Director of Non-Financial Services is a senior professional with demonstrated experience in designing and leading complex livelihoods programs in conflict- and non-conflict settings. The Director will be expert at building relationships with key stakeholders and navigating sensitive contexts, providing strong counsel and guidance to teams remotely and in the regional office. The Director is a strong leader with an ability to build teams who well collaboratively as well as independently toward the common goal of providing excellent services to those NEF serves. The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in donor, community, and partner relationships, from cultivation to ongoing relationship management. The Director will also have experience identifying and capitalising on opportunities to bridge the private sector with the humanitarian and development sectors.

The Director will oversee the development, training and capacity-building efforts for NEF’s non-financial services by leading efforts to conceptualize, design and implement modules and systems to support enterprise growth through business diagnostic and development process; assess the relevant markets and sectors to deliver support package that can facilitate enterprise growth, job creation, and access to markets for the project beneficiaries; and build the capacity of business development trainers or officers (e.g. locally embedded master trainers) to ensure knowledge transfer and long-term sustainability for enterprises benefitting from this innovative program.

The Director of Non-Financial Services collaborates with the Director of Access to Finance and global technical team on the planning and implementation of activities related to improving the alignment between workforce skills and labor market needs, improving the enabling environment for business and innovation, and community-based economic development.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy Development & Thought Leadership

• Closely collaborate with global team to design economic opportunity programming that addresses the humanitarian development nexus;

• Support new innovations and approaches, and conduct research to document impact;

• Represent NEF in strategic technical networks that enable NEF to learn from best practices, contribute to shaping national thinking and approaches and increase NEF’s influence and advocacy;

• Ensure that the programmatic approach is positioned within evolving macro-economic policies and visions;

• Strengthen integration and strategic links between NEF’s financial and non-financial entities to evolve its livelihoods program approach and deepen its impact and sustainability;

• Design a thought-leadership strategy in collaboration with the CD and global office to build a body of knowledge on NEF’s innovative approach that is transforming livelihoods and micro-lending as a discipline;

• Assess local partners and devise strategy for how NEF should engage with local partners further to advance its economic opportunity expansion goals; and

• Engage and cultivate the private sector for business partnerships, market research, and as purchasers of products and services developed by NEF’s targeted economic opportunity beneficiaries

Program Excellence & Implementation

• Oversee and optimize the business development process to enhance NEF’s approach to business plans development, financing/growth strategies, and post-financing coaching and mentoring to facilitate enterprise growth and job creation;
• Design strategy, and lead staff in building capacity of business development trainers and/or officers through training, coaching, mentoring and monitoring;
• Actively and pro-actively mentor and guide staff on building and maintaining relationships with entrepreneur networks, trainers, and local partners;
• Lead on updating business identification and diagnostic and development curricula;
• Collaborate closely with the Country Director and Director of Access to Finance to ensure integrated enterprise support programming;
• Assess, evolve, and lead post-financing business strengthening, coaching, and acceleration support, particularly in relation to improved market access, job creation, and value chain upgrades;
• Contribute to the development of programmatic quality control and assurance system(s) and the roll out and the implementation of the system(s)
• Co-convene regular internal technical reviews, programmatic reflections, best practices, and learning and adaptation exercises;
• Ensure management of milestones and progress of supported businesses, ensuring a coordinated effort for documenting and communicating success stories and key achievements regularly; and
• Provide strategic support and staff oversight to support donor reporting.

Market Engagement and Learnings

• Develop a market engagement strategy that supports successful project outcomes;
• Convene and liaise with macro- and mezzo-economic actors to facilitate sectorial growth, market access facilitation, and enterprise growth and investment readiness;
• Monitor and report on market trends, including skills, market, and enterprise-level analysis to inform programming;
• Oversee the design and implementation of market and/or labor studies and regular market diagnostic exercise to inform programming, including sectorial prioritization and market access facilitation;
• Conduct internal technical reviews, programmatic reflections, best practices, and learning and adaptation exercises; and
• Collaborate with other teams to ensure mainstreaming and integration of technical or supporting area related to market access facilitation and sectorial and enterprise growth.

Staff Management & Development

• Provide strong leadership and day-to-day management of program teams in NEF’s regional office and remote management of nearly 100 staff working in Northwest and Northeast Syria
• Build livelihoods’ sector technical capacity in staff;
• Provide technical support to staff in Syria and in NEF’s regional office in Amman;
• Recruit, on-board, and directly manage new staff;
• Manage staff goal setting, work planning, talent development, performance check-ins, and ensure timely implementation and follow-up; and
• Build and maintain strong team culture and model collaboration and positivity.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• University degree (business administration, development economics, agriculture economics, or labor economics) or related field or equivalent work experience, Master’s degree preferred
• A minimum of 10 years related work and team management experience, preferably in development or post-conflict settings
• Proven technical expertise in delivering and managing enterprise development and employment, financial inclusion, market strengthening, agricultural and natural resource management programs including some significant experience in implementing programs overseas, preferably in conflict or disaster affected environments
• Proven track record in business development with US, European, and multilateral donors and partnership with the private sector
• Progressive work experience in programs globally with an international humanitarian and/or developmental organization
• Value chain experience in rural and urban dominated sectors
• Experience with both entrepreneurship and vocational training models to expand jobs and income
• Experience in mentoring beneficiaries, staff and partners to build capacity in sustainable economic development programming
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills, with the ability to think and plan strategically
• Solid organizational skills: proficiency in working productively under remote team and management structures
• Excellent writing and editing skills, particularly with the ability to draft and edit proposals and to write and publish technical resources
• Fluency in reading, writing, and speaking in English and Arabic

NEF will accept a rolling application until the position is filled. Review of application will begin on August 27th, 2023. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

To apply:

Please apply by submitting the following documents:

1. Cover letter outlining relevant experience and skills based on the requirements outlined above
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. List of three references (including one from current, or most recent, employer)

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Near East Foundation by visiting the NEF website at www.neareast.org

The Near East Foundation promotes Equal Employment Opportunities for all applicants seeking employment and NEF employees.