Tanager empowers people to realize life-changing economic and social opportunities. Given the complexity of issues being encountered by communities today, we operate not in a single domain but at the nexus of market systems, food systems, social systems, and climate systems. Specifically, we have 30 years of experience integrating gender empowerment and nutrition into agriculture, connecting people across the production supply chain, fostering access for women and other marginalized groups, and unlocking sustainable, climate-smart economic opportunities for all.
Overview
Carrefour des Opportunites (CarrOpps) is a five-year investment to facilitate the positive engagement of young people through their social and economic integration.
Through the CarrOpps investment, Tanager will collaborate with WAKATLAB, AUXFIN and Bibliothèque Sans Frontiers (BSF) to pilot Digital Community Youth Hubs (Carrefours des Opportunités – “CarrOpps”), which will combine entrepreneurship approaches with AUXFIN/BSFs proven life skills and employment readiness digital programs. Physical “maisons” as well as virtual Youth Hubs will be piloted as sustainable digital local service centers in 50 Communes in Burkina Faso in a variety of different contexts to assess what models work best to create positive outcomes for youth in different rural settings. These digital hubs will offer both employment and entrepreneurship services, as well as health, life and social skills and will foster safe spaces in communities for young people to come together and have fun.
The Carrefours des Opportunités partners will improve youth engagement in positive activities and promote peace. Sustainability will be integrated by developing effective economic models for each hub and engaging with the Ministry in charge of youth through their Référant Opportunités Insertion (ROPI) initiative. ROPI agents will be involved at the community level in ensuring that Youth Hubs are well managed and effectively contributing to the social and economic engagement of youth.
Based on the experiences of the Carrefours des Opportunités team over the next 4 years in implementing this Digital Youth Hub Model, Tanager and its partners, along with the Ministry in charge of youth, will make recommendations to scale the approach to all of Burkina Faso.
Tanager is seeking talented professionals for the role of Business Development Specialist, based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for its Carrefour des Opportunities Project. The Business Development Specialist is responsible for providing technical assistance to 50 youth community centres to enable them to operate independently and cover their annual expenses. In collaboration with local stakeholders, he or she will accompany each centre through a structured 12-step process, from contacting local authorities to evaluating the centre’s performance. This role also involves documenting lessons learned to strengthen practices and ensure the sustainability of the project.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
PROGRAM/TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Contact with local authorities:
- Establish a constructive dialogue with local authorities to ensure their support for the project.
- Obtain the necessary authorizations and secure stakeholder engagement.
Start-up visits:
- Conduct field visits to assess feasibility and identify the specific needs of each site.
Organization of the information action camps:
- To raise awareness in local communities and mobilize young people around the goals of the center.
Reflection on the centre’s governance model:
- Collaborate with local stakeholders to adopt an inclusive and sustainable governance model.
Technical Site Assessment:
- Facilitate the physical and technical assessment to identify the needs for rehabilitation or renovation of the centres.
Validation of governance and economic models:
- Facilitate validation workshops with stakeholders to ensure their buy-in to the selected models.
Signing of the operating agreements of the centre:
- Formalize agreements between centres, local authorities and key partners.
Supervision of rehabilitation work:
- Monitor the work to ensure compliance with identified needs and required standards.
Development of the annual business plan:
- To support the centres in the development of their annual activity plans, aligning economic and social objectives.
Implementation of business plans:
- Oversee and support the implementation of plans, ensuring effective coordination of resources.
Performance monitoring and evaluation:
- Implement performance indicators and monitoring tools to assess the autonomy and sustainability of the centres.
Documentation of lessons learned:
- Collect and analyze feedback to improve processes and share best practices.
Any other duties as assigned by the Supervisor.
QUALIFICATION:
Education and Experience
- University degree in business development, business management, community development, or related field.
- Proven experience ( 5 years) in managing similar projects.
- Knowledge of local context and community dynamics Proficiency in project management tools and office software.
- An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Technical expertise in business development and community project management.
- Demonstrated Knowledge of participatory approaches and business models.
- Strong written communication skills, including demonstrated ability to write required documents in a clear, concise, well-organized manner.
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills. Ability to build relationships and rapport with teams, staff, and clients and navigate challenging or unexpected circumstances with creativity, calm, and positivity.
- Excellent facilitation and negotiation skills, ability to communicate effectively with people on all levels both inside and outside the company on issues that could be complex or sensitive in nature.
- Adaptable and innovative. Collaborative and open to feedback. Able to work independently and in a team setting.
- Good understanding of monitoring and evaluation process, reports.
- Good priority management and timeliness, Ability to manage multiple sites and complex processes simultaneously.
- Willingness and ability to travel to community centre sites (50% of the time)
- Proficiency in French and English, Good knowledge of some local languages (Mooré, Dioula).
How to apply
Please submit your resume to [email protected] by or before 9 February 2025. Please include the position title in the subject line of the mail. Please submit the resume and related application documents as a single attachment. Please include a long-term employment history and any relevant short-term consulting work. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone. Only those candidates considered for an interview will be contacted. Tanager is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities and people from diverse groups are encouraged to apply. Please be aware that Tanager does not charge any fee in any step of recruitment.