Position Title: Business Development Officer

Location: Chadiza, Eastern Provinces, Zambia

Reporting To: Project Coordinator

About Us:
The Chadiza District Women’s Development Association (CDWDA) is a women-led association that is registered under the Registrar of Societies whose members are derived from different women groups within a district. Chadiza Women District Development Association is a strong base for building women’s voices at all community levels with the aim of enhancing women’s economic empowerment in their communities, hence the focus on income-generating activities.

Project Overview: The project aims to advance women’s economic empowerment by enhancing their capacity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from agricultural value chains. It focuses on affirming the value of women’s contributions, respecting their dignity, and promoting equality and equity across targeted provinces in Zambia.

Overall Goal: To help women become more economically independent and make sure they can take part in, contribute to, and benefit from agricultural value chains and processes in ways that respect their worth, acknowledge their value, and promote fairness and equality in Zambia’s Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central Provinces.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Business Development Support:

• Provide tailored business development services to women entrepreneurs, focusing on the agricultural sector.
• Assist in the development of business plans, financial projections, and market analysis to ensure the viability and sustainability of women’s enterprises.

2. Capacity Building:

• Design and deliver training programs aimed at enhancing women’s skills in business management, financial literacy, and leadership.
• Facilitate trainings that promote best practices in agricultural value chain management.

3. Market Linkages:

• Identify and establish partnerships with key stakeholders, including buyers, suppliers, and financial institutions, to create market opportunities for women-led businesses.
• Support the development of groups and associations to strengthen collective bargaining power and access to larger markets.
• to provide support in establishing and operating market structures (e.g., collection centres, market centres, processing facilities, etc.).

4. Advocacy and Policy Engagement:

• Collaborate with local authorities and traditional leaders to advocate for policies that enhance women’s access to land, financial services, and leadership positions.
• Participate in community forums to raise awareness about the importance of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Develop and implement monitoring tools to track progress toward project objectives and outputs.
• Prepare regular reports detailing achievements, challenges, and recommendations for continuous improvement.

6. Collaboration with Technical Partners:

• Work closely with technical partner organisations to ensure the project adopts a rights-based transformative approach that aligns with women’s needs.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity-building initiatives among partners to enhance project impact.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Diploma in Business Administration, Economics, Development Studies, or a related field; a Bachelor’s degree will be an added advantage.
• A minimum of three years of experience in business development, preferably within the agricultural sector and with a focus on women’s economic empowerment.
• Proven experience in capacity building, market linkage facilitation, and advocacy.
• Strong understanding of gender dynamics and challenges affecting women’s participation in economic activities in Zambia.
• Must be courteous, honest, and of high integrity, especially in high-pressure situations.
• Proven interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to relate to individuals and groups diplomatically and tactfully.
• Self-starter and self-motivator with the ability to work in a multicultural and multi-sector setting
• Must be a team player and have the ability to execute and manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work a varied schedule to include early mornings, weekends, and some evenings.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to follow directions and independently complete assigned tasks (written or verbal).
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and community groups.
• Willing to start the soonest as the project is already running
• Proficiency in local languages spoken in the targeted provinces is an advantage.
• Preferably, a resident of Chadiza District

Duration: This position is a fixed-term contract aligned with the project’s duration, subject to performance and funding availability.