Position Title: Business Development Specialist
Duty Station: RAQQA and Deir Ezzor
Contract Type: consultancy – delivery based
Duration: 6 months (with possible extension)
Application Deadline: 31/10/2025
Start Date: November
Reports to: Team Leader
About NESCO
NESCO is a consultancy and research firm based in Northeast Syria, providing high-quality services in monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, and business development. NESCO’s mission is to empower local institutions, cooperatives, and entrepreneurs through evidence-based approaches that promote sustainable growth, inclusivity, and resilience.
We are currently seeking a Business Development Specialist to lead the design and delivery of capacity-building, business diagnostic, and sustainability planning activities for cooperatives and women-led startups. The ideal candidate will combine technical expertise, strong facilitation skills, and a deep understanding of local socio-economic contexts in Northeast Syria.
Position Summary
The Business Development Specialist will be responsible for developing, adapting, and implementing business and cooperative capacity-building programs, conducting business diagnostics, designing sustainability and handover frameworks, and establishing financial tracking systems for supported incubators and cooperatives.
1. Capacity Building & Business Diagnostic Services
- Develop trainer manuals, handouts, and pre/post-training evaluation tools.
- Deliver structured business development related trainings
- Conduct on-the-job training (OJT) and embedded coaching sessions.
- Lead and supervise ToT programs for women-led startups
- Conduct business diagnostics, identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and provide individualized follow-up support.
- Develop sustainability and marketing strategies linked to incubator outreach and service promotion.
2. Handover Framework Development
- Facilitate inception and validation workshops with clients, cooperatives, and local authorities to define handover priorities.
- Map institutional responsibilities and identify legal or regulatory barriers.
- Draft phased handover plans including capacity-building, joint management, and independent management phases.
- Define clear roles, timelines, risk mitigation measures, and monitoring tools.
- Integrate financial sustainability mechanisms such as service fees, sponsorships, and partnerships.
- Finalize handover frameworks with annexes including operational manuals, reporting templates, and partnership MOUs.
3. Development of Financial Tracking Systems
- Assess existing financial management workflows of incubators and cooperatives.
- Design Excel-based and/or open-source digital financial tracking tools.
- Develop templates to capture revenues (fees, sponsorships) and expenditures (operational, staff, utilities) with built-in transparency and accountability controls.
- Train incubator staff and cooperative members on the use of financial tracking systems.
- Pilot tools, gather feedback, and refine based on performance.
- Produce a comprehensive Financial Tracking Manual with step-by-step guidance.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Development Studies, or related field.
- Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in business development, cooperative strengthening, livelihoods, or enterprise capacity-building, preferably within NGOs or consultancy settings.
- Proven experience in designing and delivering training on the following topics:
- Leadership and governance of cooperatives
- Financial management and budgeting
- Fundraising, marketing, and communication
- Stakeholder engagement and partnership building
- Life skills (communication, time management, decision-making)
- Entrepreneurship (financial literacy, marketing, IT skills)
- Business planning (market analysis, operations, risk management)
- Demonstrated ability to develop training curricula, training-of-trainers (ToT) programs, and contextualized learning materials.
- Strong knowledge of cooperative models, small business development, and entrepreneurship in fragile or early recovery contexts.
- Excellent facilitation, mentorship, and communication skills in Arabic and English.
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and familiarity with open-source financial management tools.
- Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to adapt training content to diverse learning needs.
نصيحة لحمايتك
ننصح بقراءة طريقة التقديم بعناية و التقيد بتعليمات التقدم للوظائف و المناقصات.