Bantwana Zimbabwe is providing technical support in the PEPFAR / USAID funded Support Maintain Advocate reduce Risk and Transform (SMART). SMART Girls’ DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe women) program is currently being implemented in Chipinge, Makoni and Mutare districts of Manicaland province, Zimbabwe. The SMART Girls’ DREAMS initiative, aims to reduce new HIV infections amongst Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) through provision of i) HIV prevention, condom education, gender norms change, social assets building, and sexual violence prevention; ii) Economic empowerment for AGYW (financial literacy, work readiness and employability trainings, vocational training for market-driven technical skills, internships.

Bantwana Zimbabwe is seeking to recruit a senior, strategic and dynamic consultant to lead a value chain mapping and mentorship capabilities assessment exercise in Chipinge, Makoni and Mutare districts in Manicaland Province. The Consultant will work within formal and informal enterprises collaborating with the Ministry of Women Affairs Community Small and Medium and Enterprises Development (MoWACSMED), Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation (MoYSAR), Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education (MoHTE), Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC), Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ), National Employment Councils (NECs) for various growth sectors and the Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Association.

Specific responsibilities will include

Mapping of the micro value chains for sectors with greatest growth potential; Identifying areas, within each industry, where AGYW can participate meaningfully in either full time employment, self or group business; Developing a checklist for the identification and selection of host companies / enterprises / artisans within each sector for AGYW mentorship; Providing inputs for revision of vocational skills training curricula in each industry; Developing sector specific value propositions that promote company /enterprise / artisan uptake of and commitment to mentorship of AGYW. Key capabilities of mentorship should include the host companies’ ability to house the girls, support their interest area and enhance their skills. In addition, the host company will be supported with links to business development.

Qualifications, experience and competencies required

A minimum of a Master’s degree related to economics, statistics, agriculture, development studies, international development, or other (desirable); A minimum of 10 years of experience working in value chains, livelihoods, urban resilience building, micro-enterprise development and evaluation of donor-funded projects; experience working on USAID-funded projects is highly desirable; Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate with wide range of stakeholders, including government, private sector, formal and informal businesses, technical schools, etc.; Proven experience in research into livelihoods, resilience building, and economic strengthening for sub-populations within urban settings; Experience in economic growth analysis and inclusive business development models; Ability to produce high quality deliverables within tight deadlines; Strong inter-personal skills; Excellent communication and report writing skills.

This consultancy is for a period of one month.