Private Sector Engagement Specialist

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

The five-year (2020-2025) USAID Local Impact Governance Activity (Local Impact) will help Zambia build up a sub-national system of governance for devolved service delivery more responsive to citizen needs. The program will engage national and sub-national authorities to expand the capabilities of partner provinces and districts to deliver sustainable development outcomes, increase effective citizen and private-sector involvement in development planning and monitoring, and improve public financial management and domestic revenue generation.

The activity will work toward three objectives:

• Objective 1: Citizens improve their collective skills to effectively assess service-delivery needs and performance and constructively engage with government.
• Objective 2: The sub-national governance system becomes more responsive to citizen needs, generates, and accountably expends revenue, and improves service-delivery outcomes.
• Objective 3: The program generates learning and facilitates problem solving that supports the development of an effective, financially viable sub-national governance system for devolved services, capable of being scaled up throughout Zambia.

PURPOSE

The Private Sector Engagement Specialist will focus on:

• Identifying ways for the business community to participate in local decision-making, providing them with the tools and skills needed to effectively engage local officials
• Supporting private sector-led innovations in promoting transparency in local governance through the development and application of government-citizen communications technologies
• Facilitating public private partnerships that improve the local delivery of essential services

RESPONSIBILITIES

General duties

• Build and manage relationships with national-, province- and district-level businesses and related associations, and coordinate with cooperating partner-funded private sector programs operating at the national and local levels
• Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate private sector engagement activities that involve national, province and district businesses and related associations, civil service and elected officials. line ministry service providers, traditional leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs) and local citizens (including women and disadvantaged communities)
• Support the conduct of assessment exercises, activities and events at the national and local levels as needed
• Provide guidance on private sector challenges and opportunities that supports the work of Local Impact sub-contractors
  • Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) district mapping activities
  • Geo-Poll provincial surveys
• Follow finance and operations requirements (including procurements) in close coordination with the Finance and Operations Team
• Deliver timely, detailed and accurate updates on province-based activities that inform trip, activity, inception, quarterly, annual, and final reports, the annual work plan, and other deliverables
• Work closely with and support the Grants Team on: proposal and budget development; the solicitation process; activity implementation; deliverable completion; and monitoring, evaluation and learning for national, provincial and district level grantees
• Identify and contribute to success stories in partner provinces and districts as required by USAID
• Collect quality data for the Activity, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP) for quarterly and annual indicators

Private sector engagement duties

• Identify and support strategies for maximizing own-source revenues that involve the private sector
• Strengthen private sector and district council capacities to structure, negotiate and monitor public private partnerships
• Establish a network of local businesses that can serve as decentralization and service delivery service providers for each other, Local Impact, other cooperating partners, and for the Government of Zambia
• Develop and implement activities that enable the business community (including businesses owned by women and disadvantaged communities) to participate in local decision-making, providing them with the tools and skills needed to effectively engage local officials
• Identify and support private sector-led innovations that promote transparency in local governance through the development and application of government-citizen communications technologies

Other duties

• Provide leave of absence cover for staff as required
• Escalate any issues to his/her supervisor immediately
• Travel to partner districts as required
• Perform any other duties as assigned

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE AND REPORTING

The position will be based in Lusaka and will report to the Citizen Engagement Advisor/Objective 1 Lead, working closely with the Senior Public Financial Management Specialist and province-based Citizen Engagement Officers

QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree, Masters preferred, in relevant field required
• 10+ years of relevant experience
• Experience in working on local level private sector activities on cooperating partner-funded projects (USAID experience preferred)
• Demonstrated understanding of the private sector in Zambia
• Knowledge of decentralization and private sector engagement in Zambia, including
  • Service delivery
  • Public private partnerships
  • National and local businesses and associations
• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive demands & inquiries
• Demonstrated commitment to exceptional customer relations (both internally & externally)
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive
• An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards and appropriate professional image
• Fluency in English is required

APPLICATION

• Use the URL provided in the advertisement to apply
• Applications must be received before the closing date
• Only short-listed candidates will be notified
• No phone inquiries