occupied Palestinian territory: Enterprise Advisor, Gaza

CONSULTANCY - TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle Eastwith more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

Enterprise Advisor, Gaza

BACKGROUND

Gaza’s small Information Technology (IT) sector is the object of many hopes, with more than 1000 annual ICT graduates. However, the sector is not growing. In response, UNRWA has piloted, and is preparing to launch, a social enterprise called the Gaza Gateway. The Gaza Gateway exists to contribute to the growth of the sector, by expanding its business opportunities and professional capacity. The Gaza Gateway’s business and social objectives are two halves of a single solution.

Since late 2013, UNRWA has housed the Gaza Gateway while it conducts pilot projects to amass marketable experience, using UNRWA’s own IT needs as its seed projects. A prospective funder is expected to finalize a commitment shortly, covering the Gaza Gateway’s operations from a late 2015 launch through 2017. From that time forward, the Gaza Gateway will be expected to earn the great majority of its income from market revenues.

The Enterprise Advisor will be fully dedicated to the Gaza Gateway project. This position is fully funded for a period of 12 - 15 months, from October 2015. The Enterprise Advisor will be employed as a full time, Gaza-based, non-staff Consultant by UNRWA. UNRWA will provide logistics, security and administration of the position, reporting to a Deputy Director for Programmes.

Complementing a Technical Director’s responsibility for outsourced service delivery and marketing, the Enterprise Advisor will be responsible for the development of the Gaza Gateway as a workplace and as a business model, for its management development and for the achievement of the enterprise’s social or employability objectives as a publically funded project.

Description of Duties and Responsibilities

The Enterprise Advisor is responsible for the launch of an enterprise and its operations as a learning workplace, with accountable operations satisfying the requirements of both Board and donors. By the time of the Enterprise Advisor’s arrival, essential policies will be in place in draft form, and a Technical Director will have undertaken pre-launch marketing with the management team who have built the enterprise from a concept to a functioning pilot. The Enterprise Advisor will complete this team, with the following primary responsibilities:

• Complete the establishment of the Gaza Gateway as an independent entity by the end of 2015, including procurement, recruitment and operational requirements. This process will be well underway by the time of the candidate’s arrival, but will require ongoing focus and liaison with UNRWA departments including Finance, Procurement, and Legal.
• Review, revise or add to operating policies and systems, so that the Gaza Gateway’s finance, administration, HR and other operations meet the requirements of Gazan law, Board and donors.
• Ensure that monitoring, evaluation, learning and knowledge management, and reporting meet the needs of the Gaza Gateway’s donor and other stakeholders.
• Manage the programmatic and business risks of the Gateway, while the Technical Director manages technical, commercial and fulfillment risks of the Gateway’s client projects.
• Lead the Gaza Gateway as a workplace, with responsibility for operations, finance, HR, procurement and donor reporting. Ensure that the Gaza Gateway understands and meets its objectives as an employer, a business model, a growing and legally compliant workplace, and a learning environment.
• Support delivery of the Gateway’s employability learning programs, which represent the social objective of the enterprise.
• Lead, mentor and coach staff in their non-technical roles.
• Develop and carry out professional growth plans for the Gaza Gateway’s staff and management.
• Represent the Gaza Gateway as a funded program and as a social enterprise, promoting Gazan development and ensuring donor visibility.
• In discussion with the Technical Director and stakeholders, promote or recruit a Director prior to the completion of this contract. The Technical Director will remain for a further period, to support the outsourcing business.

minimum Qualifications and Experience

· Advanced degree in one of the following areas: Business Administration, Development, Commerce or any other field related to the Gaza Gateway’s work. An IT-related degree is not required.

· Ten years of business development experience is essential, combining some or all of the following:

o Social enterprise, small and medium business management or direction, private sector development, business analysis.

o Design, launch, and financially viable operations of private sector business models in a development or conflict-affected context.

o Coaching, training, management development, employability or soft skills development, adult education.

o Thorough understanding of business and NGO back office operations: finance, human resources, procurement, strategy and evaluation, policy and operating systems development.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

The following experience will be beneficial:

o IT and / or business process outsourcing, applied in a development context.

o Resource mobilization, reporting and donor relations.

o Professional experience in the MENA region

o Arabic language skills

COMPETENCIES

· Strategic and innovative leadership

· Creative problem solver, starting with the ability to view business itself flexibly.

· Highly organized analysis, planning, and follow-through to manage a broad set of responsibilities in a limited time.

· Mature, balanced approach to joining a team with a strong sense of ownership of the project.

· A natural teacher, engaging generously with young professionals as mentor, coach and trainer.

· Project and fluid setting.

· Strong sense of upward and downward accountability.

· Deep, demonstrated commitment to enterprise as a vehicle for social impact.

· Personal resilience as will be required in Gaza’s difficult circumstances.

· Unshakeable integrity, adhering to vision and principle, setting an example such that all stakeholders and participants in the Gaza Gateway can work with confidence and trust.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

· The duration of the consultancy is twelve to fifteen months with the expected start date of 1 October 2015;

· Remuneration for this consultancy will depend on the qualifications and experience of the candidate.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.orgindicating the title of this consultancy “**Enterprise Advisor**”in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is15 July 2015**.**

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.orgindicating the title of this consultancy “**Enterprise Advisor**”in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is15 July 2015**.**

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.