MSME and Value Chain Specialist (Roster)

Job Summary Job Summary The MSMEs Specialist will lead the design, implementation, quality assurance, and technical oversight of CARE Afghanistan's entrepreneurship, MSME development, business incubation, and value chain interventions under the Livelihood Project. The position will ensure that project activities are market-driven, gender-responsive, climate-sensitive, and aligned CARE standards. The Specialist will provide strategic technical leadership for business development training, enterprise support, productive asset distribution, market systems development, and value chain strengthening to improve sustainable livelihoods, employment opportunities, and economic resilience among returnees and vulnerable host communities. Provide technical leadership and manage the implementation of MSME, enterprise development, and value chain activities, ensuring interventions are market-driven, inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and compliant with CARE, donor, and government standards. 2. Lead market assessments, value chain analyses, and enterprise opportunity assessments to identify viable economic sectors, business opportunities, market constraints, and barriers affecting women, youth, returnees, and persons with disabilities. 3. Oversee transparent beneficiary targeting, registration, verification, and validation in line with project vulnerability criteria and donor requirements. 4. Design and deliver Business Development Services (BDS), including entrepreneurship, business planning, financial literacy, marketing, pricing, record keeping, cash flow management, and digital marketing. 5. Support beneficiaries in developing and validating bankable business plans and recommend viable enterprises for productive asset and start-up support. 6. Provide technical oversight for the procurement and distribution of productive assets and business toolkits across multiple livelihood sectors. Lead value chain development initiatives by strengthening producer organizations, facilitating business linkages, engaging market actors, organizing buyer-seller meetings, and supporting aggregation models, including the establishment of community milk collection centers. 8. Deliver continuous business coaching, mentorship, and advisory services to improve enterprise performance, financial management, product quality, marketing, and business growth. 9. Build partnerships with private sector actors, financial institutions, government agencies, and business associations to improve market access and strengthen enterprise sustainability. 10. Monitor enterprise performance and project outcomes, prepare high-quality technical reports, success stories, lessons learned, and support donor reporting requirements. 11. Mainstream gender equality, women's economic empowerment, youth employment, disability inclusion, protection, AAP, and PSEA across all interventions. 12. Coordinate with UN agencies, government departments, NGOs, private sector partners, and represent CARE in technical coordination forums related to enterprise development and value chains. Any task assigned by FSL program coordinator as per capacity and availability of the staff. Job Requirements Eduction: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Economics, Agribusiness, Enterprise Development, Value Chain Development, Marketing, Rural Development, or related field. Experience: 1. Minimum 5 years of responsible experience in MSME development, entrepreneurship, value chain development, private sector engagement, or economic recovery program 2. Experience with CARE will be advantageous. 3. Demonstrated experience supporting business start-ups and MSMEs. 4. Experience in business coaching and mentoring. 5. Experience conducting market assessments and value chain analysis. Technical Competencies • Enterprise Development • Business Development Services (BDS) • Value Chain Analysis • Market Systems Development (MSD) • Entrepreneurship Development • Business Planning • Financial Literacy • Market Assessments