Job Title: Business Development Officer (Enterprise Development)
Location: MMC and Jere, Borno
Job Purpose
- Under the supervision of the Livelihood Project Manager, the Business Development Officer (Enterprise Development) makes sure the ten facilities in MMC, Jere and Mafa LGAs run as viable businesses.
- They set up the business plans, prices, bookkeeping, cost recovery and access to finance that let each enterprise pay its own way after handover.
Responsibilites
Enterprise assessment and feasibility:
- Assess the current business position of each facility: what it produces or sells, costs, prices, income, records and capacity.
- With the Aquaculture and Feed Production Officer, lead the financial side of the fish farm profitability diagnostic: cost per kilogram, break-even price and the main sources of loss.
- Contribute to market and feasibility studies for each enterprise model, working with the Market Linkages Officer.
Business plans and financial models:
- Develop a simple, realistic business plan for each of the ten enterprises with its members. Each plan covers products and services, production targets, pricing, costs, cash flow, breakeven and staffing.
- Build costing and pricing tools for each model: piece rates for tailoring, fish and feed prices, the irrigation service fee per plot or season, and seedling prices.
- Set the internal transfer price for feed sold from the Fish Feed Production Centre to the project fish farms. It must be fair to both sides.
- Present the business plans to the members’ General Assembly and the LGA Oversight Committee for approval.
Cost recovery, revenue sharing and reserves:
- Design each enterprise’s revenue-sharing plan in line with its Tripartite Facility Management Agreement. The plan covers operating costs, the asset renewal reserve, member earnings, the landowner and community development share, and administration.
- Work with the Agricultural Engineer and the Asset Management Officer to calculate the maintenance and replacement costs that set the size of each asset renewal reserve.
- Help each enterprise open and fund a separate reserve account.
- Help plan the tapering of transitional stipends, so enterprise income takes over operator pay as planned.
Financial management systems and coaching:
- Set up simple bookkeeping for each enterprise: cash book, sales and receipts, stock and input registers, order book (tailoring), fee register (irrigation), and a monthly profit statement.
- Coach treasurers and records keepers monthly until they produce accurate accounts on their own.
- Make sure monthly financial statements are posted at each facility and presented to members.
- Support the quarterly social audits and prepare committees for review by the LGA Oversight Committee.
- With the Market Linkages and Digital Solutions Officer, introduce digital record-keeping and sales tools where they fit.
Cooperative registration and legal set-up:
- Support each operating group to register with the State Department of Cooperatives, or as a community-based organization where more suitable.
- Help open bank accounts with dual signatories (at least one a woman) and set spending limits and cash-handling rules.
- Support the Governance and Social Cohesion Officer to make sure the financial rules in the constitutions match the business plans.
Entrepreneurship training:
- Design and deliver training for at least 300 participants (minimum 50% women and 30% youth). Topics: entrepreneurship, business planning, financial literacy, record keeping, costing and pricing, and cooperative business management.
- Deliver refresher sessions and on-the-job coaching tailored to each enterprise type.
Access to finance:
- Link at least 200 participants to Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), microfinance institutions or other financial services.
- Help at least 100 participants access working capital through savings, loans or other financial support. Prepare enterprises to present a credible case to lenders.
- Advise on the start-up stock and input support from the project, and how it is repaid into each cooperative’s revolving fund. 8. Monitoring and reporting
- Track each enterprise’s monthly revenue, costs, profit, reserve balance and cost-recovery status. Share the data with the MEAL Officer.
- Flag enterprises that are falling behind their business plans and propose corrective actions.
- Contribute the enterprise viability part of the handover readiness assessment and of the reports to WFP.
Cross-cutting duties:
- Design pricing, fees and benefit-sharing so they are fair and affordable, and do not exclude vulnerable households, women, youth or persons with disabilities.
- Guard against elite capture and misuse of enterprise funds. Report any suspected fraud immediately.
- Follow PSEA, safeguarding and security procedures.
- Carry out any other reasonable duties related to the project, as assigned by the Project Manager.
Qualifications, experience and competencies
Education:
- Essential: a university degree (B.Sc. or HND) in Business Administration, Accounting, Economics, Agricultural Economics/Agribusiness, Cooperative Studies or a related field.
- Desirable: A Master’s degree or MBA.
Professional experience Essential:
- At least 4 years of experience in enterprise development, agribusiness, cooperative development or livelihoods programmes.
- Proven experience developing business plans, costing and pricing models and cash-flow projections for small or community-based enterprises.
- Experience setting up bookkeeping systems and coaching low-literacy groups to keep records and manage funds.
- Experience training adults in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
- Experience working with NGOs, UN agencies or government programmes in North-East Nigeria.
Desirable:
- Experience in agricultural value chains such as aquaculture, feed, irrigated horticulture or tailoring.
- Experience with VSLAs, microfinance or linking groups to banks.
- Experience with cost-recovery models for shared community assets, such as water user fees.
- Familiarity with WFP livelihoods and resilience programming.
Personal requirements:
- Strong numeracy and financial analysis. Advanced Excel or Google Sheets for financial models.
- Able to turn business concepts into simple tools and language for community members.
- Good facilitation, coaching and training skills.
- Integrity and sound judgement in handling sensitive financial matters.
- Able to work independently in the field and manage many enterprises at once.
- Commitment to gender equality, inclusion, PSEA and humanitarian principles.
Languages
- Essential: fluent English; fluent spoken Hausa.
- Desirable: Kanuri.
Application Closing Date
5th November, 2026.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should apply below USING APPLY ONLINE NOW BUTTON
