Technical Advisor - International Business & Economic Development

THE OPPORTUNITY :

The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) is a 501(c)(3) international development organization dedicated to improving the health, economic, and spiritual conditions of people in poverty around the globe.

For 45 years, we have partnered with individuals, families, and communities to evaluate needs, create transformational action plans, and implement effective strategies to improve lives.

We have an active portfolio of $57 million in projects throughout the world emphasizing local ownership and involvement as keys for lasting success. Learn more at

SAWSO is searching for an experienced initiator in international development with an entrepreneurial mindset that merges community empowerment with business principles, to create and empower the self-sustainability of The Salvation Army (TSA) mission around the world.

TSA operates social programs and church missions in 134 countries, many of which are subsidized by donations from the USA.

This position works directly with global TSA partners at the community level to help them identify, test, develop and launch new entrepreneurial initiatives that can generate new local income to support their work.

It’s full spectrum small business development for social purpose, starting with teaching discovery methodology, coaching and incubating new concepts, and then investing in the home-grown talent at successive levels ($5k-$500k) to secure sustainable social impact.

The work is currently focused on social enterprises, property redevelopment, agriculture, fundraising, and impact investing.

Candidates must have experience and education in international development, program management, small business development, start-ups, and entrepreneurship.

Experience in agricultural programs and fundraising preferred.

JOB SUMMARY :

Coach TSA partners in the creation and implementation of social enterprises that can generate new local income to support their community mission, including support in business planning, market research, iterative prototyping, marketing, stakeholder engagement, program design, and clear goals / metrices.

Implement standard training and evaluation methodologies and provides feedback to continually innovate and iterate.

• Build positive, cross-cultural relationships across the globe to collaboratively define problems, design solutions, and build the capacity of the local TSA partners.
• Manage an international portfolio of business development projects at all stages, steadily moving them from design to implementation, curating strong and trusted relationships, monitoring ongoing operations, adjusting as necessary, and tracking continual investment portfolio performance.
• Travel to country offices, international headquarters, or other supporting / donor offices as needed (estimated 15-20%).

1) Research local market context and current assets to identify opportunities

Working with local partners around the world, conduct baseline reviews of their current properties, assets, and legal operating permissions.

Assist in regularizing and occasionally expanding legal registrations and operating structures.

• Perform and teach street-level market research to validate new ideas, including interviews with target clients, analyzing primary competitors, identifying trends and value chains, all to determine comparative advantages and possible niches.
• Quickly analyze options and identify top priorities based on potential for success, ranking within SAWSO core metrics for investment, and identification of risks and their mitigations.
• Coach and teach local partners throughout so that they can develop these capacities for themselves. Lead small-business development workshops with established methodologies.

2) Project Design and Coaching

• Lead partners through the full process of business planning, moving quickly through iterative cycles of ideation, successive rounds of research and testing, and the confirming of core assumptions with pilot projects designed to test key functionalities.
• Guide partners in either persevering or pivoting when challenges arise. Build their capacity to quickly identify and evaluate ideas in the future.
• Construct preliminary operating budgets to determine profitability and required start-up costs, and evaluate the relative ROI of the investment.
• Develop full coordinated schedules for key evaluations, stage completions, and cascading overlap of involvement to ensure projects are delivered at the earliest viable opportunity, including full work plans, Gantt charts, and unique KPIs for each specific business.

3) Implementation and Monitoring

• Provide empowering support to partners throughout the implementation process through regular calls, scheduled site visits and facilitative research or connections.
• Determine appropriate investment packages and amounts, and establish repayment schedules.
• Help partners to create new tracking and management systems to monitor the initiative’s operations, process financial transactions, and create replicable policies and procedures.
• Collect, consolidate and evaluate reports which track the ongoing ROI as it relates to SAWSO portfolio. Research and provide strategic analysis of investment priorities and new opportunities.
• Collaborate with SAWSO’s other community development sectors to create sustainability plans and initiatives that can financially support local work in health, education, livelihoods, disaster recovery, and anti-human trafficking.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Social Services or a field related to sector specialties (International Development / Relations, Economics, Business, Entrepreneurism) and master’s degree in international development / Relations, Economics, Business, social sciences or a related discipline,

5+ years of professional work experience including experience in international development arena and five years of program management experience.

three years’ experience of living and working in a developing country and working with international development programs, preferably in management role.

any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES :

Energetic, self-motivated, proactive, accountable, hands-on, and able to work independently.

Proven flexibility to consider multiple options, pivot, and adjust several times to find optimal solutions.

Commercially astute, able to evaluate investment decisions considering local mission and program expectations balanced with the required levels of return.

Demonstrated proficiency in overcoming systemic barriers and internal conflict through proactive, managed conversations and creative, collaborative consensus-building to ensure projects are delivered at the earliest viable opportunity.

A strong negotiator with the ability to adjust and adapt plans for the reality of local values and timelines, while still striving for the incorporation of best practices and industry standards.

Demonstrated ability in developing strategies for planning, cultivating, implementing and administering complex situations, and cultivating strong business relationships.

A team player with an attitude of service and the ability to motivate others, possessing excellent interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills, capable of working effectively with superiors, officers and staff, board members and other volunteers, consultants, donors and prospects.

Entrepreneurial approach to identifying new business opportunities.

Strong interpersonal and motivational skills, including ease and skill in cultivating relationships with people of diverse backgrounds, ages, and circumstances.

Exceptional communication skills (English fluency required; Spanish competency a plus ). Excellent writing, presentation, analytical, and public speaking skills possessing the ability to articulate a clear and compelling case for support to potential funders.