Enterprise Development Officer (EDO)

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

POSITION: Enterprise Development Officer (EDO)

Job Level: Mid-Level

No. of Vacancy/s: 1

Employment Type: Full-Time (Individual Contract)

Job Location: Bajura District (Preferably from Bajura District)

Offered Salary: Negotiable

Apply Before (Deadline): 28 January, 2026 before 5:00 PM

Start Date: ASAP

ABOUT FWEAN

Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (FWEAN), established in 2003, is a not-for-profit organization representing the collective efforts of women entrepreneurs in driving the economic progress of the nation and contributing to decision-making at both national and international levels. Guided by the vision of building the nation through the socio-economic empowerment of Nepali women, FWEAN works to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem and create an enabling environment for both aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs.

As the apex body of the Women Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal (WEAN), FWEAN has a nationwide presence across all 77 districts, with 76 WEAN Chapters and the central FWEAN office in Kathmandu, along with FWEAN Province Committees in all seven provinces. The organization is anchored in its core values of Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, and Creativity.

With a mission to inspire and empower women entrepreneurs and their enterprises, FWEAN’s work is centered around four key objectives:

• To advocate on issues related to women’s economic empowerment
• To enhance the capacity of women entrepreneurs
• To support businesses of women entrepreneurs
• To increase the outreach of FWEAN

JOB SCOPE

The Enterprise Development Officer (EDO) will support the development of women- and youth-led agrobiodiversity-based enterprises and help strengthen local markets in Bajura district. The role focuses on delivering entrepreneurship training, business planning support, financial literacy, and mentoring to women and youth, while facilitating linkages with local, district, and regional markets. Working closely with Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Karnali Community Development Centre (KCDC), FWEAN District Chapters, local governments, and private-sector actors, the EDO will help expand economic opportunities and promote safe and nutritious local foods in the project area.

Key Responsibilities

A. Enterprise & Market Development

• Lead implementation of all enterprise and market development activities in Bajura.
• Support market systems assessment in partnership with LI-BIRD and KCDC to identify high-value local products, niche markets, and value chain opportunities.
• Facilitate business planning, financial literacy, and governance training for >200 women and youth.
• Provide enterprise and entrepreneurship training to 50 selected women and youth entrepreneurs.
• Assist women entrepreneurs and cooperatives to adopt localized branding, packaging, and marketing strategies emphasizing indigenous crops and agroecology products.
• Support establishment and strengthening of local agrobiodiversity-based women/youth led micro-enterprises.
• Provide continuous business coaching and mentoring to selected entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and producer groups.

B. Market Linkages & Networking

• Strengthen linkages between producer groups, women entrepreneurs, traders, hotels/restaurants, and regional/national markets.
• Organize buyer–seller meetings, product exhibitions, and market fairs (district/provincial/national).
• Coordinate with FWEAN District Chapters for outreach, mentoring, and enterprise support services.
• Facilitate cross-learning and exposure visits for entrepreneurs to regional and national markets.
• Identify private-sector intermediaries and facilitate forward-linkages that ensure fair and reliable markets.

C. Capacity Development & Technical Support

• Develop training manuals, tools for enterprise development and market strengthening.
• Build capacity of local cooperatives and farmers’ groups on aggregation, quality control, and collective marketing.
• Support hoteliers, restaurants, and tourism-related enterprises to adopt and promote local food recipes.
• Ensure that enterprise promotion is aligned with FWEAN’s gender-responsive entrepreneurial ecosystem model.
• Promote youth engagement and job creation through green enterprise development based on indigenous crops.

D. Coordination, Monitoring & Reporting

• Maintain regular coordination with LI-BIRD Field Coordinator, Agriculture Officers, KCDC team, and Social Mobilizers.
• Prepare periodic progress reports (monthly/quarterly/annual) covering Output 2 indicators and activities.
• Ensure documentation of best practices, success stories, innovations, and lessons learned in entrepreneurship and market development.
• Support baseline, mid-term, and final evaluation processes related to entrepreneurship and markets.
• Participate in project review meetings, planning workshops, CPAC/LPAC meetings, joint monitoring visits, and stakeholder consultations.
• Ensure FWEAN’s compliance with WHH/BMZ financial and administrative standards.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, Entrepreneurship, Agriculture Economics, Development Studies, or related field (master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum 3 years of experience in entrepreneurship development, women-led enterprise support, agriculture/food value chains, or market system development.
• Experience working in rural/remote areas (preferably Sudurpaschim or Karnali provinces).
• Strong experience in business planning, financial literacy, value chain development, and enterprise mentoring.
• Experience working with women, youth, cooperatives, producer groups, or SMEs is mandatory.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong understanding of agrobiodiversity, agroecology-based enterprises, and local food systems.
• Ability to mentor and strengthen women and youth enterprises.
• Excellent facilitation and training delivery skills.
• Strong communication, networking, and stakeholder coordination abilities.
• Knowledge of market assessment tools, value chain mapping, and enterprise modelling.
• Ability to work independently in remote, challenging environments.
• Commitment to gender equality, women empowerment, and inclusive development.

TO APPLY

Persons meeting the above criteria are requested to send their updated CV and a cover letter answering the question “What past experiences will add value to this position?” Send your application as a single PDF document to info@fwean.org.np  latest by 28 January 2025 before 5:00 pm.

The applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are highly encouraged. Women and persons from marginalized communities are encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be called for interviews. The start date is ASAP.