Enterprise Development Officer

Vacancy Announcement

SAMRIDDHA PAHAD

About Samriddha Pahad

Samriddha Pahad is a development organization dedicated to promoting inclusive economic growth, cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable tourism in Nepal, particularly in mountain and rural regions. The organization works closely with local communities, governments, and stakeholders to strengthen livelihoods, enhance market linkages, and preserve traditional knowledge and practices. Through its programs, Samriddha Pahad emphasizes community participation, innovation, and long-term sustainability, ensuring that development interventions are locally driven and impactful.

Samriddha Pahad is currently implementing the "Empowering Cultural Heritage and Opportunities for Young Innovators" (ECHO for Youth) project, funded by the European Union, in the Kangchenjunga region of Taplejung district. The project aims to actively engage local youth in documenting, preserving, and promoting cultural and natural heritage while creating pathways for livelihood opportunities through sustainable tourism, traditional crafts, and creative industries. It adopts participatory and innovative approaches to strengthen cultural identity, enhance community resilience, and foster youth-led enterprise development.

To support existing enterprises and youth in Taplejung to build sustainable, culturally-rooted livelihoods and businesses, Samriddha Pahad seeks an Enterprise Development Officer who will lead youth entrepreneur identification and mentoring, business planning support, seed-fund facilitation, and market linkage building for the project.

1. Position: Enterprise Development Officer

Organization: Samriddha Pahad

Project: EU-funded Empowering Cultural Heritage and Opportunities for Young Innovators (ECHO for Youth) project

Duty Station: Phungling, Taplejung, with frequent field visits

Reports to: Project Manager 

Contract Duration: 28 months, with a three-month probation period, renewable based on performance

2. Overview of the Position

The Enterprise Development Officer will support youth, including women and marginalized groups, and existing enterprises in Taplejung to develop and establish sustainable enterprises and livelihood opportunities. The position will be responsible for identifying and mentoring potential youth entrepreneurs, coordinating entrepreneurship and skills training, supporting business planning, facilitating seed/start-up funds, and providing post-start-up business coaching and follow-up, with a particular focus on enterprises linked to traditional crafts, cultural tourism, creative industries, and heritage-based products.

3. Key Responsibilities

3.1 Youth Enterprise Identification & Incubation

• Identify and engage potential youth entrepreneurs, especially women and marginalized groups, and support them in developing viable business ideas.
• Conduct participatory market assessments and opportunity mapping and support enterprise selection, incubation, and mentoring.

3.2 Cultural Heritage-Based Enterprise Development

• Promote enterprises linked to traditional crafts and artisanship, cultural tourism and homestays, creative industries, and heritage-based agri-products.
• Support product innovation while preserving cultural identity and ensuring sustainable use of cultural and natural resources.

3.3 Business Planning & Technical Support

• Support youth entrepreneurs in preparing bankable business plans, budgets, and start-up proposals.
• Provide guidance on costing, cash flow forecasting, legal registration, and adoption of digital tools for marketing and operations.

3.4 Market Systems & Value Chain Strengthening

• Conduct value chain analysis for priority sectors and build linkages with buyers, tourism operators, retailers, and online platforms.
• Facilitate branding, packaging, quality control, and participation in trade fairs and exhibitions.

3.5 Access to Finance & Seed Funding Support

• Coordinate the selection and assessment of youth eligible for seed/start-up funding in accordance with project guidelines.
• Facilitate disbursement and proper utilization of seed/start-up funds, maintaining required documentation, and link entrepreneurs with banks, cooperatives, and microfinance institutions.

3.6 Capacity Building & Training

• Coordinate and facilitate training on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital marketing/e-commerce, and business resilience.
• Support peer learning, exposure visits, and youth networking platforms.

3.7 Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

• Maintain updated records of youth participants, training, enterprise development, grants/funds, and business performance.
• Track enterprise growth indicators and prepare regular progress reports, case studies, and success stories.

3.8 Safeguarding, Inclusion & Compliance

• Ensure gender equality, social inclusion, and youth participation, and promote safeguarding and protection standards.
• Ensure adherence to EU visibility and compliance guidelines.

3.9 Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement

• Coordinate closely with local governments, training providers, youth networks, private sector actors, and project partners.
• Represent the project in local coordination meetings and networks.

4. Deliverables

The Enterprise Development Officer will be expected to produce:

• Youth entrepreneur profiles and enterprise selection/incubation records
• Business plans, budgets, and start-up proposals supported per cohort
• Seed/start-up fund disbursement and utilization documentation
• Training reports and capacity-building materials
• Monitoring records of enterprise growth and performance
• Case studies and success stories

5. Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Development Studies, or a related field.

Experience

• At least 2–3 years of relevant experience in enterprise development, entrepreneurship promotion, youth employment, livelihood development, MSMEs, or related programs.
• Experience in coordinating training and mentoring entrepreneurs, ideally including cultural heritage, tourism, or creative-industry enterprises.
• Experience in grant/seed-fund management and monitoring, including donor (EU) compliance and documentation, is an advantage.

Skills and Competencies

• Practical understanding of business planning, financial literacy, market linkage, and start-up support.
• Strong communication, facilitation, coordination, and reporting skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly within Taplejung district and work closely with rural and mountain communities.

Application

Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit their updated CV and Cover Letter, clearly stating their expected salary to info@spnepal.org, no later than 11 September 2026.