Associate Business Advisor at TechnoServe Tanzania

Job Description

Title: Associate Business Advisor

Grade: 5

Location: Kibaigwa/Dodoma, Tanzania

Reporting/Supervisor: Senior Business Advisor

About TechnoServe:

At TechnoServe, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better life. For over 50 years, we have given smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs the skills, connections, and confidence to lift themselves out of poverty. We leverage the power of markets and the private sector to create sustainable economic growth to benefit people and the planet. Our unique mix of business solutions, deep knowledge of local contexts, and data-driven insights is helping to fight poverty across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

TechnoServe staff are local, 95% are from the countries in which they work. We put a high premium on collaboration and entrepreneurship. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards of integrity and transparency. And we focus on delivering lasting impact for our mission.

Job Summary:

The Associate Business Advisor will play a critical role in the Growth and Investment Program(GIP) - Tanzania Cohort by providing Technical Assistance to Agri-SMEs. They will facilitate training and advisory sessions. The Associate Business Advisor will also provide assistance in the execution of program activities

Program Overview:

TechnoServe is seeking a results-driven and community-rooted Associate Business Advisor (ABA) to support the delivery of tailored technical assistance to a cohort Agri-SMEs in the Kibaigwa- Dodoma region. This role is central to the implementation of the GIP TZ program, which aims to enhance the investment readiness and financial management capacity of early-stage agricultural businesses.

You will be the key liaison between the program and participating businesses, delivering hands-on support through one-on-one advisories (both physical and virtual), supporting workshops and bootcamps, and ensuring businesses are guided through the full Access-to-Finance (A2F) learning journey.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Conduct diagnostic visits and contribute to initial gap analysis for assigned Agri-
• Deliver one-on-one business advisories (minimum 3 in-person per business), tailored to the program’s five A2F-focused modules.
• Support preparation and facilitation of three physical bootcamps, ensuring active participation and follow-up.
• Guide SMEs through the TalentLMS learning platform and provide support with understanding and applying learning content.
• Prepare businesses for bank pitching sessions, and where needed, accompany them to scheduled meetings with Bank representatives where possible.
• Coordinate with Bank representatives for logistics around pitch meetings and collect post-pitch feedback.
• Monitor progress, gather field data, and contribute to endline and aftercare
• Maintain strong communication and timely reporting with the program lead and M&E
• Champion professional integrity, confidentiality, and responsiveness in all engagements with SMEs and
  

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Agriculture, Economics, Finance, or a related
• At least 3 years of experience providing business advisory, SME support, or financial coaching, ideally in agriculture or rural enterprise
• Fluency in Kiswahili and strong proficiency in English (spoken and written).
• Familiarity with the Dodoma/Kibaigwa business context and a network of local agri-SMEs is a strong
• Proven ability to work independently while maintaining strong coordination with a broader
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills; experience with adult learning or coaching approaches is a plus.
• Comfort with using digital tools for training (e.g., LMS platforms, Zoom, WhatsApp, Excel, Google Suite).
  

Required Languages: Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills, including fluency in English and Kiswahili languages.

Travel: Local Travel up to 25%

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to engage a broad range of stakeholders, including management of private sector companies, donor representatives, and others
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Project management skills and the ability to work both independently and in a team
• Excellent computer skills: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe's vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at [email protected] or call +1 202 785 4515.