Enterprise & Business Development Officer

Role Overview

This Kampala-based role is about making Ugandan small and medium enterprises more competitive by connecting them to real market opportunities. Day to day, you will work directly with MSMEs and cooperatives to improve their operations, financing options, buyer relationships, and access to digital tools, helping them move into higher-value markets. Beyond hands-on enterprise support, you will also help grow the organisation's Uganda portfolio by building partnerships, developing funding proposals, and strengthening internal recruitment and staff capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify promising partnership opportunities, map potential funders, and develop programmatic ideas that can expand support to local enterprises.
• Lead drafting of concept notes, proposals, and donor-facing materials to secure project funding and maintain stakeholder confidence.
• Conduct value-chain diagnostics, market scoping studies, and feasibility assessments to guide where portfolio growth is most viable.
• Provide one-on-one technical assistance to MSMEs and cooperatives on business formalization, operational efficiency, investment readiness, and joint marketing or aggregation arrangements.
• Link enterprises to financial institutions, digital platforms, e-commerce channels, insurance providers, and off-takers to open new revenue streams.
• Design and deliver practical training on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, good agricultural practices, and digital skills, with a strong focus on youth- and women-led businesses.
• Support internal human resource functions including recruiting, onboarding, staff development, and performance reviews across the Uganda team.
• Maintain accurate intervention records, track project outcomes, ensure donor compliance, and contribute to impact reports, case studies, and learning products.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least five years of hands-on experience in enterprise development, MSME support, or market systems development, ideally with donor-funded programs.
• A bachelor's degree in business administration, entrepreneurship, agribusiness, development studies, economics, or a related field; a master's degree is an added advantage.
• Strong understanding of Uganda's MSME ecosystem and agricultural value chains, including the challenges faced by smallholders and informal businesses.
• Demonstrated experience supporting human resource functions, especially recruitment, onboarding, and performance management.
• Excellent proposal writing and report writing skills, with the ability to communicate results to donors and external partners.
• Experience mentoring or supporting youth- and women-led enterprises is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with digital tools for training delivery and business development services.
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of local Ugandan languages is a plus.