Background  

The overall objective of Accelerate Prosperity in South and Central Asia is to contribute to the enhanced equitable economic well-being of women and men in rural Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic. The specific objective of AP in Pakistanis to improve self-employment and employment of women and men in supported enterprises. The Action will achieve this through two intermediate outcomes: 

• Increased growth of supported enterprises;  
• Increased trade between supported enterprises, producers, and clients in targeted areas.  

The creation of new start-up enterprises, the growth of small businesses, and a focus on youth and women-led ventures will be critical. The Action aims to contribute to positive trends in Gross National Income and Gender Development Index scores. 

Job Description: 

The Technical Support and Investment Analyst will play a central role in facilitating the implementation of Accelerate Prosperity initiatives in Chitral. The main objectives of this position include:  

1. Provide technical expertise and consulting support to local businesses and entrepreneurs.  
2. Identify investment opportunities and facilitate access to capital for promising businesses (investment pipeline development).  
3. Build capacity and promote entrepreneurship through training and mentoring programs.  
4. Establish partnerships with local stakeholders to improve the impact and sustainability of interventions.  
5. Ensure effective management and monitoring of investment portfolio. 

Job Responsibility:  

1. Understand the local market dynamics, business needs and investment opportunities in Chitral.  
   1. Provide tailored technical support to businesses and entrepreneurs, including business development, market sizing and financial modeling.  
   2. Evaluate the progress of supported businesses, ensuring that the KPIs set by the Technical Assistance team are being met.  

                   Milestone: 

1. To support the various programs conducted by AP Pakistan through the year, by identifying startups and SGBs from the Chitral Region and providing on ground assistance in achieving their KPIs. 

1. Facilitate access to investment and manage & monitor investment portfolio: 
   1. Prepare startups to become investment ready by ensuring that data for due diligence is collected and presented accurately.  
   2. Initial / high-level assessment of businesses for AP financing. 
   3. Assist investment team in conducting due diligence of selected businesses for investment.  
   4. Help businesses unlock capital by complying with funding and disbursement requirements. 
   5. Assist investment team in regular monitoring of investments in Chitral, ensure early identification of risks, and support portfolio businesses throughout investment lifecycle. 

Milestone: 

Prepare selected business to have access to AP’s subsidized debt financing.  

1. Outreach and Stakeholder Management: 
   1. Organize training workshops, seminars and networking events to build the capacity of local entrepreneurs and promote knowledge sharing.  
   2. Build partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, academia and other stakeholders to leverage resources and maximize impact.  
   3. Ascertain compliance with organizational policies, procedures and donor requirements in all activities that are conducted in the Chitral region.  
   4. Conduct on ground activities to create, select and onboard the best buisnesses from Chitral for all relevant programs.  

Qualification:  

1. Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, economics or related field.  
2. Minimum 2 years of relevant experience in business development, investment analysis or startup support.  
3. Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate market opportunities and financial viability of the business.  
4. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, fluent in English and Urdu. Knowledge of the local language is an advantage.  
5. Experience in project management, including planning, implementation and monitoring.  

Knowledge of the socio-economic context of Chitral and experience of working in rural or underserved areas is desired.