Position summary:

The Senior Associate, Enterprise Development will play a critical role in the successful implementation of the FLOURISH project, which aims to empower 5,000 smallholder farmers, women, youth, and MSMEs across Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire through inclusive green enterprise development, climate-resilient solutions, and livelihood diversification.

This is a Côte d’Ivoire-based position, with the selected candidate stationed in Abengourou or Bongouanou or Adzopé. The Senior Associate will be expected to collaborate closely with the Project Lead based in Kenya to ensure cross-country learning, alignment, and technical consistency in enterprise development and gender integration across both geographies.

The role will lead the design and execution of enterprise incubation strategies, facilitate capacity-building for women- and youth-led MSMEs and VSLAs, and promote access to finance, green value chains, and market opportunities. Additionally, the position will drive the project’s gender and youth empowerment agenda, ensuring that at least 75% of beneficiaries are women and youth, through tailored and context-sensitive approaches that address entrenched socio-cultural and structural barriers.

Reporting to the Project Lead based in Kenya and working in coordination with the MEL team, the Côte d’Ivoire Senior Associate Human Rights, local partners, and financial service providers, the Senior Associate will ensure effective delivery of outcomes related to VSLA strengthening, financial literacy, regenerative agriculture, and green enterprise growth.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of technical knowledge in enterprise development, with hands-on experience in rural economic empowerment, stakeholder engagement, and inclusive value chain development.

Responsibilities:

• The Rainforest Alliance’s Core Values are Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness and Trust and as such they form the basis of the behaviours we demonstrate:

Program Implementation & Coordination

• Lead the successful implementation of enterprise development and gender-responsive interventions under the FLOURISH program in Côte d’Ivoire (Beki-Bossematie landscape), ensuring delivery within agreed scope, timelines, and quality standards.
• Work closely with the Kenya project team and provide technical input and alignment on shared workstreams, approaches, and deliverables.
• Spearhead the incubation, formalization, and expansion of 500 green enterprises, ensuring strong representation and participation of women and youth (75% target).
• Design and deploy tailored technical support packages for VSLAs, MSMEs, and nature-based enterprises, promoting climate-smart, inclusive, and regenerative business models.
• Support the roll-out and adaptation of revolving fund mechanisms in coordination with local Landscape Management Boards (LMBs), ensuring affordability and sustainability.
• Mainstream gender equity and youth inclusion across all project components, with sensitivity to local socio-cultural dynamics, particularly in male-dominated agricultural systems.

Capacity Building & Partner Engagement

• Coordinate capacity-strengthening sessions for women and youth entrepreneurs on business planning, financial literacy, market access, and digital commerce.
• Collaborate with landscape partners, community-based organizations, and public institutions to enhance enabling conditions for inclusive enterprise growth.
• Support Landscape Management Boards (LMBs) and VSLAs in integrating business support services and revolving fund access into their local development planning.
• Provide technical assistance and mentorship to selected enterprises and enterprise clusters, facilitating business diagnostics, coaching, and investment readiness support.

Monitoring, Reporting & Knowledge Sharing

• Contribute to the tracking of outcome-level indicators related to MSME growth, income improvement, women/youth empowerment, and enterprise resilience.
• Support documentation of case studies, success stories, and learning briefs that showcase transformational results and lessons learned across Côte d’Ivoire.
• Prepare periodic technical reports, field updates, and inputs to donor reports, working in collaboration with the MEL team and local implementing partners.

Representation & Learning

• Represent the FLOURISH program in key local forums, government platforms, stakeholder workshops, and donor engagements as delegated by the Project Manager.
• Participate in cross-country learning exchanges with the Kenya team and RA’s global thematic leads to enhance program quality and scale potential.
• Foster innovation and experimentation in gender-transformative enterprise approaches, linking with broader RA strategies on thriving landscapes and inclusive economies.

Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree (preferred) or Bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness, Development Studies, Gender & Development, Economics, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Studies, or a related field.
• Minimum 7–8 years of progressive experience in designing, implementing, and managing enterprise development, MSME strengthening, or gender-inclusive economic empowerment programs.
• At least 3 years in a technical leadership or program management role, preferably in donor-funded projects with a focus on livelihoods, regenerative agriculture, or green economy solutions.
• Experience working with Village Savings & Loans Associations (VSLAs), cooperatives, or community-based enterprise models is required.
• Proven track record in green enterprise incubation, revolving fund models, and building market linkages for smallholder and women/youth-led businesses.
• Strong understanding of gender-transformative approaches, youth inclusion strategies, and the barriers faced by marginalized groups in rural economies.
• Familiarity with digital tools for enterprise development and experience working with fintechs to enhance financial inclusion is an added advantage.
• Experience supporting capacity strengthening of local institutions (such as LMBs or MSME clusters) to sustain development impact.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-stakeholder programs and coordinate with decentralized teams.
• Strong competencies in report writing, donor communications, and MEL-informed adaptive management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in French;
• Good written and verbal communication skills in English;
• High emotional intelligence, facilitation skills, and ability to work across cultures and contexts, especially in patriarchal rural settings with limited access to women and youth.
• Passion for inclusive rural development, enterprise resilience, and climate-smart livelihood strategies.
• Alignment with Rainforest Alliance’s mission and values of Impact, Change, Collaboration, Openness, and Trust.

Level: 4

Deadline: 02 December 2025

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Notes: Only candidates legally authorized to work in Abengourou, Bongouanou or Adzope will be considered.

If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.