Employer: Village Enterprise 

Industry: Nonprofit/International Development/Social Entrepreneurship 

Job Title: Business Mentor  

Position Type: Full time 

Reports to: Field Associates  

Location: Bokolmayo

Organization Description:

Village Enterprise’s mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship, innovation, and collective action. 

By empowering women, refugees, and youth to launch small businesses and savings groups, our cost-effective model provides dignified and sustainable pathways for individuals to lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty for good. 

To date, Village Enterprise has trained 396,872 first-time entrepreneurs, 80% of whom are women, and supported the launch of 120,609 businesses and 9,309 Business Savings Groups (BSGs). These efforts have positively impacted 2,478,065 lives across Africa. 

With operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, and partnerships in other sub Saharan African countries, Village Enterprise continues to expand its reach. 

As we scale our impact, our aim remains ambitious yet achievable: to lift 20 million people out of extreme poverty by 2035.  

Project Overview: 

This is a full-time position requiring the staff member to work 40 hours per week. Depending on operational needs and workload, the Business Mentor may occasionally be required to work on weekends and public holidays. Any additional time worked beyond the standard schedule will be compensated through compensatory leave in accordance with Village Enterprise's human resource policies.

Detailed Roles and Responsibilities.

Micro Enterprise Development:

• Develop micro-enterprises according to the Village funding cycle, start microenterprises in your region. 
• Fill out proper Village forms for each micro enterprise as specified in the Business Mentor manual. 
• Mobilize qualified groups to participate in Village Enterprise program 
• Responsible for quality Village Enterprise Program implementation in entire project intervention area.

Training and disbursement: 

• Properly train all new Village Enterprise business owners according to training process detailed in the Business Mentor Manual 
• After pre-funding training sessions are complete, work with Village Enterprise staff to carry out grant disbursement for all business groups 
• Conduct supplemental training sessions and evaluate micro-enterprise performance after grant disbursements. 
• Ensure that Business Groups (BGs) and Business Savings Groups (BSGs) maintain accurate, consistent, and up-to-date financial and administrative records.

Mentoring: 

• Provide mentoring on choosing and running a business using methods outlined in Mentoring Manual. Mentoring will require at least one visit to each business per month 
• Provide advice and support in designing business-mentoring methodologies that are the most appropriate for the type pf enterprises supported. 
• Prepare a monthly report detailing progress of business groups including successes and challenges, general observations and changes to business groups (industry, composition) 
• Help Business owners in producing credible business and marketing plan including how to balance positive cash flow and maintain accounts.
• Connect enterprises up and down the value chain by identifying relevant stakeholders, suppliers etc. and creating sustainable commercial relationships between the parties. 

Business Savings Groups (BSGs): 

• Organize Business Savings Groups for each set of 10 businesses funded during a cycle 
• Train business groups on BSG formation for self-directed savings and loans
• Attend Monthly Savings Group Meetings for the first nine months providing assistance as needed.
• Provide information and material, which may be of use to the business owners for marketing, value addition, business development, motivation and value chain maintenance.
• Ensure that BSG members establish and maintain three types of savings: regular savings, purpose-based savings, and emergency savings, in line with their household financial goals and resilience needs.

Support in coordination and additional field activities: 

• Assist Field Associate to introduce Village’s program to local government agencies
• Work with the Fields Associate or to help identify most viable businesses in your region 
• Consult with other Business Mentors to determine best practices and share information
• Attend Business Mentor Training and participate in regional Business Mentor meetings, usually bi-weekly 
• Organize business visits as requested by Country Office. 
• Teach and show business owners how to conduct engaging presentations to visitors.
• Organize and facilitate peer-to-peer and lesson-learning exchange events between the different enterprises supported in the program.

Reporting:

• Submit weekly and Monthly report according to the Village Enterprise form in the BM training manual 
• Submit Business Profiles once a quarter 

Safeguarding:

• Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility at VE, and it begins with me
• Continuously sensitize program participants on safeguarding.
• Ensure compliance with VE’s safeguarding policies 
• Report any incident of safeguarding in program operations for appropriate action/follow-up.

Any other tasks that may be deemed necessary 

Living Our Values

Ubuntu: We serve people living in extreme poverty with respect, empathy, and dignity regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, or education level, and value our common humanity.

Passion: We believe passionately in our mission and the ability of people living in extreme poverty to improve their lives.

Integrity: We operate with the highest levels of integrity and trustworthiness.

Innovation: We value innovation as a means to reduce poverty and treat new ideas, technologies, and partners as opportunities to grow our impact.

Sustainability: We are committed to ensuring that our businesses and our organization are sustainable in the long-term.   

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Social Work, Education, Agricultural Extension, Business Management, or a related field.
• At least one year of experience working in livelihood or economic empowerment programs with NGOs or other development organizations.
• Minimum of one year of experience in training, mentoring, facilitation, or community-based work.
• Demonstrated merit, strong work performance, and verifiable achievements in previous roles.
• Willingness and ability to conduct extensive fieldwork and reside within the assigned project area, including at the woreda, kebele, or village level, as required.
• Fluency in spoken and written Somali, with the ability to communicate effectively and deliver business training in Somali. Language proficiency will be assessed during the recruitment process.
• Self-motivated, hardworking, honest, trustworthy, and committed to serving communities with professionalism and integrity.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with program participants, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.

Additional (Mandatory) Requirement:  

Applicants must submit a letter of support from their respective woreda administration (Bokolmayo) confirming their residency Bokolmayo woreda of Liban Zone and their eligibility to work within this woreda. 

 To Apply  

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications coupled with a passion for changing lives of the extreme poor are invited to submit their applications with the supportive letter signed by the Bokolmayo Woreda Administration Office and resume (PDF). Please follow this link to submit your application. 

 Submit applications October 18, 2026  

Village Enterprise is an Equal Opportunity Employer  

Village Enterprise provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Village Enterprise does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law

Safeguarding Statement:  

Village Enterprise is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees, volunteers, Visitors, associates (consultants, service providers and suppliers) and partners to uphold this commitment and adhere to our safeguarding policies and code of conduct. VE has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, exploitation, or harassment.  

Safeguarding toll free line is 8495 .

All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, which may include reference checks with previous employers, verification of qualifications, and criminal record or background screening where required by law