Business Development Service Agent: Senegal
Before You Apply
You can only have one active Peace Corps Volunteer application, so choose a position that best fits your skills and interest. You have the opportunity to tell us if you’d like to be considered for other openings and more about the ones that interest you most! See application process
Project Description
The Community Economic Development (CED) project in Senegal was redesigned in 2017, with the goal of ensuring that “household members, especially women and youth, achieve economic security and upward economic mobility.” The project is community-centered, and shares the values of Peace Corps while serving the economic national interests as a whole. As a Business Development Service Agent, you will inspire and support households’ ability to achieve economic security by undertaking different roles as a trainer, facilitator, change agent, mentor, and coach to foster and support entrepreneurial behaviors both in youth and women.
Primarily focusing on agribusiness and solid waste management, integrating norms of gender equity and positive youth development, you will:
• Develop individuals’—especially youth’s and women’s—entrepreneurial potential. You will contribute to the national strategy of youth and women entrepreneurship geared to improve jobs and wealth creation through training, coaching, and organization of business events. Youth clubs are one important activity which CED Volunteers lead to help develop entrepreneurial skills and capacities.
• Improve individuals’—especially those in women’s groups—capacity to implement small-scale economic activities. In addition to training in basic business skills, in partnership with local and national partners, you’ll support access to technical training in agribusiness and solid waste management as well as to financial services through the creation or enhancement of savings and loan groups.
Information and communication technologies for business (ICT4B) are playing an increasingly important role for Senegalese micro and small-enterprises, and thus are of increasing importance for Business Development Service Agents.
Peace Corps Senegal is implementing a plan to include gender equity and empowerment efforts throughout all our work, and to make these efforts more sustainable. As such, you will receive training on gender challenges in your country and you will have the opportunity to implement gender-related activities that are contextually appropriate. During your service, you will look for ways to work with community members to promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ and women’s sense of agency.
As an actor in the development of Senegal, and a part of the wider PC effort to share our story with our counterparts and host governments as well as to bring that story home to the US, you will monitor and report on your work activities throughout your service.
Primarily focusing on agribusiness and solid waste management, integrating norms of gender equity and positive youth development, you will:
• Develop individuals’—especially youth’s and women’s—entrepreneurial potential. You will contribute to the national strategy of youth and women entrepreneurship geared to improve jobs and wealth creation through training, coaching, and organization of business events. Youth clubs are one important activity which CED Volunteers lead to help develop entrepreneurial skills and capacities.
• Improve individuals’—especially those in women’s groups—capacity to implement small-scale economic activities. In addition to training in basic business skills, in partnership with local and national partners, you’ll support access to technical training in agribusiness and solid waste management as well as to financial services through the creation or enhancement of savings and loan groups.
Information and communication technologies for business (ICT4B) are playing an increasingly important role for Senegalese micro and small-enterprises, and thus are of increasing importance for Business Development Service Agents.
Peace Corps Senegal is implementing a plan to include gender equity and empowerment efforts throughout all our work, and to make these efforts more sustainable. As such, you will receive training on gender challenges in your country and you will have the opportunity to implement gender-related activities that are contextually appropriate. During your service, you will look for ways to work with community members to promote gender-equitable norms and increase girls’ and women’s sense of agency.
As an actor in the development of Senegal, and a part of the wider PC effort to share our story with our counterparts and host governments as well as to bring that story home to the US, you will monitor and report on your work activities throughout your service.
Required Skills
Competitive candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any business discipline;
OR
• Experience as the manager of a business for at least 6 months;
OR
• BS in any discipline with 1 year work experience in cooperatives, small business, or credit unions.
Strong candidates will have skills in or knowledge of basic business topics such as cost analysis, financial planning, inventory control, bookkeeping, and/or marketing.
• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree in any business discipline;
OR
• Experience as the manager of a business for at least 6 months;
OR
• BS in any discipline with 1 year work experience in cooperatives, small business, or credit unions.
Strong candidates will have skills in or knowledge of basic business topics such as cost analysis, financial planning, inventory control, bookkeeping, and/or marketing.
Desired Skills
Experience in business planning, project management, and other basic business skills such as networking and information and communication technology are highly appreciated. The strongest candidates will have experience working with entrepreneurs, small businesses or school-based entrepreneurial programs.
Experience in agribusiness and/or solid waste management is highly desirable.
Experience in agribusiness and/or solid waste management is highly desirable.
Required Language Skills
Candidates with intermediate and higher fluency in French are highly desirable. Candidates speaking other Latin-based/Roman languages who are committed to learning French through self-study are also eligible.
Additional Language Information
There are many languages spoken in Senegal. You will receive intensive training in the most common language of the village where you will be based and you will attain a proficiency level in that language by the time you complete your training.
Professional meetings are conducted in French so it is advisable that candidates arrive with at least a basic understanding of French. All Business Development Service Agents are encouraged to study French intensively before arrival.
Professional meetings are conducted in French so it is advisable that candidates arrive with at least a basic understanding of French. All Business Development Service Agents are encouraged to study French intensively before arrival.