Business Development Services (BDS) Associate

Premium Performance Consulting (PPC) is a specialized Afghan consulting firm providing monitoring, evaluation, third-party monitoring (TPM), independent assessments, verification services, research, data management, and quality assurance solutions for development and humanitarian programs across Afghanistan. PPC has supported a wide range of assignments for UN agencies, international organizations, NGOs, and government institutions, delivering evidence-based insights, performance measurement, beneficiary verification, and accountability services that strengthen program effectiveness and decision-making.

PPC serves as a strategic domain partner within the Afghanistan Center for Excellence (ACE) Ecosystem. Established in 2012, ACE is a leading Afghan consulting and development services organization with nationwide operations and regional offices across Afghanistan. ACE specializes in private sector development, business development services (BDS), value chain development, livelihoods, workforce development, capacity building, economic inclusion, research, and institutional strengthening, supporting governments, development partners, and private sector actors in achieving sustainable development outcomes.

The advertised position is with the Afghanistan Center for Excellence (ACE) and will contribute to ACE's portfolio of consulting and development assignments. Through the ACE Ecosystem partnership model, the position will benefit from the complementary expertise of PPC and other ecosystem partners, combining ACE's programmatic leadership and technical delivery capacity with PPC's strengths in monitoring, evaluation, verification, and quality assurance to deliver high-quality, evidence-driven development solutions across Afghanistan.

The BDS Associate will be responsible for supporting one or more assigned enterprises in the target province. The work will include enterprise-level assessment, participatory analysis, data collection, business planning, report writing, and coordination with PPC-ACE project management.

The BDS Associate must ensure that all findings and recommendations are realistic, evidence-based, enterprise-specific, and aligned with the project objectives.

Required Qualifications

The BDS Associate should have the following qualifications:

·      Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Agriculture, Agribusiness, Development Studies, Finance, Marketing, or a related field.

·      At least 4–5 years of relevant experience in business development services, enterprise assessment, SME support, agribusiness, value chain development, or business planning.

·      Experience in conducting enterprise diagnostic assessments and preparing business plans.

·      Good understanding of micro and small enterprise operations, market systems, value chains, and financial management.

·      Experience working with donor-funded projects, preferably FAO, UN agencies, NGOs, or development programs.

·      Strong report writing skills in English; Dari and/or Pashto communication skills are essential.

·      Ability to work directly with enterprise owners, technical staff, farmers, suppliers, and market actors.

·      Computer skills, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and basic financial modeling.

Required Competencies

·      Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

·      Good facilitation and communication skills.

·      Ability to conduct participatory exercises with business owners and staff.

·      Understanding of Afghan market context and local business practices.

·      Ability to prepare clear, practical, and evidence-based reports.

·      Professional integrity, confidentiality, and respect for enterprise information.

·      Ability to work under deadlines and respond to review comments.

Key Responsibilities

Preparation and Coordination

·      Studying and internalizing project guidelines, diagnostic tools, usiness Plan and Business Development Plan

·      Coordinate with PPC-ACE project team to confirm enterprise location, assessment schedule, and required documentation.

·      Communicate with enterprise owners/managers to arrange meetings, interviews, and site visits.

·      Prepare required checklists, interview guides, data collection tools, and documentation formats.

Participatory Enterprise Diagnostic Assessment

·      Conduct a detailed evidence based participatory diagnostic assessment of the assigned enterprise.

·      Collect accurate information from the enterprise owner, managers, technical staff, suppliers, buyers, and other relevant stakeholders.

·      Drawing agreement with the business owner and the key staff on the diagnostic findings.

Participatory Business Analysis

Facilitate practical and participatory exercises with the enterprise owner and staff, including:

SWOT analysis

·      Problem tree analysis

·      Value chain mapping

·      Seasonality analysis

·      Market player analysis

·      Product portfolio analysis

·      Risk assessment

·      Farmer/supplier/value chain linkage analysis

·      Capacity needs assessment

·      Portfolio and financial analysis

The BDS Associate should ensure that the enterprise owner and technical staff actively participate in identifying challenges, opportunities, and priority actions.

Value Chain and Market Linkage Assessment

·      Map the enterprise value chain from input supply/raw material sourcing to processing, packaging, distribution, and final market.

·      Identify key value chain actors, including suppliers, farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, institutional buyers, and service providers.

·      Identify bottlenecks, losses, weak market linkages, quality gaps, and opportunities for value addition.

·      Recommend practical actions to improve supplier relations, buyer linkages, B2B partnerships, product quality, and market access.

Financial and Business Analysis

·      Review the enterprise’s current financial practices, including sales records, costs, expenses, profit/loss, cash flow, and working capital needs.

·      Support the preparation of simple financial projections and business assumptions.

·      Identify gaps in bookkeeping, budgeting, pricing, costing, and financial planning.

·      Recommend simple and practical financial management tools suitable for the enterprise.

Enterprise Diagnostic Report Development

Prepare a complete Enterprise Diagnostic Assessment Report using the approved PPC-ACE/FAO project template. The report should include, at minimum:

·      Conclusion and recommendations for Business Plan

Business Plan Development

Develop a practical and realistic Business Plan for the assi

8.8 Business Development Plan Development

Financial Modeling

Capacity Building and Mentoring support Planning

Monitor Plan

Mentoring and Follow-up Support

·      Provide technical advice to the enterprise during diagnostic and business planning stages.

·      Support the enterprise to understand the recommended priority actions.

·      Guide the enterprise on practical improvements in marketing, financial records, customer relations, operations, and value chain linkages.

·      Participate in follow-up meetings, online mentoring sessions, or review discussions as required by the project.

·       

·      Business Performance tracking

Documentation and Reporting

·      Maintain proper documentation of field visits, meetings, interviews, photos, attendance sheets, and supporting evidence.

·      Submit draft reports and Business Plans to PPC-ACE for technical review.

·      Address comments and feedback from PPC-ACE and FAO review teams.

Submit final revised versions within the agreed timeline.

Email / Application Form: business@pre-performance.com