Team Leader - Business Development Services

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

Project Background

The anticipated project is for Advancing Gender Equality in Tanzania (PAMOJA) a World Bank-IDA financed initiative implemented by the Government of Tanzania through the Prime Minister's Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PMO-RALG), in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups (MoCDGWSG).

Spanning 40 district councils across 10 regions in Mainland Tanzania and 8 districts across 4 regions in Zanzibar, PAMOJA seeks to advance women's economic empowerment and strengthen gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response services. At the heart of the project is a capacity-building and Business Development Services (BDS) program designed to equip approximately 7,500 Community Microfinance Groups (CMGs) predominantly women-led with the governance, financial literacy, and business skills needed to become creditworthy and access sustainable financing. Through a “Train-the-Trainer” model, the program will strengthen the capacity of local government authorities and community-based facilitators to deliver high-quality, context-appropriate training and mentoring, enabling women micro-entrepreneurs to build resilient, climate-informed businesses and improve their economic agency and livelihoods across Tanzania.

Plan International Tanzania therefore is recruiting for the two Team Leader – Business Development Services for Mainland and  Zanzibar. The applicants should note that the employment offer is conditional, subject to contract award.

Role Purpose

The Team Leader is responsible and accountable for technical quality, coherence, leading, and overseeing the delivery of Business Development Services (BDS) assignment across the eight target districts in Unguja and Pemba and ten regions in mainland. The post-holder will lead the design and roll-out of the hybrid delivery model, directs the multidisciplinary team of key experts, and serves as the principal point of contact between the Plan International and the donor, ensuring that market-driven, gender-transformative and climate-resilient enterprise development is delivered to the highest technical and managerial standards from inception through to close-out.

The Team Leader will be responsible for managing multi-functional teams (WEE & Gender; Value Chain & Climate-Smart Agriculture; Financial Literacy & Cooperative; Training Specialist) for Main land or partners for Unguja and Pemba. He/she will ensure technical delivery, operational efficiency, staff wellbeing, risk management, safeguarding compliance, and strong partnerships with the local Government. This role reports to the Project Implementation Area Manager with technical dotted reporting line to Economic Empowerment Advisor.

Dimensions of the Role

• Represent PIT on regional forums with stakeholders ensuring key strategic messages for the project are conveyed in accordance with the donor and project objectives and as Plan International principles and policies.
• Accountable for budget management (multi-million-dollar portfolios depending on the area)
• Manages project -level partnerships for Unguja and Pemba and stakeholder relations in mainland
• Supervises multiple direct reports, ensuring that they have required support, guidance and resources to implement the projects according to organisational standards
• Ensures effective coordination with Country Office department leads to ensure organisational procedures and requirements are met by the team.
• Ensure that the project results and Plan`s commitments to impact the lives of program participants are fulfilled, following the respective policies, procedures and systems.
• Ensures risks and issues arising from the project are resolved, and when necessary, escalated to the Program Implementation Area Manager.

Accountabilities

1.Project Management

• Oversee the timely and quality delivery of the PAMOJA project in line with annual plans donor requirements, and in accordance with the organisational project management manual, tools and the project management standards.
• Provide overall technical and managerial leadership of the project, directing the key expert team and ensuring the coherent delivery of all five milestones set out in the Terms of Reference.
• Lead the design and application of the hybrid delivery model, including the Training of Trainers (ToT) approach for Ministry and District Focal Points and the subsequent supervision of direct training to women's groups and individual enterprises.
• Oversee the market and value chain assessments, ensuring recommended business models are commercially viable, climate-resilient and structured so that women retain ownership and decision-making power.
• Design and manage the mobilisation plan that ensures equal and immediate coverage both Unguja and Pemba, and lead the Pilot Phase stress test in one district on each island.
• Serve as the primary reporting line to the Project Implementation Area Manager, working day-to-day with the Women Economic Empowerment Specialist (PIT Focal Point) on technical guidance and quality control.
• Ensure all deliverables are prepared to donor standard, submitted on schedule, and supported by the required district-level field clearances and certificates of service.
• Ensure the projects are delivered according to the Organisational Safeguarding and PSHEA and Gender, Inclusion and diversity policies.
• Verify and when needed establish corrective actions to ensure the organisational systems (SAP, PMERL) are up todate.
• Manage the project are risks and issues ensuring mitigation measures and corrective actions are agreed with project teams and optimised across projects.

2. Stakeholder Management, Engagement and influencing

• Represent PIT in any forum to maximize project and influence actions in the location.
• Implement strategies to empower and involve program participants in decision making processes.

3. Financial and Operational Management

• Oversee the PAMOJA project budget, ensuring proper planning, expenditure tracking, compliance, and value for money.
• Ensure financial and project reporting is timely and accurate.
• Oversee and manage an efficient flow of funds to the projects.
• Manage and monitor the adherence to internal control systems

4. Partnership Management

• Strengthen PAMOJA partner relationship by working together as per the plan partnership principles.
• Proactively communicate PAMOJA project results, achievements and objectives to stakeholders at regional level to maximize project impact.
• Support PAMOJA partner capacity building and collaborative delivery of projects.
• Responsible for managing partners projects and monitoring their implementation for successful achievement of project’s objectives.

5. Leadership and staff Management

• Lead and support a multidisciplinary team, ensuring high performance, accountability, and a positive team culture.
• Promote staff development, including performance appraisals and individual development plans.
• Ensure adherence to Plan’s policies including Safeguarding and Code of Conduct
• Create a conducive working environment in which project team are motivated, respected, valued and managed well to realize their potential and development

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Qualifications and Experience:

Essential

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Entrepreneurship, or a related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years' experience leading Business Development Services (BDS) projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing World Bank or similar donor-funded projects.
• Successful completion of at least two (2) similar assignments in the last three years involving business development.
• Expert-level command of market systems development and strategic planning.
• Experience in the world Bank or other international donors

Knowledge

• Prior experience delivering assignments in the mainland or Zanzibar or the coastal regions of Tanzania.
• Experience working in Zanzibar
• Working proficiency in Kiswahili.
• Strong English writing and presentation skills
• Familiarity with the Blue Economy and community-based economic empowerment models.
• Familiarity with Climate Smart Agriculture practices

Location: Unguja & Pemba, Mainland TBC

Reports to: Program Implementation Area Manager

Grade: 14

Closing Date: 26th July, 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.