Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use. Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations.
About Regional Livestock Program (RLP)
The Regional Livestock Programme (RLP) is a collaborative effort led by implementing partners Helvetas, IGAD, and Mercy Corps. Its aim is to address the challenges that render smallholder and medium-scale market actors uncompetitive and highly susceptible to economic and environmental shocks. The program is designed based on the insights gained from the experience of implementing partners and a year-long analysis of regional livestock trade dynamics and livestock market systems in the pastoralist and agro-pastoralist ASAL regions of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, conducted by Mercy Corps.
Phase I’s overall objective is to enable pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in target trade corridors to have more climate-resilient, inclusive, and sustainable livelihoods. The emphasis is on increasing production and productivity of poor agro-pastoralist and pastoralist households, with a particular focus on peri-urban and rural women engaged in the livestock sector and youth. The program also aims to enhance domestic markets and trade while leveraging opportunities for regional integration, competitiveness, and cross-border collaboration along the targeted trade corridors.
Programme / Department
Mercy Corps has a significant depth of experience throughout the Horn of Africa, including an operational presence in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Within the Horn of Africa, Mercy Corps’ strategic focus is on dryland communities and programming in these areas include governance, social cohesion, market systems development, climate change adaptation interventions, among others. Through our work across a diversity of program activities, Mercy Corps supports the establishment and cultivation of resilient livelihoods. Mercy Corps is starting-up the Regional Livestock Programme. Implemented largely in the ASAL areas of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, RLP works to ensure pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in the target trade corridors have more climate resilient, inclusive and sustainable livelihoods.
Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 and acts on behalf of people who have become disenfranchised and poor. We stand with Ethiopia to find and access opportunities, and to be part of lasting and meaningful transformation in the country. Mercy Corps seeks to be influential with government and development actors towards a more resilient country where poverty is tackled through the eyes of those who understand it best. This translates into ensuring that the population is financially stable, healthy & nourished, educated & unformed, and that natural resources are accessible, shared and utilized sustainably.
Mercy Corps RLP is hiring an experienced private sector engagement specialist. The successful candidate will have a relevant track record and experience in the private sector and livestock value chains. The PSES must have technical expertise in the area of private sector en drive to tackle new and complex challenges and work with us to learn, adapt and deliver sustainable benefits for Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. S/He will oversee the technical approach and implementation quality of RLP within the Togwajale live animal trade corridor.
General Position Summary
The private sector engagement and Investment specialist is responsible for providing technical support working under the supervision of Trade Corridor Coordinator and in conjunction with RLP Country Program Manager and other RLP program teams. He/She will be responsible to Assist the Trade corridor coordinator in the co-development and implementation of Trade Corridor activities by providing guidance and support as necessary to other team members in implementing RLP’s private sector involvement within the corridor.
He/She will be responsible to assess the existing capacity of agribusinesses and livestock trade enterprises in the target areas including their training needs and propose actions to build their management capacities. Under the guidance of the Trade corridor coordinator & deputy director/inclusive market lead, the specialist will provide technical input assessments and research regarding service delivery, product appropriateness, institutional arrangements, markets for financial services, accessibility of services and new opportunities and models, among other responsibilities, across the financial sector in the project area.
He/She will be the primary relationship holder with all private sector partners within the corridor and lead the establishment of Corridor Working Groups that partner with regional leaders to co-develop Corridor Upgrading and Investment Plans. He/She will also identify or facilitate the formation of relevant industry associations that increase the voice and participation by livestock relevant MSMEs.
Essential Job Responsibilities
In collaboration with RLP Corridor coordinator, Program Manager, Officers, MRM manager and regional technical team organize training events and workshops in the respective trade Corridor.
Identify learnings and successes for documentation and sharing MSD/PSE best practices, support development or adaptation of tools and guidance documents, identify and support markets-related research activities, lead stakeholder and technical knowledge sharing events, and liaising with relevant stakeholder networks, and local partners/institutions in close collaboration with the Director of evidence and learning.
Facilitate the creation of partnerships between private sector actors, including attracting and incentivizing the public and private sector to invest in RLP initiatives and interventions.
Participate in the planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of Private sector engagement activities within the corridor.
Support market actors to stimulate new opportunities, effectively mitigate risks and adapt to changing contexts this requires increasing the capacity of industry associations to represent their members and offer market information, advocacy, expanded networks and training opportunities.
Coordinate with the RLP Deputy Director, Women’s Economic Empowerment Advisor and Inclusive Finance and Investment Manager to design and lead access to finance and market interventions that reach or benefit target populations.
Coordinate with RLP Corridor Coordinators leading other corridors to expand B2B networks and create opportunities for joint learning.
Facilitate research into relevant private sector-facing opportunities and trends to identify opportunities for interventions that grow the private sector in the livestock value chain.
Liaise with the Results Measurement (RM) team on the development of appropriately tailored research tools and methods for the collection and collation of relevant intervention information from the field.
INTERVENTION MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE TRADE CORRIDOR
In Collaboration with RLP Trade Corridor Coordinator & RLP Country Program manager contribute intervention strategies and implementation procedures in a participatory manner with key stakeholders.
Support development of operational plans and budgets, ensuring sequencing, layering and integration of interventions across borders.
Assist in updating and supervising Results Measurement aspects of the intervention activities,
Develop products and campaigns to promote private sector-led investments in the RLP interventions.
Work on the identification of the innovate ways/opportunities to support Market system development activities and transform the innovate ideas into action through creating the enabling environment for exchange of information within the RLP teams and actors across the corridors.
Assist the implementation and results measurement teams in developing relevant grant agreements, MoUs, ToRs and any other administrative requirements for the interventions.
Identify opportunities for cross-border learning and conduct regular field visits to ensure proper implementation of activities.
Remain up to date of developments in the relevant sectors/markets/commodity and livestock value chains.
Work with the RLP Monitoring Results Measurement (RM) senior officer/specialist to design appropriate tools for monitoring the progress of interventions within the various market sectors. Also liaise with the RM on the conduct of impact assessments for ongoing program interventions
Lead implementation team to refine and adapt the intervention strategies in light of participant and stakeholder requests and changing needs and opportunities, within the overall program.
Help identify private sector failures and pressure points for addressing these; help identify ways to render a given market more functional and efficient, in a manner that will benefit the program targets.
Identify priority areas for interventions that will change as opportunities pass or are realized and new ones emerge.
In collaboration with Trade Corridor Coordinator Coordinate with local partners and stakeholders and update stakeholder management plan.
SECURITY MANAGEMENT
Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
MONITORING & RESULT MEASUREMENT(MRM)
Work closely with the program MRM team members to ensure that RLP teams working within the Corridor feed into M&E systems and processes and that data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform ongoing adaptation of program strategies and delivery approaches.
Work with Country & Regional level MRM team to assess and analyze impact and adaptively manage the program to meet results.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES AND PARTNERS
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and partners and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.
Supervisory Responsibility
TBD
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Trade Corridor Coordinator for the Regional Livestock Program
Works Directly with: MEL/MRM team members, RLP Deputy director, Evidence and learning director, RLP Compliance & Finance team members, Regional TSU technical advisors and RLP Ethiopia program team.
Knowledge and Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Agri-business, economics, business administration, or related field preferred.
A minimum of 3-4 years of experience implementing entrepreneurship, private sector engagement, market systems development, or investment/incubation interventions. Experience from private business or enterprises is preferred.
Demonstrated experience working, partnering with, and brokering PPPs or B2B partnerships with private businesses of diverse sizes including national and multi-national firms.Experience with business planning and analysis is a plus.
Report writing, ability to analyze institutions and needs, training skills, ability to identify problems and alert other staff is required.
Experience coordinating multiple activities, developing synergies and creating opportunities for collaboration.
The position requires a candidate with excellent communication skills, a relationship builder, Innovator, a coach, and systemic thinker.
Experience/exposures to the location/region he/she applied for;
Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
Persuasive written and oral communication in English, including report writing, competency in a relevant local language (Somali) is essential.
Success Factors
Fluent in English and local language for the location applied: Somali (capable in all require basic skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing);
Business minded, entrepreneurial, curious, great problem-solving skills, unafraid to ask questions, and results motivated.
Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, and networking skills with a wide range of actors across geographical areas.
social cohesion and female empowerment, among others. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written / verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position will be based in Jigjiga in close collaboration with other trade corridor coverage areas including Somaliland. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.
Ongoing Learning
This project will be adaptive based on learning and evidence emerging from program interventions and research.
Additionally, in support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically.
Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.
“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting gender, equity and diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower women and youth.”
DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 24 November 2023/ 4:00 PM
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