MSD Advisor

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps is launching an innovative new program – Delivering Resilient Enterprises and Market Systems (DREAMS) for refugees and host communities in the Somali region of Ethiopia which provides solutions that will achieve increased household income, savings, assets and improved food security and wellbeing.  The DREAMS program aims to improve the well-being of 100,000 women, children, and men over the course of the five years. Working with refugees and host communities in the Somali region of Ethiopia the program will integrate two proven models – poverty graduation and Market Systems Development – layering these approaches in a new way that will ensure that the poorest households are able to improve their income and well-being significantly and maintain  Mercy Corps will lead the Market Systems component of the program and will be responsible for developing market access pathways to ensure those businesses can be successful and supporting the operating environment for businesses and communities to thrive.

The Market Systems Development (MSD) Advisor is responsible market-systems activities, community-led approach to stimulate economic growth creating wealth and jobs for the poorest while maximizing investment from the private and public sectors. The MSD Team is comprised of technical expertise in the areas of production, marketing, employment, input/output markets, post-harvest technologies and financial services. Its main sectors include livestock, crop/fodder, livestock products, energy, financial services, enterprises development and related sectors.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

STRATEGY & VISION

•  Oversee and coordinate field level MSD team and activities to ensure quality and timely delivery of planned activities;
• Provide technical leadership to field team in planning, organizing, implementing, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of MSD activities;
• Advises the Project Coordinator on related MSD activities and supports to ensure better DREAMS overall implementation in the area;
• Manage relationship with relevant government stakeholders, public and private partners including key actors (inputs suppliers, producers, information service providers, and other appropriate actors) in the target area for better success;
• Facilitate private sector engagement in his/her respective responsibility in the region by bringing innovative ideas and initiatives to MSD team;
• Work closely with all DREAMS component team members ensuring activity integration and achieve overall DREAMS goal;
• Contributes to the key monitoring and measuring indicators, milestones and plans in close collaboration with MSD and M&E team, and be responsible for monitoring and reporting outputs and outcome indicators in each component;
• Ensures the program captures and updates information about market developments within the components;
• Compile and submit regular updates/reports (weekly, monthly and quarterly); and
• Other duties as assigned.

PROGRAM COORDINATION

•  Liaise with local government officials, local NGOs and civil society organizations, local religious leaders and other notables to ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps’ programs.

• Maintain close working relationships with donors, other humanitarian and development organizations, and local partners, including representing Mercy Corps at local coordination meetings as assigned.
• Represent Mercy Corps professionally in the responsibility areas as to bring credit and to maintain its humanitarian and development mission;

Team management

• Build effective relationships with program teams implementing production, marketing, diversified economic opportunities, based on mutual trust, collaboration, urgency and curiosity;

• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives;
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally;
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence;
• Support hiring and orientation of team members with a focus on MSD;

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.

SECURITY

• 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.

 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

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries 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 at all times and in all in-country venues.

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in private sector is strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, agribusiness, economics, business administration or other related field, or commensurate private sector or field experience is required;
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in private sector or working with other agencies in program coordination, market systems facilitation, production, agribusiness and/or financial services;

Success Factors

• Fluent in English and Somali languages (capable in all require basic skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing);
• Business minded, entrepreneurial, adaptive, curious, great problem solving skills, unafraid to ask questions, and results motivated.
• He/She will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures
• Excellent communication, facilitation and networking skills with a wide range of private, partner and NGO-sector actors
• Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)