MSD – Irrigation Officer (Deadline: Nov 6, 2022)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004. In partnership with civil society organizations, private sector, and the government, Mercy Corps Ethiopia has reached more than five million Ethiopians with interventions to save lives and build secure livelihoods. Our programs emphasize market-driven solutions, reinforce social bonds, and help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently in six regional states – Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara and South Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) – Mercy Corps Ethiopia is driven by the mission to contribute the emergence of a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Ethiopia which is inclusive of youth and women. Our strategic directions focus in promoting inclusive and dynamic markets; promoting peace and social cohesion through strengthening formal/informal governance structures and citizen engagement; improved natural resource governance; and integrated humanitarian response.

                         Position Title:  MSD – Irrigation officer

                         Duty Station: Gambella

                         Open Position:  1

Program / Department Summary

The Market Systems Development (MSD) livestock production officer is responsible to facilitate interventions and activities under PPIL or T4P project and the $3 million Crisis Modifier response objectives that pertains to strengthen social cohesion between host and refugee communities and improve their livelihoods. She/he will be directly engaged with a wide range of actors and stakeholders including government, private sector actors and program participants with a focus on Livestock/crops production and marketing activities. He/she will be a key member of Market Systems Development unit.

The MSD Team uses a market-systems, community-led approach to stimulate economic growth to create 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. The focuses will be on supporting livestock/crop production activities, small and medium enterprises development, facilitating access and uses of production supporting inputs and output market development

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Provided technical facilitation support in the area of responsibilities for MSD activities to

ensure the planned activists are implemented timely and with required deliverable quality.

• Facilitate and coordinates markets systems assessment, organizing validation workshops and stakeholder platforms/events in in collaboration with MSD specialists and

Coordinators across the cluster.

• Facilitate capacity building efforts for market actors (i.e. private, public) on the MSD

approaches, identification of the market system opportunities/constraints through

conducting continues system analysis, develop approaches/modalities to support the

establishment and/or expansion of the high potential small and medium scale private

business enterprises in markets areas focused on last mile service delivery, access to

livestock/agricultural inputs, support the delivery of market-based animal health inputs,

feed/fodder, agricultural inputs through market actors to targeted communities, facilities

stimulating destocking and other related under PPIL component areas;

• Facilities the development of short-term strategies and its implementation linkages

creation between market actors (i.e., training providers, technology providers, inputs

suppliers, producers, traders, processors, cooperatives and other related) to improve

outreaches in the target community;

• Engage in regular field visits to assess the activities implementation progress, give

technical advises/mentor, and provide feedback(s) for further improvement.

• Closely work with supervisor and M&E team during the development of monitoring

tools/measuring indicators, milestones development, and monitoring/ reporting of output

and outcome in his/her area assigned.

• Ensures the program properly captures, documented and updated relevant information

• In collaboration with project MSD team, work to build and maintain close relationships

with key government partners and local implementers.

• Represent Mercy Corps professionally in cluster areas as to bring credit and to maintain

its humanitarian and development mission.

• Compile and submit regular updates/reports (weekly, monthly and quarterly); and

• Other duties as assigned

Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

Program Management

• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.

• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as WASH, psychosocial and capacity building of partners.

• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.

• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Finance & Compliance Management

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

• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget. Influence & Representation

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

• Understand and aware GDI related priorities of the country office and contribute for the

realization of priorities (continually work to understand and be aware of the gender diversity and inclusion priorities of the country office and contribute in the execution)

• Promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with a team member, partners and program participants.

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.

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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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.

Knowledge and Experience

·       Minimum of bachelor’s degree (MSC/MA preferred) in the areas: livestock production and other related fields

·       Minimum of 2 years’ experience in private sector and/or NGOs working focused on MSD (facilitation and providing technical supports), agribusiness and/or financial services.

·       Good understanding on the Markets4Poor approach and Markets development facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding and innovating.

·       Experiences in supporting privet sector lead business enterprises in pastoral/ agro-pastoral settings, providing business development supports, industries (public and private), institutions and stakeholders.

·       Knowledge of participatory analyses, action and results processing.

·       Experience/exposures to the location/region he/she applied for.

·       Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

·       Knowing one of the local languages

Success Factors

·       Define the specific behavior and attitudes critical to success in the position at time of hire and as it develops over time in paragraph form (soft skills).