Driven
by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s
toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises
they confront into the opportunities they deserve.
Mercy Corps is looking for a committed and dynamic individual to take up the following position:
Market Systems Team Leader, PROGRESS Programme - Wajir
Programme / Department Summary: The Governance Team Leader will work in collaboration with the PROGRESS Programme Director, Programme Managers and PROGRESS Consortium members in the implementation of a proposed multi-year project as part of DFID’s BRACED initiative (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters).
Mercy Corps anticipates a programme award under BRACED to implement the “Programme for Resilient Systems” (PROGRESS).
The Wajir-based Market Systems Team Leader will play a key role in implementation.
General Position Summary: The Market Systems Team Leader is responsible for leading the implementation of facilitation projects that make market dynamics, actors, institutions and services accessible to households within the PROGRESS focus areas.
These activities will work through public sector enabling strategies and private sector actors, seeking to crowd in provision rather than displace or replicate private actors with donor-funded services.
Facilitation projects increasing access to technical services, improving access to locally appropriate products, developing agent input and aggregator networks, improving service offerings and profitable provision of community animal health services, commercializing access innovative energy products and methods, and expanding the role and relationship of line Ministries in strategic prioritization of investment for economic vitality that contributes to household and community resilience.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
- With support from the PROGRESS Programme Manager and fellow sector-focused Team Leaders, carry out assessments in the target geographic areas to assess current situation, economic opportunities and resources, needs and potential programs as well as obstacles that could be mitigated through PROGRESS engagement with public and private sector actors;
- Recommend program priorities and explore, evaluate and present new opportunities that leverage impact and/ or complement core activities.
- Emphasize the role of, and opportunities for women and girls in the economic realm in both rural roles and in the urban sphere;
- Highlight market-based skills which are emerging with urban growth and work with public, private and development actors on efforts to match skills of people transitioning out of pastoralism and urban poor for urban livelihoods and services;
- Introduce the program to relevant stakeholders including local business owners, local representatives and community members. Foster ongoing positive cooperation with these stakeholders and forge links between market actors, producers, end users, etc.;
- Ensure an integrated approach to program implementation in order to maximize resource utilization and synergy between the staff and different MC programs where relevant and feasible.
- Provide direct and ongoing field supervision to provide quality advise and technical review in areas related to economic development;
- Identify small business activities for seed support through basic improvements or inputs;
- Identify value-addition opportunities that strengthen economic opportunities, especially for rural women and urban poor, in the livestock, poultry and other sectors as identified by local government and independent studies and assessments; these will focus on urbanizing areas of Wajir Town, Habaswein and Garissa Town particularly for livestock, and climate-smart agriculture areas in northern Wajir that promotes production and market links for agricultural produce;
- Identify opportunities within the long-term plans of Wajir County that can be fostered through progress, such as activating initiatives in the peri-urban livelihoods zone;
Collaboration / Networking
- Establish and maintain productive working relationships with sub-county and district leaders and local government departments, representing Mercy Corps in coordination meetings and soliciting their participation in all activities where appropriate and as directed by the line manager;
- Ensure close coordination and sharing of information with relevant stakeholders such as local government departments, NGO’s and local authorities, as appropriate and advised by the line manager;
- Identify opportunities for social innovation and enterprise that could be launched through catalytic investments from PROGRESS, or public and private sector initiatives;
- Guide Shared Learning Dialogue series that are thematically focused on enabling environment for market activity, including long-term infrastructure strategy and prioritization and identification of potential investors and innovators.
- Lead the planning of Wajir-based and Nairobi-based learning events, exhibits, workshops that bring private and public sector entities together to collectively review and discuss technology developments and innovation and to examine private sector approaches to household and community challenges that can be incubated through public sector incentives;
- Engage with PROGRESS Consortium members such as local civil society and the University of Nairobi around innovation and best practices for new technologies in climate-smart practice, renewable energy and energy saving methods;
Monitoring and Evaluation:
- Take primary responsibility for district data gathering and documentation of program activities
- Comply to M&E systems that will be established to measure program impacts and desired results
- Analyze project implementation strategies to identify constraints to program success and provide timely recommendations;
- Submit timely weekly, monthly, and quarterly report that will be indicative of program progress during implementation.
- Where needed support external evaluations by research partner Feinstein International Center and other organizations;
- Work with the M &E to ensure accurate and timely flow of information from the field for entry in the database and for preparation of PR materials
Coordination and Representation: Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events in the field, in close coordination with the Programme Director. Attend key events, committee meetings, fora, seminars, etc. as they relate to East Africa resilience. Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.
Staff Management, Professional Development and Team building: Contribute to country team-building efforts, and ensure the integration of all team and consortium members into relevant decision-making processes.
Program Support Operations: Ensure close communication across cross-country field teams and consortium members regarding program activities and plans, challenges and obstacles to timely and quality implementation. Coordinate with program, finance, and administration staff for troubleshooting and problem solving.
Organizational Learning: As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Supervisory Responsibility: Market Systems Officer
Accountability: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.
Reports Directly To: Programme Manager
Works Directly With: Programme Manager, Team Leaders, Consortium Members, and technical and support staff from Mercy Corps office in Portland, Oregon and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Knowledge and Experience:
- A degree, preferably graduate level, in Business Administration, Economics or Finance is required;
- Minimum of five to seven years working for a formal financial institution with orientation to mass markets or within the private sector is required;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Excellent computer skills, specifically in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
- Excellent attention to detail and ability to complete tasks in a timely manner;
- Excellent teamwork abilities and interpersonal skills;
- Familiarity with M&E, information, communications and knowledge sharing technologies and use of innovative approaches on digital financial services
- Superb networking and negotiation skills required;
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills as well as familiarity with financial accounting required;
- Demonstrated flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm as well as a willingness to learn and to be continually adaptive within a dynamic and often self-directed working environment mandatory;
- Ability to focus on day-to-day tasks at hand while also working towards longer-term objectives with an understanding that these will change continuously
- Willingness to spend much time in the field and work closely with program target groups.
- Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will have the following characteristics:
- A strong team player, with good communication and diplomatic skills.
- Proven ability to work independently as part of a regional team and with international professionals.
- Excellent analytical and information management skills.
- Good organizational skills and ability to work under stress and in austere contexts of remote locations.
- Flexible and creative in planning and problem solving.
- Attention to detail, ability to follow procedures and meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Proven excellence maintaining professional internal and external relationships.
- A focus on building staff capacity.
NB: All the positions are pending approval of our PROGRESS program by the donor.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before October 27th, 2014 containing a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org.
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before October 27th, 2014 containing a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org.
The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any certificates.
(ONLY Qualified and selected candidates for the interview will be contacted)
NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.