Position is contingent on new funding approval

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.  Now, and for the future. We help people overcome poverty and conflict. Working with communities, we leverage local logic to help people transform their lives. To grow more food, earn higher incomes and ultimately advocate for their needs. We see global challenges as an invitation to pioneer innovative, sustainable solutions. During our 34-year history, our work has improved more than 170 million lives in more than 115 countries around the world. Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

Position Title:   Market System Development(MSD) Technical Specialist  

Duty Station:  Jigjiga, Samara and Diredawa

Open Position:  4 at Jigjiga, 2 at Samara and 2 at Diredawa

Program / Department Summary

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 anticipates to implement a five year, USAID funded Pastoral Areas Resilience Activity (PARA) aimed to improve the resilience capacities of households, markets and governance institutions across the Somali, Afar and Oromia regions, collectively contributing to enhanced food security and inclusive economic growth for targeted community.

General Position Summary

The Market Systems Development(MSD) specialists is responsible to provided technical support for the Diversified Economic Opportunities and Livestock/Crop production and marketing components of PARA. 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 main sectors include livestock, crop/fodder, livestock products, energy, financial services, enterprises development and related sectors.

Essential Job functions

●       Participate in the planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluation and reporting MSD activities within the cluster;

●       Provided technical support in the area of responsibilities for MSD activities to ensure the planned activists are implemented timely and with required deliverable quality;

●       Work on the identification of the innovate ways/opportunities to support Market systems development activities and facilities the innovate ideas to ideas in to action through creating the enabling environment for exchange of information within the MSD team and actors;

●       Provide support on the areas of his/her technical expertise to MSD Coordinators and team members to ensure better implementation of PARA in the cluster;

●       Facilitate and coordinates markets systems assessment, organizing validation workshops and stakeholder platforms/events in the cluster;

●       Support 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 medium and small scale private business enterprises in markets areas focused on livestock, crop/fodder, financial services, none agricultural/off farm activities and other related under PARA component areas;

●       Facilities the development of short-term strategies and its implementation linkages creation between market actors (i.e. inputs suppliers, producers, traders, processors, cooperatives, financial service providers like Banks, MFIs, RuSACCOs and VSL’s) to improve outreaches in the target community;

●       Facilitates the implementation of the impactful activities by market actors to create job opportunities for youth and women in the PARA target areas;

●       Participate 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 the livestock/Crop production and Diversified Economic Opportunity components of PARA program;

●       In collaboration with cluster 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

Team Management

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

●       Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback formally and informally;

●       Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence;

Knowledge and Experience

●       Minimum of Bachelor’s degree in the areas: Economics, Agriculture (i.e. Plant/Animal Science), Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Agribusiness, Marketing and other related subjects;

●       Minimum of 4 years’ experience in private sector and/or NGOs working focused on MSD (program coordination, facilitation, 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 livestock/crop production, financial service providers, 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;

Success Factors

●       Fluent in English, Amharic and local language for the location applied: Somali, Afan Oromo and/or Afar (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;

●       Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)