Job Description

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004, working in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in Six regional states: Somali, Oromia, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples(SNNP), Amhara, Gambela and the capital city of Addis Ababa. We engage in both development and humanitarian work, and seek to integrate approaches, programs and geographies as much as possible. Our partners include government, academic institutions, development and private sector actors, civil societies and participating public. Mercy Corps has a growing portfolio of programs in Ethiopia that focus on food security; agriculture and livestock market systems development; maternal and child health and nutrition; youth economic productivity; resilience and humanitarian response. In Ethiopia, some of our donors include USAID, SIDA, EU, DFID, and WFP.

Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

Position Title: Market System and Development (MSD) Officer-Livestock-Crop

 Duty Station: Jijiga

 Open Position: 1

 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 is implementing a five year, USAID funded Resilience in Pastoral Area(RiPA) 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) officer is responsible to provided technical support for the Livestock/Crop production and marketing components of RiPA. 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, and reporting MSD activities within the component.
• Provided technical supports for Livestock/crop market actors to ensure the planned activists are implemented timely and with required deliverable quality.
• Work closely with field team on the identification of the innovate opportunities/system to support livestock/crop Market systems development.
• Facilitate and coordinates markets systems assessment, organizing validation workshops and stakeholder platforms/events in in collaboration with MDS specialist in the cluster.
• Facilitates capacity building supports for market actors on identification of viable opportunities, on development of approaches/modalities to support the establishment and/or expansion of livestock/crop related private business enterprises in program target area mainly focused on livestock, crop/fodder.
• 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 component of RiPA.
• In collaboration with cluster MSD team, work on 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; 

Job Requirements

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in the areas: Agriculture (i.e., Plant/Animal Science), Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, Agribusiness, Marketing, and other related.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in private sector and/or NGOs working in MSD approach based program, agribusiness and other related.
• 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 related business establishment/mentorship.
• Knowledge of participatory analyses, action and results processing.
• Experience/exposures to the location/region he/she applied for;

 Success Factors

•  Fluent in English, Somali and one additional local language (capable in all required 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)

How to Apply

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the position advertised. All applications submitted to the Mercy Corps office include a CV, three references, and all relevant official documents. Applications will not be returned and will not be retained for future recruitment efforts. In order to ensure fairness to all applicant’s personal inquiries are not permitted.

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: 14 November 2021/ 4:00 PM

 Please send non-returnable applications and credentials to one of the following address:  et-recruitment@mercycorps.org

Note: Please make sure that you mention the position title in the subject line of your email application.

OR: Mercy Corps Recruiter

Addis Ababa: P.O. Box 14319

Arbaminch: P.O. Box 33 , Jijiga: P.O. Box 225   

Negelle Borena: P.O. Box 116

Dire Dawa: P.O. Box 974

Gambella Office