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

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004, working in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in five regional states - Somali, Oromia, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples, Amhara - 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 communities. Resilience in Pastoral Areas (RIPA) program is a five-year USAID-funded initiative that aims to improve the resilience capacities of households, markets, and governance institutions across 22 woredas in the Somali, Afar and Oromia regions. RIPA includes a Crisis Modifier component that allows us to pivot our approach and respond to humanitarian needs in ways that support, not undermine, long-term development and resilience objectives. In relation to this, Mercy Corps is planning to implement a $10 million Crisis Modifier in response to the drought and Global Food Crisis impacting Ethiopia.

Position Title: MARKET SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT OFFICER -DEO/LIVESTOCK CROP

Duty Station: Dire Dawa ( Sitti zone-Somali)

Open Position:  1

Duration: - One Year

 The Position

The Market Systems development officer will be responsible for leading implementation of the market system related activities of the Diversified Economic Opportunity Component (Component 2) and Livestock and crop component (component 3). He/she will be responsible to facilitate the project ranging from undertaking assessment validation, activities selection, intervention design and planning implementation of activities to providing recommendations to scaling up and rolling out activities across the project sites.  He/she will contribute analytical thinking and innovative approaches and will support integration and harmony of approaches across all Mercy Corps Ethiopia market-driven programming. 

Essential Responsibilities

Project implementation

· 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 closely with field team 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;

·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 Micro, small and medium scale private business enterprises in markets areas focused on agro-processing, last mile service delivery, solar energy products, financial services, non-agricultural/off farm activities and other related under RiPA component areas·

·Facilitates the implementation of the impactful activities by market actors to create job opportunities for youth and women in the RiPA 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 RiPA.

·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 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.

· 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;

Works Directly With: C2/C3 Team Lead, Regional Coordinators, Senior Market Systems Development Advisor, C1, C3& C4 Team Leads, CLA Lead, Regional Coordinators, MSD Coordinators, CARE RiPA Team and other support departments including People and Culture, Finance and Operations teams. 

 Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Ongoing Learning

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.

Job Requirements

Minimum Qualification and Transferable Skills 

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

● Minimum of 3 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 of the Market system development approach and Markets facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding and innovating.

● Experiences in supporting Women and youth owned enterprises in pastoral/ agro-pastoral settings, providing business development services 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

● Knowledge of Somali language 

Success Factors 

● Fluent in English 

● Knowledge of   local language is an asset (Afaan Oromo, and Afari)

● 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)

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

How to Apply

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the position advertised.  All applications submitted to the Mercy Corps office or electronically include a CV, three references, and all relevant official documents. Applications will not be returned and will not be retained for future recruitment efforts.  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: 03 May 2023/ 4:00 PM

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