Position Title: Market System Development (MSD) Specialist

Duty Station: Afar/ Semera

Open Position:  1

Safeguarding Risk Level: High

Duration: 3 months with possibility of extension

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 toward 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 & informed and that natural resources are accessible, shared, and utilized sustainably. 

Mercy Corps is implementing a five-year, Feed the Future USAID-funded Resilience in Pastoral Areas y (RiPA North) focused on: stimulating increased production, productivity, and marketing through more competitive livestock and livestock products markets; increasing communities’ resilience; improving alternative livelihood options through essential skills transfer; improving food security and nutrition, and contributing to the wider knowledge on pastoral development.  The program is operating in Afar, Somali, and Oromia regions.

Mercy Corps is looking for a strong Market System Development (MSD) Specialist, who will be responsible for providing technical support to RIPA component 2 identified partners including private market actors, MSEs, government partners, and financial institutions.  

The Market Systems Development (MSD) specialist will be responsible for leading the market system-related activities of the Diversified Economic Opportunity Component (Component 2) and support the implementation of high-quality Market system development interventions, through capacity-building for partners, conducting market assessments and designing interventions and building relationships with key market actors from the private and government sectors. He/she will be prudent in the facilitation of proposed activities that enable the creation of employment opportunities for youth, women, and job seekers in pastoral and agro-pastoral communities.

Essential Responsibilities

• Leads the implementation of impactful activities to support the diversification of economic opportunities to facilitate employment opportunities for youth, women, and job seekers in pastoral and agro-pastoral locations

• Develop intervention, activity concept notes, and overall implementation plans for carrying out activities that strengthen good linkages between market actors such as technical skills training providers, Business development/Mentoring service providers, Banks, MFIs, VSLAs, last mile agents, Women Cottage Enterprises, Solar Energy service providers, inputs suppliers, producers, traders, aggregators, value adders, cooperatives, Agri Businesses, to strengthen their reach in serving pastoral and agro-pastoral communities.

• Together with other team members, he/she will support the expansion of Financial Service providers (Banks, MFIs) and networks of mobile banking agents into remote pastoral and agro-pastoral locations identifying and training mobile banking agents.

• Lead regular implementation of district and kebele level field activities to assess progress and provide formal and informal feedback.

• Coordinates and organizes market assessment validation and activities planning workshop, which will involve all key stakeholders.

• Generates more understanding of market actors’ actions, behaviors, dynamics, functions, opportunities, and constraints by conducting continuous market system analysis and developing approaches, and modalities to support the establishment and expansion of private business institutions in high-potential markets for small-scale businesses.

• Support capacity-building efforts for market actors (i.e. private, public) on the MSD approaches, identify the market system opportunities/constraints through conducting continuous system analysis, develop approaches/modalities to support and contribute to employment opportunity/job creation, and support the establishment and/or expansion of the high potential medium and small scale private business enterprises in technology, maintenance services, processing/manufacturing industries, cottage industry, solar energy.

• Develops key monitoring and measuring indicators, milestones, and plans in close collaboration with supervisor and M&E team and is solely responsible for monitoring and reporting all output, outcome, and impact indicators for respective market system(s).

• Ensures the program captures and responds to up-to-date information about market developments within respective market systems and global best practices for market systems Development.

• Builds and maintains close relationships with key government partners across the project implementation areas and other cities and towns at all levels

• Develops quarterly and final reports providing a summary of activities and recommendations and shares with his/her supervisor and other team members and stakeholders.

• Works closely with the program team and partners ensuring we adhere to humanitarian principles, Mercy Corps’ gender policies, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

• Integrates community approaches, gender sensitivity, and capacity building into all activities.

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

• Participate in a market assessment validation and activities planning workshop, which will involve all key stakeholders.

• Recognizes opportunities for innovative action and creates an environment where project teams work together, exchange information, coordinate activities, and develop team spirit in project management.

• Works closely with project management and other team members to contribute to a vision and strategy development and in applying market systems development approaches to refugee and host community contexts.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Liaise with local government officials, local NGOs and civil society organizations, local religious leaders, and other notables to ensure support for and acceptance of Mercy Corps programs.

• Maintain close working relationships with donors, other humanitarian and development organizations, and local partners, including representing Mercy Corps at local coordination meetings as assigned.

• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

• Team management

• Build effective relationships with program teams implementing RAISE-DFS based on mutual trust, collaboration, urgency, and curiosity

• Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.

• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally

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

• Support hiring and orientation of team members with a focus on MSD

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

• Adherence to gender minimum standards

• Allocate budget for GESI-related activities and staff capacity building on GESI

• Make sure GESI issues are properly reflected during program management

• Support the organization’s commitment to age and gender inclusive team building process

• Promote an inclusive and equitable workplace culture

• Support Staff Capacity Building by increasing staff knowledge of GEDSI

• Coordinate with the GEDSI Technical Team to Improve gender-responsiveness of program /Project MEAL system

• Increased commitment to Gender Equality Diversity and Social inclusion

Supervisory Responsibility 

RIPA Field Agents  

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Component 2 MSD Coordinator   

Technical Line Report to Diversified Economic Opportunity Team Lead

Works Directly with Component Two team Lead, MSD advisors, MSD Coordinators, MSD Specialists, teams across the four components, and other administrative, finance, and operations staff in-country.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, and other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Job Requirements

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following subjects: Economics, agro-economics, Management, Accounting, Finance, Rural development, or a related field

• Three to five years of experience in MSMEs markets, labor and financial markets, financial inclusion, Business development service, and skill training in pastoral and agro-pastoral systems of Ethiopia.

• Deep understanding and mastery of Market system development approach and Economic & market development facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding, and innovating.

• Experience in working with enterprises/private sector actors, labor market, financial market actors, Livestock/crop producers/processors in the industry (public and private) actors, and institutional stakeholders.

• Knowledge of participatory analyses, action, and results processes.

• Previous experience in arid and semi-arid parts of Ethiopia is preferred.

Success Factors

• Fluent in English and Afar-Aff (Afar Language)

• Business-minded, entrepreneurial, curious, with great problem-solving skills, unafraid to ask questions, and results motivated.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and networking skills with a wide range of actors across geographical areas

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

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

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

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

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

How to Apply

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the position advertised. All applications must be submitted electronically including a CV, three references, and all relevant official documents through THIS LINK

Only candidates that are shortlisted 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: 30 September 2024/ 4:00 PM