Mercy Corps is an International Humanitarian organization operating Water and Sanitation, Economic Development, Livelihoods, Capacity Building, Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition, and similar sectors in the regions of SNNPR, Somali, Oromia, Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa. Mercy Corps works with communities, public and private sectors to implement appropriate relief, recovery and development interventions. Mercy Corps Ethiopia invites motivated and qualified candidates to apply for the following vacant position.

Position Title: EU cross Border Project Assistant Officer

Location:  Bench Maji zone in SNNP RegionEthiopia

Number of Positions (one per location)

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been operational in Ethiopia since 2004, delivering strategic, long-term approaches to address the challenges of hunger, poverty and climate change. With a well-established reputation in the areas of market systems development, inter-community relationship sensitivity, and emergency (nutrition) response, Mercy Corps studies the Ethiopian market to promote diverse livelihoods; evaluates urban issues, including climate resistance and economic opportunities; supports communities and local partners to develop plans for natural resource uses and sustainability; and, through all this, builds resilience.

Mercy Corps is a consortium member for the Omo Delta Programme: Expanding the Rangeland to achieve Growth and Transformation, funded by the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF) and led by VSF-Germany and implemented in Ethiopia (South Omo, Bench Maji) and Kenya (Turkana, Marsabit).  The program comprises three results areas:  reinforced resilience, improved livelihood opportunities and enhanced integrated natural resource management.  Within this consortium, Mercy Corps’ role is market systems strengthening; Mercy Corps Ethiopia and Mercy Corps Kenya will be collaborating in this effort.

General Position Summary

The Cross Border Project Assistant Officers will support the Market Development Officers in all activities in the program. They will be expected to represent Mercy Corps in programmatic excellence, leadership, vision and core values. They will be implemented all activities from inception and implementation phases, from detailed market systems assessment, validation and response option selection to detailed implementation planning and execution.  The Assistant Officers are the primary source of information and are the front line team members in each of the intervention woredas and will be assigned to discharge duties for all project components for which MC is responsible, namely, market systems development and strengthening.  The position requires key skills in M4P; experience in community mobilization, facilitation and planning; expertise in relationship management within the team, with partner organizations stakeholders, beneficiary community members; and strong capacities in project management.

Under the direction of the Market Development Officer, the Project Assistant Officers will be responsible for mobilizing beneficiary community members, participating in assessing market system development, and working on market linkage, employment and community needs in project target areas. S/he will also closely work with the project team to design, implement, monitor and provide ongoing technical support to designing context-sensitive interventions/response actions that would address market system development, market linkages and employment challenges.

Under the guidance and close supervision of Project Market Development Officers, the Project Assistant Officers will also be responsible in implementing sub activities, which will be identified within the major activities that will be planned by community participation. High priority tasks will include awareness creation; relationship building; improving communication among youths, women, private and public actors and other community members; conducting market linkage and employment related activities with focus on supporting women, youth groups SACCOs, enterprise groups and private sectors.  She/he will be further responsible for submitting regular concept notes, facilitation plans and activity reports to the supervisor and will help ensure that planned activities are implemented effectively, on time and on budget, while maintaining high quality and contribution to the program objectives. The position holder will also work closely with consortium partner organizations team members assigned at field level.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

·         Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.

·         Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

·         Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

Project Management

·         Develops her/his own good understanding on ‘economic and market systems strengthening facilitation’ including coaching, relationship building, communicating, community mobilizing and persuading, entrepreneurialism/business understanding and innovating;:

·         Mobilize community and assist market development officers and project team lead during, series of community discussion, training sessions, market assessment validation and activities planning workshop, which will involve all key stakeholders.

·         Under the guidance and supervision of Market development officer, she/he will develop detailed  operational plan for implementation of selected activities, including roles and responsibilities, timeframe, desired outcomes in her/his respective target Woreda

·         Develop, implement, monitor progress of work plans that can be adaptively managed

·         Under the direction and guidance of market development officer, Support  capacity building, coaching and mentoring for actors like women, youth, traders  and business groups to enable them  improve their performance in executing their planned business activities

·         Contribute in her/his best to ensure that market systems work captures and responds to up-to-date information about market developments within respective market systems and global best practices for Economic & Markets Development.

·         Contribute to the efforts made to Manage all required documentation and reporting required by the donor and government

·         Support the market development officer  on developing  draft monthly, quarter, mid-term and annual report which will be submitted to project team lead for review and further input

·         Regularly travel to the intervention sites in her/his respective Woreda to implement planned sub activities outlined under major activities, like facilitating community discussions, provide technical support to business groups and private actors supported by the project.

·         Regularly visit field activities to assess progress and provide formal and informal feedback.

·         Adhere to Mercy Corps, donor and government policies, rules, regulation and procedures

·         Respect the values, norms and the culture of beneficiary communities and local laws at all time

·         Discharge other duties as assigned by close supervisor or management team.

Finance & Compliance Management

·         Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps rules, regulations and procedures related to emergency and development programming.

·         Participate or contribute in draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy.

Influence & Representation

·         Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners,  local governments and other stakeholders including beneficiary community members.

·         Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

·         Bachelor’s degree/Diploma in economics, business administration, agribusiness, Agricultural economics, Agriculture, NRM or other related field, or commensurate private sector or field experience is required

·         Minimum of 2 to 3 years’ experience in private sector or working with other agencies(government or NGOs) in market systems facilitation, agribusiness or financial services

·         Good understanding on Markets4Poor approach and Economic & Markets Development facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding, innovating and community mobilizing.

·         Familiar with all aspects of the relevant market systems including key actors, micro-financial institutions (MFIs), banks, Insurances, mobile banking agencies, information service providers, employment recruiting agencies, inputs suppliers, producers, traders, transporters, intermediary and terminal markets governance frameworks (formal and informal); and all enabling and support markets and functions;

·         Experience of working  with pastoral communities of South Omo and Benchi Maji zone is greatly preferred

·         Ability, endurance and willingness to work under difficult conditions

·         Ability and willingness to drive/ride motorcycle is required.

·         Fluent in local languages (Nyangatom, Dasenech, Hamer and Surma), Amharic and English is required.

Success FactorsThe successful Project Assistant Officer will be a self-starter able to work in ambiguous situations. S/he will be a tolerant, flexible and able to work in difficult and stressful environments while following local and national laws, organization procedures, rules and regulations and respecting norms and values of the beneficiary community. S/he will be entrepreneurial mindset, adaptive, curious,  honest, willing to help/volunteer, results motivated, and have good problem solving skills.  S/he will have excellent communication, facilitation and networking skills with a wide range of public and private sectors, partner, beneficiary community members and NGO-sector actors.  S/he will be a great team player and community mobilizer.