New Initiatives Assistant | Addis Ababa

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.

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. With the launch of Mercy Corps Global Strategy, Pathway to Possibility, the country office is poised to operationalize its three-year strategy with a vision to enhance the resilience of climate- and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. In Ethiopia, our strategy focuses in the four outcome areas: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use. Currently, we operate in six regional states – Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara and South Ethiopia. Working with a diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations, Mercy Corps Ethiopia empowers people to recover from crisis, build better lives and transform their communities for good. 

Position Title: New Initiatives Assistant

Duty Station: Addis Ababa

Open Position:  1

Safeguarding Risk Level: High

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps Ethiopia has experienced significant growth over the past years. The New Initiatives Assistant will play a vital role in supporting Mercy Corps' New Initiatives team, which focuses on two key areas: First, the team is involved in proposal submissions, particularly to institutional and private donors, ensuring that opportunities align with Mercy Corps Ethiopia P2P. Second, the team supports communications and engagement with donors and partners.

The New Initiatives Assistant will provide critical support in priority efforts by assisting with assembling proposal teams, supporting team planning, participating in on-site assessments and design work as needed, contributing to extensive writing efforts for proposals, and providing detailed reviews and edits to ensure high-quality submissions.

General Position Summary

The New Initiatives and Partnership Assistant will support the New Initiatives team by assisting in the development of new initiatives, managing communications with partners, and ensuring the smooth execution of administrative tasks related to donor compliance and quality reporting. This role will involve close collaboration with various departments to ensure quality standards are maintained and donor reporting systems are effectively managed. The New Initiatives Assistant will play a critical role in supporting the coordination of proposal development processes and helping to expand the program portfolio across core objectives including humanitarian response, durable solutions, and resilience.

Essential Responsibilities

NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (60%)

• Assist in coordinating the proposal development process, including drafting sections of proposals, supporting the development of concept notes, and gathering necessary information from internal and external sources. Ensure that proposals align with Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s strategic programming goals and donor requirements.
• Collaborate with the Programs, Finance, and Operations Teams in the preparation and review of budgets for new funding proposals. Assist in ensuring that budgets are realistic, comply with donor guidelines, and align with project objectives.
• Conduct research on potential donors, funding opportunities, and emerging trends in the humanitarian and development sectors.
• Work closely with Program Teams to gather input and feedback on proposed initiatives, ensuring that new proposals are grounded in on-the-ground realities and leverage existing program strengths.
• Assist in the preparation of materials and presentations for donor meetings, ensuring that they are tailored to donor interests and highlight Mercy Corps’ achievements and strategic goals.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION (30%)

• Support updating and implementation of a Mercy Corps Ethiopia and donor Communication Strategy and Plans.
• With the Communications specialist in supporting production of regular capacity statements and converting success stories for external purposes.
• Support in capturing and editing photos and videos of key program events, program participants, and other country office milestones.
• Assist in the preparation of any events that may take place during their internship duration.
• Support in regular updating of website and social media handles for Mercy Corps Ethiopia
• Ensure adherence to Mercy Corps and donor branding and marketing standards, maintaining quality across materials, events, and other media.

PARTNERSHIP SUPPORT (10%)

• Assist in mapping existing and potential implementing partners and donor projects across various technical sectors, including market systems development, livelihoods, natural resource management, and social cohesion. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of potential partners to identify strategic alignment with Mercy Corps’ goals.
• Support the New Initiatives team in establishing and reinforcing strategic relationships with key stakeholders, peer agencies, and donors. Engage in regular communication with these stakeholders to explore opportunities for collaboration and partnership.
• Help update and maintain tracking systems for potential and current partners, donors, and new business opportunities. Ensure that partnership records are kept up to date, including meeting notes, key contact details, and partnership agreements.

 Accountability

Reports Directly To: New Initiatives and Partnerships Manager

Works Directly With: SLT, Program Leadership Team, HQ desk team, Finance, Operations, and HQ/Region Technical Support Unit (TSU) team members

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field- Journalism, Communications
• 1-2 years of work experience, preferably in program or portfolio management, proposal development, or donor reporting.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a varied and changing workload.
• Excellent English writing skills.
• Familiarity with donor regulations related to reporting requirements is an asset.
• Strong communication skills in Amharic and English, both written and verbal. The knowledge of other local languages is desired.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will be eager to learn through doing and will not shy away from tough challenges. They should be passionate about humanitarian and development work and committed to delivering high-quality products while respecting deadlines. The candidate should be patient, flexible, and able to improvise while remaining responsive and communicative under pressure. They should master prioritization and organization processes and be detail-oriented. They should be able to develop strong relationships with staff, partners, and donors, and collaborate with diverse team members to ensure lessons are effectively applied to the design and implementation of activities.

 GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

•  Understand and aware GDI related priorities of the country office and contribute for the realization of priorities (continually work to understand and be aware of the gender diversity and inclusion priorities of the country office and contribute in the execution)
• Promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with a team member, partners and program participants.

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.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically
  to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

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

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 members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically.

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: 31 October 2024 / 4:00 PM