MSD- Financial Inclusion Specialist

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: MSD- Financial Inclusion Specialist

Duty Station: Gambella region

Open Position: 1

Program / Department Summary

Integrated Smallholders Farmers Resilience and Livelihood Support (ISRLS) Project is a WFP funded project with the aim of building the resilience and improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Gambella region with the specific objectives of increasing agriculture production and productivity, access to market and market linkages, financial inclusion, and promotion of production and consumption of diversified crops to improve nutrition status of the population in target woredas. The implementation of this project will improve smallholder farmers productivity, enhance income and build resilience which contributes to country’s vision becoming middle income country by 2030

Mercy Corps utilizes Markets Systems Development Approach (MSD) approach to contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and social stability.

General Position Summary

The access to market and financial Inclusion Specialist will facilitate access to market and inclusive finance for smallholder farmers (SHFs) by organizing them into village saving and loan association (VSLAs), cooperatives and unions, facilitating  market linkages and forums between SHFs, market actors, aggregators, inputs providers and financial service providers such as micro finances, banks,  conducting market assessments such as market functionality, VSLAs’ operational and capacity gaps,  needs assessment etc, and building relationships with key market actors like private sectors and government institutions. The Specialist will also be involved in designing Intervention Concept Notes (ICN), Activities Concept Notes (ACN), Term of references (TORs) and Memorandum of understanding (MoUs) regarding access to market, financial inclusion, market linkages, forums and assessments etc, helping to ensure robust M&E and working with our MEL team. S/he will also play a role in representing Mercy Corps’ access to market and financial inclusion work externally, through building relationships with key partners and participating in relevant coordination and learning events.

Position Title: MSD - Financial Inclusion Specialist

Location: Gambella

Position Status: Full-time

Salary Level: Based on the organization scale

Current Team Member: New

Safeguarding Risk Level: 3

Essential Job Responsibilities

Coordination and Collaboration

•  Enhance strategic partnership with stakeholders and partners to advocate, promote and advance organizational issues, priorities, interests and competencies for a successful program and program delivery.
•  Collaborate with clients, partners, and stakeholders to link and harmonize approaches and to promote common interests and achievement of results.

Program Management

• Support the development of work plan, activities, targets, budget, standards for measuring progress and results and determine the processes, tools, and methodologies to be used to ensure effective and efficient program implementation and operations.
• Design interventions Concept notes for MSD programs, using tools such as Results Chains and ‘Who Does, Who Pays?’ matrices.
• Lead the establishment, strengthening, and digitization of Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs), cooperatives, unions under ISRLS project, and upgrading of such groups into micro and intermediary aggregators
• Facilitate and technically support market linkages between smallholder farmers and other key actors to access agriculture inputs and output markets
• Facilitate and organize forums for/between market actors such as smallholder farmers, producers, processors, collectors, traders, aggregators, financial institutions to enhance access to market and finances.
• Facilitate and provide capacity building trainings to VSLA groups, their members, cooperatives, unions and other key market actors  
• Provide technical support to integrate access to market, DFS & financial inclusion into the ISRLS project.
• Facilitate and engage in conducting various assessments like market functionality assessment, VSLAs operation and capacity gaps assessment, providing the foundation for program design.
• Facilitate and/or provide technical support for market actors and aggregators in developing financial proposals to access finances from financial institutions like microfinance, banks etc.
• Develop standard operating procedures (SoP) on business to business in collaboration with related government institutions
• Support and strengthen the formation of agriculture market coordination platforms by and in collaboration with concerned government bureaus
• Facilitate and technically support the formulation of long-term trading agreement between key market actors and SHFs covering the supported value chains
• Facilitate learning and experience sharing visits for key actors within and across regions
• Undertake Comprehensive mapping and profiling of market actors and market channels
• Ensure gender integration and mainstreaming are incorporated into financial inclusions interventions.
• Monitor progress and identify risks for timely action and early resolution.
•  Responsible for the full compliance with Mercy Corps rules and regulations and policies on financial activities, financial recording/reporting system and follow-up on audit recommendations.
• Actively support knowledge building, sharing, and applying in the program.
•  Submission of high-quality reports for financial inclusion programming to the Program Manager and other relevant Mercy Corps Ethiopia team members.
• Closely work with key stakeholders such as smallholder farmers, financial service providers (MFIs, Banks, cooperatives, unions, VSLA groups), government, etc. by establishing partnership and managing relationship on regular basis.
• Perform other duties assigned to by other team members

Teamwork

•  Ability to plan own work, manage conflicting priorities and work under pressure of tight and conflicting deadlines.
•  Work closely with team members and partners, to support capacity-building and gender integration into the programs.
•  Very good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations.
•  Very strong leadership capacities to guide a multi-cultural team in difficult circumstances.
•  Support the identification of program issues, challenges and risks, appropriate recommendations and implements them.

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.

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: MSD Advisor-Financial Inclusion and labor market

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: ISRLS Project Teams; Operations and Finance Teams; MEL teams

Supervisory Responsibility: None

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 programs.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

•  A degree in Cooperatives/Business/marketing management, Argo-business, Value chain management, Argo-economics, Economics, rural development and agricultural extension or other related fields of studies.
•  At least 5 years' work experience in project and program management and coordination, preferably in access to market, market linkages, and financial inclusion, agricultural cooperative and union management, digital financial services (DFS), product & strategy development; financial literacy programs, and community awareness campaigns.
•  Previous work experience in livelihood and financial sectors in international non-governmental organizations is an advantage.
• Familiar with all aspects of the relevant market systems, access to market, cooperatives formation and management, financial inclusion, and working with smallholder farmers, aggregators, micro-financial institutions (MFIs), banks, etc.
•  Good understanding of Markets Systems Development (MSD) approach.
•  Familiarity with Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA) methodology, cooperatives and unions formation, development and practices is advantageous.
•  Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
•  Fluency in English, Amharic and knowledge of local languages (Anywaa and Nuer) is required.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, work within a complex security and political situation and to follow strict security protocols. A willingness to relocate for short-term as necessary within coverage regions, based on programmatic needs, work independently and as part of a team are essential Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams and SharePoint).

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.”