Business and 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: Business and Financial Inclusion Specialist

Duty Station: Dollo Ado -Somali Region

Open Position:  1

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.

The DREAMS program aims to improve the well-being of 100,000 women, children, and men over five years for refugees and host communities in the Somali region of Ethiopia. Working with refugees and host communities in the Somali region of Ethiopia. The program will integrate two proven models – poverty graduation and Market Systems Development – layering these approaches in a new way that will ensure that the poorest households can improve their income and well-being significantly and maintain  Mercy Corps will lead the Market Systems component of the program and will be responsible for developing market access pathways to ensure those businesses can be successful and supporting the operating environment for businesses and communities to thrive.

General Position Summary

The Business and  Financial inclusion  Specialist will lead initiatives focused on enhancing financial access, literacy, and inclusion for marginalized groups, lead financial market related activities of the project through its assessment validation and activities selection and planning to implementation of activities. Support scaling up of successful models and rolling out innovations that have the potential to include large numbers of refugees and their hosts.  He/She is expected to drive forward market-driven approaches in all stages of programming, promote and capture learnings to inform program decisions, ensure results are achieved and produce scheduled outputs at deadline and to expected quality.

The Business and Financial inclusion Specialist will contribute analytical thinking and innovative approaches, and will support integration, layering and sequencing of approaches across all Mercy Corps Ethiopia market-driven program.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Develops their own deep understanding and mastery of Financial and business model in DREAMS project strengthening facilitation’ including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding and innovating;
• Becomes intimately familiar with all aspects of the relevant financial and labor market systems that project is targeting including key actors ( VSLAs, SACCOs, MFIs, Banks, inputs suppliers, producers, traders, employer, information service providers, warehouses, transporters, financiers, intermediary and terminal markets); governance frameworks (formal and informal); and all support markets and functions;
• Ensures all project field staff including project officers and support staff have a clear understanding of the project’s financial and business modality objectives, approach and tactics, and their critical roles in delivering, managing and/or supporting the achievement and delivery of those objectives and tactics;
• Train project officers, and stakeholders, as appropriate in the relevant project financial and labor market objectives, approach and tactics;
• Be able to work with both ‘bottom of the pyramid’ and larger financial service providers to adapt, develop and pilot innovative, inclusive financial products that enhance the risk management and productive capacities of underserved rural and urban households. This will include credit products, savings, insurance and new payment mechanisms
• Designs, conducts, measures and documents assessments of micro-financial services market, in particularly for inputs and outputs of markets (production, technologies, services & information)
• Conduct labor market assessment in consultation with other UN agencies and NGOs, to identify sectors with high potential for employment opportunities for refugees
• Build the capacity of local training provider inside refugee camps to provide soft-skills training to prepare refugees for labor opportunities
• Identify sectors with high potential for employment opportunities for youth in host communities (e.g. mobile phone repairs, agri-processing laborers, construction)
• Develop and implement robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to measure the impact of financial inclusion initiatives and ensure continuous learning and improvement.
• Collaborate closely with other program components and external partners to ensure a holistic and integrated approach to financial inclusion.
• 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 strengthening.
• Mentors Mercy Corps and consortium partners staff in the market systems strengthening approach

 TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Coordinate and closely collaborate with all consortium team members to conduct assessments across selected sectors/market systems with a special focus on the Graduation component, including understanding constraints related to the graduation model, technology to enhance smart subsidies and related functions.
• Work with the DREAMS project staff like project Officers Specialists, and GESI other team members of Mercy Corps, and consortium partners to identify areas in which the different sectors and/or intervention areas are integrated and have the most growth potential.
• 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.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure adherence to systems for ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to the programming.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
• Comply with Mercy Corps approach at key government and advocacy platforms.
• Represent Mercy Corps at all relevant coordination meetings.
• Coordinate with other NGOs in Dollo Ado to consolidate Mercy Corps’ strategic niche and comparative advantages, while identifying strategic partnerships.

Represent Mercy Corps programs when needed.

• Demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.
• Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.

      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 Project participants

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

Reports Directly To: DREAMS project manager.

Works Directly With all program teams and consortium partners,

Minimum Qualification and Transferable Skills

• Excellent communicator in English with demonstrated excellent report writing and speaking skills, knowledge of local languages very advantageous.
• Demonstrated critical thinking, problem-solving, and relationship management skills.
• 5 years’ experience in strategic planning and implementing programs.
• BA/BSc in, business administration/Management/Sociology , Agri-economic , and relevant field, or equivalent experience
• Strong organizational and managerial skills
• Experience or working in the Somali region with strong contextual knowledge of local cultures and ways of working.
• Ability and experience (a plus) working in refugee and host communities in Dollo Ado,
• Knowledge of the Somali language
• Experience effectively initiating and maintaining productive relationships with private, public, civil society, and research sector partners.
• Excellent computer skills, including all Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Outlook & Powerpoint)

Success Factors

• Fluent in English
• Knowledge of the local language is an asset (Somali)
• Business-minded, entrepreneurial, adaptive, curious, with 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.

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 are 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 a 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 based on 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 the 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 adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning 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: 30 December 2023/ 4:00 PM