Who we are:

MarketShare Associates (MSA) is a socially-driven global consulting firm. We provide innovative solutions for the private sector, government and civil society to improve, measure, and communicate the economic and social impacts of their investments.  We believe market dynamics have a strong impact on how people live their lives.  Our vision is to improve economic systems in order to reduce poverty. We recognize complexity and as such, use a systems approach to design solutions that work within dynamic environments. We work collaboratively with our clients, serving as brokers of creativity to help catalyze systemic change.

We take a bespoke approach to every engagement, developing tailored services for clients around action research, monitoring, strategic advisory, evaluation and thought leadership across five topic areas: market systems development, jobs and trade, economic empowerment, financial inclusion and impact investing.

Since 2009 we have worked with a wide variety of clients and partners in dozens of countries across six continents.

Our work:

At MSA, our team builds results measurement systems for development programs, social enterprises and impact investors; research power dynamics and their influence on market behaviors; train client staff to think more systemically about the problems they seek to address; pitch MSA’s services to new potential clients; write thought pieces; and brainstorm new approaches to old problems. Regardless of task, our focus on disrupting the status quo demands critical engagement. We implement our projects around the world. For more information about what we do, please visit our website:  www.marketshareassociates.com.

Who we want:

We are looking for a driven professional who is looking to accelerate MSA’s success to work in either the Denver, Colorado or Washington, DC office or remote location for the right person. You will play an instrumental role in supporting MSA’s technical, business development and operations teams – this is a unique opportunity to work across teams within the company and learn about multiple functions within international development implementation. Your enthusiasm will support a positive work environment, while your organizational skills will help to ensure that MSA has what it needs to thrive. Your professionalism means you are person that the rest of the team can rely on.

The nature of the role:

This is a full time position that will report to a Principal. The position will be about 50% technical; 20% business development and 30% operational and administrative.  The role is designed to support someone’s professional growth within MSA.  We hope to find someone who wants to learn quickly and grow with our firm into a more advanced technical position.

We are looking for someone who finds fulfillment in:

·      Supporting economic development and market systems differently. There are some known good practices in how to promote effective market systems. We like these. But we also believe that the best work is born of creative thinking.  We want someone who is comfortable challenging themselves to find unique and context-specific solutions to old problems. We want our team to think outside the box, pushing the boundaries of what seems possible.

·      A focus on learning and practical application. We want someone who not only likes to learn themselves and think outside the box, but have ways to help our clients to continuously learn and utilize their data.  We need people who enjoy distilling complex approaches into simple and practical activities to match on-the-ground realities.  This means you see good data as a means to an end, to influence interventions, to influence policy, to change practice and a means to create more meaningful social impact for all.

·      Being a research nerd.  We want someone to join the team who loves secondary and qualitative research.  This person loves finding evidence-based answers to complex problems, and loves designing good interview and focus group discussion guides, conducting fun interviews and focus group discussions in-country, and all of the deep analysis that follows.

·      Solving problems efficiently – We are always looking for a better way to do things and welcome new ideas for finding efficiencies, either by eliminating an unnecessary task or improving an existing process.

·      Strong attention to detail – Are you a good proofreader and enjoy editing documents? You are detail oriented and double and triple check documents and emails before they go out to ensure that there are no errors.  This is key to success in this role.

·      Exceptional organizational skills - MSA is all about efficiency. You should always question our processes and systems and think critically to come up with improvements.

·      Exceptional writing skills – Writing is a key aspect of the job.  You will be asked to do research, analyze it and write up the results.  Being able to communicate through writing should be a skill that you have been praised for in the past.  

·      Completing high quality work. We believe in what we do. Our work and productivity reflect our passion. We want another team member to believe the same! 

·      A focus on execution - You thrive on checking things off your to do list.

·      Being a collaborator – You bring a positive, solutions focused attitude to work every day. This means that you reflect our values and share your positivity with your colleagues. 

·      Being flexible – Your tasks will change as priorities often shift and there will never be a standard daily to do list - being adaptable is a necessity. We also need someone willing to take on technical as well as operational and administrative tasks.  Being willing and able to support across these functions is critical.

·      Engaging interpersonal skills – you are an enthusiastic team builder with great people-sense. You will be comfortable engaging with and building relationships with team members, clients, vendors and other stakeholders.

·      Strong capacity to manage yourself – This means you are able to discern the top priorities from among the various short-term and long-term tasks for MSA and stay focused on those. Others don’t need to follow-up with you – you are on top of your tasks and proactively update your colleagues on the status of priorities and flagging areas where input is required.

·      Most of all you bring a positive, can-do attitude. MSA’s team members work hard and play hard; we want our colleagues to share in our successes and celebrations.

Experience Requirements:

§ Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, international development or related field

§ At least two years of significant experience in international development, preferably in market systems, private sector development, trade, economic growth and/or inclusive business programming in emerging economies

§ Experience providing technical support to international development projects – preferably with leading private foundations, USAID, DFID or a multi-lateral organization

§ Excellent written and oral communication skills, including experience drafting reports

§ Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work and build relationships with team members and clients from diverse backgrounds

§ Very strong organizational skills and attention to detail

§ Ability to prioritize, implement, and deliver high-quality work within tight timelines and with minimal supervision

Other desired characteristics:

§ Graduate degree in economics, finance or another relevant social science

§ Experience with leading private foundations, DFID, or USAID specifically in market systems development, economic development or private sector development projects

§ Strong primary and secondary research experience including research design and implementation

§ Experience supporting project management functions, such as managing budgets, managing local consultants, and following donor rules and regulations

§ Experience working for a consulting firm and managed consulting projects

§ Proficiency in another language, preferably written and oral Arabic, French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese

§ Experience working and living in developing countries

§ Experience with the Microsoft Office suite; experience with research and/or statistical analysis software will be a plus

Other Information:

This is a salaried, full-time position reporting to a Principal, based in Denver, Colorado.

The salary for this position will be between $45,000 - $55,000. Where a candidate falls within this rage is based on previous years of experience and versatility ie number of required and desired characteristics as well as expected capability.

Application Details:

Deadline to apply is June 22, 2020. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. To apply, please send your current CV to opportunities@marketshareassociates.com, indicating the position title “Senior Specialist" in the subject line. If you have not heard back within 2 weeks after the application deadline, please send a follow up email to opportunities@marketshareassociates.com and copy fstrub@marketshareassociates.com.  We want to make sure no emails get lost in cyberspace!

Please also include a cover letter (maximum one page) explaining your interest in this role and answering the following questions:

1)    What do you see as the most important innovation in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning?

2)    List the three things, in order of impact, that you would bring to MarketShare Associates to take us to the next level.

3)    Which of our values most resonates with you, and why?

4)    What professional achievement are you most proud of?

5)    Are you legally authorized to work in the United States? If not, where are you authorized to work?

6)    What is your location preference?

7)    What are your salary expectations for this role?

8)    How did you find out about this role?