Position Title: Market Systems Advisor
Duty Station: Addis Ababa With 50% travel to Kemisse in Amhara Region
Open Position: One
Mercy Corps has been sub-granted by international NGO Farm Africa to provide technical assistance to local NGO based in Amhara region, Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara. The technical assistance will comprise market systems strengthening activities for financial services, agri-input, fruit and vegetables and mung bean market systems in South Wello and Oromo Zones of Amhara Region. The project currently is envisioned in three phases: 1) inception phase and data collection (August 2017); 2) design and implementation of pilot activities (9 months) and 3) scale-up and rollout of successful activities. MC will be involved in the first two phases only. With regards to the first phase, MC, ORDA and FA have conducted in-depth market system assessments for these four systems and have together proposed response options. A Market Systems Advisor is now required to lead the team into the second phase to select and implement response options that have the greatest leverage opportunity to impact the communities.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Market Systems Advisor will lead market system related activities of the project through its second phase, from assessment validation and activities selection and planning to implementation of activities to providing recommendations for the next phase of the project which would involve Farm Africa and ORDA in scaling up and rolling out activities even further. This position requires key skills in M4P; relationship management within the team, with partner organizations stakeholders, and community members; and project management.
The Market Systems Advisor will also be a member of the MC Economic and Markets Development (EMD) Team, which uses market systems development to stimulate economic growth to create wealth and jobs for the poorest while maximizing investment from the private and public sectors. As a member of the EMD team, the Market Systems Advisor will contribute analytical thinking and innovative approaches and will support integration and harmony of approaches across all Mercy Corps Ethiopia market-driven programming. The EMD team is also expected to contribute up to 20% of its collective time towards new program development.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
The Market Systems Advisor is responsible for management and implementation of MC’s thematic areas of financial systems development. Key job functions include the following:
· Coordinate and organize market assessment validation and activities planning workshop which will involve all key stakeholders.
· Advise/guide the project team to develop detailed plan for implementation of selected activities, including roles, timeframe, desired outcomes
· Develop, implement, monitor progress of work plans that can be adaptively managed
· Lead MC’s component of the project by guiding implementation of activities as implemented by ORDA
· Facilitate key relationships within the four market systems.
· 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.
· Manage all required documentation and reporting required by the donor
· Develop final report providing summary of activities and recommendations for the next phase of the project which will be implemented by ORDA and FA.
· Regularly visit field activities to assess progress and provide formal and informal feedback.
· Adhere to Mercy Corps, donor and government policies and procedures
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
· Deep understanding and mastery of Markets4Poor approach and Economic & Markets Development facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding and innovating.
· Familiar with all aspects of the relevant market systems including key actors, micro-financial institutions (MFIs), banks, Insurances, information service providers, inputs suppliers, producers, traders, intermediary and terminal markets governance frameworks (formal and informal); and all support markets and functions;
· Bachelor’s degree in economics, business administration, agribusiness, or other related field, or commensurate private sector or field experience is required
· Minimum of 5 years’ experience in private sector or working with other agencies in market systems facilitation, agribusiness or financial services
SUCCESS FACTORS:
· Fluent in English and Amharic
· Business minded, entrepreneurial, adaptive, curious, great problem solving skills, unafraid to ask questions, and results motivated.
· 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)
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