Director of Market Systems Development Full Time

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.

Program/Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004. In partnership with civil society organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, and the government, Mercy Corps Ethiopia has reached more than five million Ethiopians with interventions to save lives and build secure livelihoods. Our programs emphasize market-driven solutions, reinforce social bonds, and help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently in six regional states – Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, and South Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR), and in Dire Dawa Administration and the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa – Mercy Corps Ethiopia is driven by the mission to contribute the emergence of a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Ethiopia which is inclusive of youth and women. Our strategic directions focus on promoting inclusive and dynamic markets; promoting peace and social cohesion through strengthening formal/informal governance structures and citizen engagement; improving natural resource governance; and integrated humanitarian response.

Mercy Corps is currently seeking a qualified Market Systems Development Director to manage and lead the growth of our portfolio of Market System Development (MSD) Programs/Projects and livelihood development to support strengthened resilience among vulnerable households through increased public and private investments.

General Position Summary

The Director of Market Systems Development (MSD) will provide strategic direction and lead all technical, managerial, and representational aspects of Mercy Corps Ethiopia’s economic opportunity, market systems in crisis, financial inclusion, and employment programming. S/he will lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of existing economic growth programs/projects, as well as all efforts to attract new sources of funding for the program. S/he will also provide technical support to ensure that economic and market-related issues are integrated across other parts of the Country Office programs/projects. Beyond Mercy Corps Ethiopia, s/he will contribute to advancing strategy, programming, and capacity on market development programs globally, including by sharing learnings from Ethiopia to other country offices in Africa and other regions. The Director will play a key role in establishing and maintaining strong relationships with relevant donors, private sector entities, government actors, and other relevant stakeholders. S/he will directly supervise Program/Project Managers, Team Leaders or Coordinators, and other key staff supporting the portfolio.

Position Description

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with frequent travel to the fields

Position Status Full-time, Regular

Salary Level: 

Current Team Member: New

Essential Job Responsibilities:

STRATEGIC DIRECTION, PORTFOLIO QUALITY AND GROWTH 

• Provide overall strategic direction and vision, leadership, technical and operational management of the economic growth, market development, and financial services portfolio.
• Lead the development of MC Ethiopia’s strategy for economic growth, market development, and financial services programming.
• Adapt and integrate market systems development approaches across the Country Office portfolio.
• Drive a growth strategy and lead the establishment of partnerships and development of concepts and proposals that attract new funding for the economic growth program.
• Maintain expert awareness of facts and trends affecting Ethiopia’s Economic Growth profile.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP and PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee programs/projects implementation to ensure that delivery is on-scope, on-time, on budget, and meeting quality required by donors and Mercy Corps standards.
• Cultivate links at the strategic and activity levels within the economic growth program and across the Country Office portfolio.
• Serve as technical quality assurance focal point, ensuring quality standards, and working with leadership to improve plans and deliverables of Market Systems Development (MSD) and economic development/growth programs/projects.
• In partnership with the global TSU teams, lead training/capacity building efforts aimed at Program/Project Managers and program/project staff to implement MSD and economic development programs/projects, ensuring they are equipped to analyze incentives and behaviors of businesses and other market players – public, private, formal, and informal – and design lasting and scalable initiatives beneficial to target groups.
• Ensure the integration of crosscutting themes of youth, gender equality, empowerment, technology, and employment especially for youth and women, and climate-smart and resilience practices are integrated in the economic growth portfolio.
• Ensure robust monitoring and evaluation, quality data collection, and analysis systems are in place, adhered to, and used as a decision-making tool by Project/Program Managers.
• Strengthen existing management and information systems to document the achievement of milestones and measurable impacts for economic programming.
• Ensure appropriate attention to program learning and integration of lessons learned.
• In collaboration with Mercy Corps Economic Growth global teams, identify bold solutions that leverage innovations to improve programmatic and operational implementation and support its integration when appropriate.
• Ensure Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding Protocols, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Policy, Gender Policy, and Community Accountability Response Mechanism (CARM) guidelines are applied to programming.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Recruit and supervise Program/Project Managers and related staff to implement high-quality programming.
• Ensure that teams fully adhere to international, technical, and organizational minimum standards, including adopting gender, conflict-sensitive, and participatory approaches to ensure that Do No Harm and other principles of Mercy Corps programming are fully respected.
• Supervise and mentor program/project staff to effectively manage projects, including workplan monitoring, budget forecasting and monitoring, accurate and timely reporting, and efficient use of resources; communicate clear expectations, set performance objectives, provide regular and timely performance feedback, and conduct annual performance reviews.
• Build technical capacity of Program/Project Managers on market systems approach, economic development, and livelihoods programming.
• Ensure compliance with financial and operational policies, procedures, and systems to deliver compliance with Mercy Corps and donor requirements.

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE

• Ensure compliance with donors and Mercy Corps’ regulations.
• Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, donor, and Mercy Corps’ needs.
• Ensure sound financial management, including programmatic budgeting, spending projections, and monitoring of payments in compliance with donors’ standards.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO, working group meetings, and other relevant events, in close coordination with the Director of Programs.
• Coordinate activities with consortium partners, subgrantees, local government, and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs.

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Collaborate with country leadership to support preparedness and response to major disruptive events.
• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
• Ensure that programs/projects are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

COORDINATION 

• Cultivate strategic partnerships and maintain effective working relationships with key Government NGO, civil society, and private-sector stakeholders to advance organizational sector strategies vis-a-vis economic development and livelihoods.
• Liaise with key stakeholders to coordinate responses and identify strategies to facilitate market-based interventions with programmatic links.
• Work with Regional Economic and Market Development Advisor and Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit to strengthen programming and to promote Mercy Corps’ thought leadership on economic and market development.

Supervisory Responsibility: Supervises the Project/Program Managers/Coordinators/Team Leads of the Economic Growth Sector

Accountability:

Reports directly to:  Director of Programs

Works directly with:  Program/Project Managers under the Economic Growth portfolio; Director of Program Performance and Quality (PAQ) and staff in the PAQ team; Chief of Party, Staff in Operations, Finance, and Human Resources departments; Ethics and Assurance Manager, Regional Technical Support Unit and HQ support teams, as well as partner organizations.