Mercy Corps exists to alleviate
suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive
and just communities.
Driven by local needs, our programs
provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support
they need to turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they
deserve.
Financial Services Manager – Nairobi, Kenya
This position is based on an award of
funding.
Program Summary: The
AgriFin Accelerate program will operate in three African countries (Kenya,
Tanzania and Zambia) utilizing a market ecosystem approach, working with
carefully selected partners to build sustainable models, where farm and crop
management tools and financial services are "bundled" in affordable,
unified platforms on mobile phone channels to promote mass uptake
commercially.
The program involves three
interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and
capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products
and build ecosystems to drive scale.
We work with farmers, banks, mobile
network operators, MFIs, financial service providers, research institutes and
other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle
services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing
the range of services, access points and value for farmers.
The program works with partners to
identify, prototype, test and scale successful mobile-enabled services for
smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using
a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design
techniques.
General Position Summary: The
Financial Services Manager (FSM) will provide technical support and direction
on all technical assistance and partner engagement with AgriFin Accelerate
program partners across all three countries, including banks, MFIs, insurance
companies, mobile-network operators, and agribusinesses.
The FSM will assist with new
mobile-enabled product development and delivery designed to enhance the
financial inclusion of small-holder farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and
Zambia.
These products can include payment
systems, mobile-enabled insurance, savings and lending.
Working under the direct supervision
of the Deputy Program Director and closely with the Program Director, Country
Managers, and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Manager, the FSM will
tailor technical assistance to the needs of each AgriFin Accelerate partner
engagement based on program strategies and partner roadmaps, ensuring their
specific needs are met; identify and support external consultants as needed;
and work specifically with the Digital Farmer Capability Hub manager to support
the development of applicable capacity building plans across the program
partners.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
- Lead program learning in best practices and
innovation in financial services to ensure that the full program teams
across all countries are informed and working optimally.
- Support the external learning and
communications agendas around financial services best practice and
innovations for partners and ecosystem players.
- Conduct ongoing desk review of global best
practice as well as ongoing learning meetings with program stakeholders
related to financial services, working in coordination with country
managers.
- Prepare field reports and blogs for mass
communication regarding the financial services aspects of the program.
- Engage in the development of all partner
relationships and product roadmaps related to financial services and
channel development.
- Provide technical support to these engagements
across all program countries, liaising directly with the Deputy Program
and Country directors.
- Draw on rapid product iteration approaches and
support Country Managers to identify technical consultants as needed in
this area and provide support and oversight for consultants as required.
- Assist in development of partner business and
work plans related to financial services, reviewing research, operational
manuals, product and technology specifications and financial statements to
do so.
Support for Marketing of New
Financial Services
- Engage with program partners to ensure that
adequate marketing strategies and resources are in place, including go to
market plan, market entry & scaling, customer acquisition branding,
incentive & commission structures, advertising and risk mitigation
strategies.
- Lead the initiative to identify alternative
data sources to drive the development and expansion of products and
services, including conducting research, identifying and selecting
prospective data partners and framing and implementing pilot tests of
alternative data with partners.
- Work with country managers to structure and
implement market assessments to drive meaningful financial product and
service development, including agricultural value chain payments.
- Ensure that market assessments focus on the
“pain points” of small holder farmers to guide product and service
development to overcome the barriers for the small holder farmers so they
can increase their access, usage and utility of services.
- Ensure that research targets leading and
alternative financial institutions to provide services to smallholder
farmers;
- Support the work of the Training Manager in
all efforts to develop financial capability building materials for SHF
related to the delivery of financial services and channels.
- Support the work of the MEL Manager around
implementation of the MEL agenda related to the delivery of financial
services and channels, including development of relevant business modeling
and planning, taking in to consideration research findings, market
assessments and strategy documentation.
Program Representation and
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Serve as a representative for the program in
matters related to financial services for SHF.
- Proactively engage with program stakeholders
to inform coordination and collaboration.
- Develop and maintain relationships with
financial services providers and link relationship management to country
management.
- Actively support program planning and
reporting efforts related to financial services delivery for SHF.
- Provide partnership recommendations with
existing financial services programming both within and outside Mercy
Corps programming.
- Ensure that programming works within Mercy
Corps’ M4P rubric for financial services programming.
- Provide technical leadership within the team
in the financial service sector, including regular trips to the radial
offices to support Country Managers and Program Officers to build their
capacity in the sector.
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 Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support
all efforts towards 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 projects.
Supervisory Responsibility:
- Direct supervision of: N/A
- Reports Directly To: Deputy Program Director
- Works Directly With: Technical teams,
Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager, Digital Farmer Capability Lab
Manager, Communications Manager, Finance staff.
Knowledge and Experience:
- MA/S or equivalent in finance, business,
international development or related field of study
- 8 years’ experience in relevant financial
services implementation including three years in a senior management
position
- Strong understanding of the financial services
sectors in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia including commercial banks, MFIs,
insurance companies, and others.
- Demonstrated experience in mobile-enabled
financial services
- Demonstrated experience in financial
capability building activities
- Demonstrated experience in financial product
design and implementation
- Understanding of and experience with improving
financial inclusion for smallholder farmers
- Strong written and oral communication skills
in English, including report development, writing and editing
- Experience in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia
preferred
Success Factors:
- The ideal candidate will have a strong
curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the three
diverse countries which AgriFin Accelerate operates.
- S/he will be an excellent communicator,
multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations.
- S/he will be a tolerant and flexible
individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow
procedures.
- S/he will be a team-player with a positive
attitude toward problem solving and conflict resolution.
- Commitment to learning, open communications,
impeccable professional standards of ethics and ability to manage
successful partner relationships are essential.
- The successful candidate will be focused on
team-building and open collaboration; be a strategic thinker and maintain
a sense of humor.
- The FSM must be willing to travel regularly to
Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.
- The most successful Mercy Corps staff members
have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in
evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal
communication a priority in all situations.
Technology Product Manager – Nairobi, Kenya
This position is based on an award of
funding.
Program Summary: The AgriFin Accelerate program will operate in
three African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia) utilizing a market
ecosystem approach, working with carefully selected partners to build
sustainable models, where farm and crop management tools and financial services
are "bundled" in affordable, unified platforms on mobile phone
channels to promote mass uptake commercially.
The program involves three
interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and
capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products
and build ecosystems to drive scale.
We work with farmers, banks, mobile
network operators, MFIs, financial service providers, research institutes and
other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle
services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing
the range of services, access points and value for farmers.
The program works with partners to
identify, prototype, test and scale successful mobile-enabled services for
smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using
a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design
techniques.
General Position Summary: The
Technology Product Manager (TPM) will provide technical support and direction
related to technology on all technical assistance and partner engagement with
AgriFin Accelerate program partners across all three countries, including
banks, MFIs, insurance companies, mobile-network operators, and agribusinesses.
The TPM will assist with new
digitally-enabled product development and delivery designed to enhance the
financial inclusion of small-holder farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and
Zambia.
These products can include both
information and technical services, with a major focus on financial services
including payment systems, digitally-enabled insurance, savings and lending.
Working under the direct supervision of the Deputy Program Director and closely
with the Program Director, Country Managers, and Monitoring, Evaluation &
Learning Manager, the TPM will tailor program assistance to the needs of each
AgriFinAccelera te partner engagement with a strong focus on technology-based
partners.
The TPM will identify innovative
technology companies providing services in the SHF arena and work to understand
their models, incorporate them into program work as feasible and to provide
leading technology partners with specialized support to foster their growth and
expansion.
The TPM will engage with partners to
develop program strategies and partner roadmaps, ensuring their specific needs
are met; identify and support external consultants as needed; and work with the
Digital Farmer Capability Hub manager to support the development of applicable
capacity building plans across the program partners.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
- Lead program learning in best practices and
innovation in technology to ensure that the full program teams across all
countries are informed and working optimally.
- Support the external learning and
communications agendas around innovations for partners and ecosystem
players.
- Conduct ongoing desk review of global best
practice as well as ongoing learning meetings with program stakeholders
related to the use of technology, working in coordination with country
managers.
- Prepare field reports, social media postings
and blogs for mass communication regarding the technological aspects of
the program.
- Take the lead in identifying potential
partners in the technology arena, working with strategic partner Dalberg
to complete due diligence on partners to identify institutional strengths,
weaknesses and capacity for program implementation and ultimate scale.
- Lead in identifying technology partners to
qualify for additional technical support, including sponsored cohorts at
relevant accelerator facilities, designed to increase technology partner
internal capacity, institutional development and access to resources to
support growth.
Support for Financial Products,
Services and Channel Development:
- Engage in the development of all partner
relationships and product roadmaps related to technology.
- Provide technical support to these engagements
across all program countries, liaising directly with the Deputy Program
and Country directors.
- Lead design sessions which drawing on rapid
product iteration approaches and support Country Managers to identify
technical consultants as needed in this area and provide support and
oversight for consultants as required.
- Provide direct capacity building for partners
as feasible.
- Assist in the development of technology
partner business and work plans as needed, reviewing research, operational
manuals, product and technology specifications and financial statements to
do so.
- Work with program partners to design interface
of systems and design pilot project to test usability, value proposition
and business cases and identify additional areas where partners require
support, assisting in finding solutions when possible.
- Engage with program technology partners to
ensure that adequate marketing strategies and resources are in place,
including go to market plan, market entry & scaling, customer
acquisition branding, incentive & commission structures, advertising
and risk mitigation strategies.
- Support the initiative to identify alternative
data sources to drive the development and expansion of products and
services, including conducting research, identifying and selecting
prospective data partners and framing and implementing pilot tests of
alternative data with partners maintaining integrity and confidentiality
of all information.
Technical Support for Market
Assessments, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning:
- Work with country managers to structure and
implement market assessments to drive meaningful financial product and
service development, with a special focus on incorporating supporting
technologies and relevant companies such as payment platforms, MNOs and
messaging services.
- Ensure that market assessments focus on the
“pain points” of small holder farmers related to technology adoption to
guide product and service development to overcome the barriers for the
small holder farmers so they can increase their access, usage and utility
of services.
- Ensure that research targets leading and
alternative technology companies to provide services to smallholder
farmers.
- Support the work of the Digital Farmer
Capability Lab Manager in all efforts to develop capability building
materials for SHF related to the delivery and adoption of
digitally-enabled financial services and channels, ensuring the highest
standards of technical information are incorporated.
Program Representation and
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Serve as a representative for the program in
matters related to technology-related services for SHF.
- Proactively engage with program stakeholders
to inform coordination and collaboration, including payment platforms,
specialized data processors, technology hubs, accelerator programs,
technical messaging platforms, mobile network operators and others.
- Actively support program planning and
reporting efforts related to technology-related service delivery for SHF.
- Provide partnership recommendations with
existing technology companies.
- Ensure that programming works within Mercy
Corps’ M4P rubric.
- Assist the program in developing and
supporting partner inception and subsequent design workshops related to
technology, supporting around mapping design processes and defining roles,
responsibilities and budgets related to technology.
- Provide technical leadership within the team
in the technology sector, including regular trips to the radial offices to
support Country Managers and Program Officers to build their capacity in
the sector.
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 Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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 projects.
Supervisory Responsibility:
- Direct supervision of: N/A
- Reports Directly To: Deputy Program Director
- Works Directly With: Technical teams,
Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager, Digital Farmer Capability Lab
Manager, Communications Manager, Finance staff.
Knowledge and Experience:
- BA/S or equivalent in information technology,
engineering or related field of study preferred
- 5 years’ experience in relevant technology
implementation, including 2 years in a senior management position
- Minimum 2 years’ experience in
digitally-enabled financial services
- Strong understanding of the technology and
mobile-for-development sectors in emerging markets, with understanding of
and experience with improving technology-enabled services for smallholder
farmers a plus
- Evaluating and building partnerships
- Product Management or Business Analyst
experience
- Experience with product and service design
preferred
- Strong written and oral communication skills
in English, including report development, writing and editing
- Experience in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia
preferred
Success Factors:
- The ideal candidate will have a strong
curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the three
diverse countries which AgriFin Accelerate operates.
- S/he will be an excellent communicator,
multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations.
- S/he will be a tolerant and flexible
individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow
procedures demonstrating cultural sensitivity with diverse stakeholders.
- S/he will be a team-player with a positive
attitude toward problem solving and conflict resolution.
- Commitment to learning, open communications,
impeccable professional standards of ethics and ability to manage
successful partner relationships are essential.
- The successful candidate will be focused on
team-building and open collaboration; be a strategic thinker and maintain
a sense of humor.
- The TPM must be willing to travel regularly to
Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.
- The most successful Mercy Corps staff members
have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in
evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal
communication a priority in all situations.
Agriculture Manager – Nairobi, Kenya
This position is based on an award of
funding.
Program Summary: The AgriFin Accelerate program will operate in
three African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia) utilizing a market
ecosystem approach, working with carefully selected partners to build
sustainable models, where farm and crop management tools and financial services
are "bundled" in affordable, unified platforms on mobile phone
channels to promote mass uptake commercially.
The program involves three
interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and
capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products
and build ecosystems to drive scale.
We work with farmers, banks, mobile
network operators, MFIs, financial service providers, research institutes and
other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle
services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing
the range of services, access points and value for farmers.
The program works with partners to
identify, prototype, test and scale successful mobile-enabled services for
smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using
a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design
techniques.
General Position Summary: The
Agriculture Manager (AM) will provide technical support and direction on all
technical assistance and partner engagement related to agriculture with AgriFin
Accelerate program partners across all three countries, including banks, MFIs,
insurance companies, mobile-network operators, and agribusinesses.
The AM will assist with new
mobile-enabled product development and delivery designed to enhance the
financial inclusion of small-holder farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia,
working to the fullest extent possible to reinforce digital payment streams
across agricultural value chains for selected crops.
These products can include payment
systems, mobile-enabled insurance, savings and lending, as well as mobile
applications providing value added services, including market linkages,
elearning, business process support and data collection.
Working under the direct supervision
of the Deputy Program Director and closely with the Program Director, Country
Managers, and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Manager, the AM will tailor
technical assistance to the needs of each Agrifin Accelerate partner engagement
based on program strategies and partner roadmaps, ensuring their specific needs
are met; identify and support external consultants as needed; and work
specifically with the Digital Farmer Capability Hub manager to support the
development of applicable capacity building plans across the program partners.
Essential Job Functions:
Best Practice & Learning:
- Lead program learning in best practices and
innovation in agricultural services to ensure that the full program teams
across all countries are informed and working optimally.
- Support the external learning and
communications agendas around technology-enabled financial and value added
services, particularly around innovations for partners and ecosystem
players.
- Support the development of more efficient
agricultural value chains and electronic payments.
- Conduct regular desk review of global best
practice as well as ongoing learning meetings with program stakeholders
related to agricultural issues, working in coordination with country
managers.
- Prepare field reports and blogs for mass communication
regarding the agriculture-related aspects of the program.
Support for Product, Service and
Channel Development for Small Holder Farmers (SHF):
- Engage in the development of all partner
relationships and product planning roadmaps related to financial services
and channel development.
- Provide technical agricultural support to
these engagements across all program countries, liaising directly with the
Deputy Program and Country directors.
- Inform commercial service delivery models that
work for small holder farmers, marketing and product development
strategies for small holder farmers and rural markets.
- Review product development and M&E survey
questionnaires and reports and relevant business models under development
to serve SHF.
- Identify buyers and suppliers that are
interested and available to join the partnership models, assisting with
the development of relevant business models and work plans.
- Support Country Managers to identify technical
consultants as needed in this area and provide support and oversight for
consultants as required.
- Support all MEL activities related to
agricultural technical issues.
- Support the work of the Digital Farmer
Capability Lab Manager in all efforts to develop financial and technical
capability building materials for SHF related to the delivery of financial
services and channels, ensuring the highest standards of technical
information are incorporated.
Technical Support for Market
Assessments, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning:
- Work with country managers to structure and
implement market assessments to drive meaningful product and service
development for SHF.
- Lead targeting of specific crop groups for
program focus in each country to best improve SHF income, inclusion and
productivity.
- Ensure that market assessments focus on the
“pain points” of small holder farmers to guide product design and service
development to overcome the barriers for the small holder farmers so they
can increase their access, usage and utility of services to increase farm
productivity and income.
- Ensure that solid market research targets
leading and alternative agricultural institutions to provide and enhance
services to smallholder farmers.
- Advise on potential agricultural service partners
and products in target countries and on appropriate agricultural extension
services and value-chain/market analysis.
- Support the work of the Research Monitoring
Evaluation and Learning (RMEL) Manager around implementation of the RMEL
agenda related to the delivery of agricultural technical advisory, market
linkage, informational and other services for SHF.
- Support the initiative to identify alternative
data sources to drive the development and expansion of products and
services, including conducting research, identifying and selecting
prospective data partners and framing and implementing pilot tests of
alternative data with partners.
Program Representation and
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Serve as a representative for the program in
matters related to technical agriculture-related services for SHF.
- Proactively engage with program stakeholders
to inform coordination and collaboration, including value chain actors,
research institutes, rural advisory services, commodity exchanges,
Ministries of Agriculture, and commodity working groups.
Program Implementation:
- Actively support program planning and
reporting efforts related to agriculture-related service delivery for SHF.
- Provide partnership recommendations with
existing agricultural development projects.
- Ensure that programming works within Mercy
Corps’ M4P rubric for agricultural programming. Provide technical
leadership within the team in the agricultural service sector, including
regular trips to the radial offices to support Country Managers and
Program Officers to build their capacity in the sector.
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 Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support
all efforts towards 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 projects.
Supervisory Responsibility:
- Direct supervision of: N/A
- Reports Directly To: Deputy Program Director
- Works Directly With: Technical teams,
Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager, Digital Farmer Capability Lab
Manager, Communications Manager, Finance staff.
Knowledge and Experience:
- MA/S or equivalent in agricultural-related
field of study
- 10 years’ experience working with in
agbusiness, associations, think tanks universities, at the global level
and/or Kenya, Tanzania or Zambian level
- Strong agriculture extension experience
- Strong experience in understanding and working
with agricultural value chains and payment flows
- Experience around use of communications
technology with ag (apps, SMS, radio, mobile, digital literacy, market
access)
- Experience in agricultural financial services
for SHF
- Experience in SHF capability building
- Experience and ability to make technical
recommendations around agricultural market development
- Ability to advise on research program
development and review/analysis of results
- Strong written and oral communication skills
in English, including report development, writing and editing
- Experience in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia
preferred
Success Factors:
- The ideal candidate will have a strong
curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the three
diverse countries which Agrifin Accelerate operates.
- S/he will be an excellent communicator,
multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations.
- S/he will be a tolerant and flexible
individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow
procedures.
- S/he will be a team-player with a positive
attitude toward problem solving and conflict resolution.
- Commitment to learning, open communications,
impeccable professional standards of ethics and ability to manage
successful partner relationships are essential.
- The successful candidate will be focused on
team-building and open collaboration; be a strategic thinker and maintain
a sense of humor.
- The AM must be willing to travel regularly to
Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.
- The most successful Mercy Corps staff members
have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in
evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal
communication a priority in all situations.
Communications Manager – Nairobi, Kenya
This position is based on an award of
funding.
Program Summary: The AgriFin Accelerate program will operate in
three African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia) utilizing a market
ecosystem approach, working with carefully selected partners to build sustainable
models, where farm and crop management tools and financial services are
"bundled" in affordable, unified platforms on mobile phone channels
to promote mass uptake commercially.
The program involves three
interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and
capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products
and build ecosystems to drive scale.
We work with farmers, banks, mobile
network operators, MFIs, financial service providers, research institutes and
other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle
services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing
the range of services, access points and value for farmers.
The program works with partners to
identify, prototype, test and scale successful mobile-enabled services for
smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using
a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design
techniques.
General Position Summary: The
Communications Manager (CM) will have an in-depth experience in communications,
including written, online and social media, along with a working knowledge
graphic design, video editing, proposal development preferably in the context
of economic development, technology and/or agriculture.
The CM will report to the Director
for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) and will be principally
responsible for:
1) Leading on the development and
implementation of a communications strategy and work plan for the program;
2) Leading program work related to
all publications including research, blogs, case studies and newsletters;
3) Coordinating with monitoring,
evaluation and learning (MEL) of the program to ensure broad communication of
program learning,
4) Managing program database, and
5) Supporting program planning
activities.
The CM will work internally to create
communications strategies to promote productivity and effective teamwork, as
well as excellent coordination and relationships with program partners.
Externally, the CM will communicate
with the media and other interested parties to announce initiatives and results
to build market awareness and use of program learnings and maintain a positive
image of Mercy Corps and the program.
Essential Job Functions
Communications and Public Relations:
- Lead development of the program communications
strategy to capture lessons learned and to effectively engage with program
donor and stakeholders to share access to program learning externally
through multiple channels.
- Continuously liaise with program managers to
ensure even communications across initiatives.
- Coordinate delivery of high quality,
consistent and relevant content that is both engaging and stimulating for
the program's online community.
- Lead graphic design for publications.
- Work with the Program Team to write, edit,
assemble, and ensure timely submission of internal and external reports.
Documentation and Reporting:
- Lead development and ongoing maintenance of
the program website.
- Take photos and videos of field activities for
publishing online.
- Write and coordinate development of blog posts
about the program and publish online.
- Establish and maintain traffic of our
Facebook, Twitter & YouTube accounts developing and maintaining a
"voice" for the program's online community.
- Maintain overall program library, as well as
global publications and best practices for reference of the program,
donors, stakeholders, and Mercy Corps staff.
- Oversee the preparation, printing and
dissemination of documents, including liaising with authors, printers and
graphic designers.
- Support preparation of reports on M&E
findings, as required, working closely with RMEL Director.
Liaison with External Parties:
- Respond to the wide variety of information
requests from stakeholders in the project area, including the media.
- Assist with the work of short-term consultants
and research firms, facilitating their access to the information they
require.
- Identify and document the core information
needs of central project, management, the advisory committee, donors and
partners;
- Participate in external and internal missions
and facilitate team members’ and donor’s access to program learnings.
- Understand donor and Mercy Corps’ policies,
procedures, rules and regulations to assist in monitoring and ensuring
compliance.
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: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support
all efforts towards 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 projects.
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Accountability
- Reports Directly To: Research Monitoring,
Evaluation & Learning Director
- Works Directly With: Technical teams, Country
Managers, Digital Farmer Capability Lab Manager
Knowledge and Experience:
- Minimum MBA/MA/Sc or equivalent in journalism,
public relations, communications, marketing, international development,
social sciences;
- Minimum five years’ relevant working
experience required; preference for experience in private sector in
marketing, advertising, or public relations firm.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills with
relevant experience writing formal reports, case studies, blogs,
newsletters, and articles;
- Strong experience in basic graphic design and
video editing;
- Working knowledge of mobile technology,
international development and agriculture;
- Willing to undertake regular field visits and
interact with different stakeholders;
- Well organized and detail oriented;
- A self-starter, with demonstrated ability to
work successfully in a team, ideally in an international context;
- Strong written, oral communication and
presentation skills;
- Full proficiency with MS Office software
(Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) required, and publishing software (MS
Publisher, Adobe InDesign, etc.) preferred;
- Fluency in English required
Success Factors:
- The successful candidate will have an ability
to interact effectively across international and national program and
finance teams successfully, both in a managerial as well as training
capacity.
- S/he will be able to support programmatic
objectives with timely and meaningful financial information, have a
demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information
in support of changing program activities.
- An impeccable professional standard of finance
and procurement ethics and the willingness and ability to enforce
compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures is
essential.
- The Finance Manager must be willing to travel
regularly to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.
- The most successful Mercy Corps staff members
have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in
evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal
communication a priority in all situations.
Digital Farmer Capability Lab Manager – Nairobi, Kenya
This position is based on an award of
funding.
Program Summary: The AgriFin Accelerate program will operate in
three African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia) utilizing a market
ecosystem approach, working with carefully selected partners to build
sustainable models, where farm and crop management tools and financial services
are "bundled" in affordable, unified platforms on mobile phone
channels to promote mass uptake commercially.
The program involves three
interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and
capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products
and build ecosystems to drive scale.
We work with farmers, banks, mobile
network operators, MFIs, financial service providers, research institutes and
other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle
services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing
the range of services, access points and value for farmers.
The program works with partners to
identify, prototype, test and scale successful mobile-enabled services for
smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using
a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design
techniques.
General Position Summary: The
Digital Farmer Capability Lab Manager (DLM) will provide strategic management
and direction for the AgriFin Accelerate Digital Farmer Capability Lab (DL)
implementation across in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, working directly with
program partners including banks, MFIs, insurance companies, mobile-network
operators, farmer unions, Ministries of Agriculture and agribusinesses.
The purpose of the DL facility is
design, test, and roll-out capability building tools throughout the product
life cycles, leveraging both digital and traditional delivery mechanisms, that
assist smallholder farmers (SHF) in accessing and utilizing program services
with maximum impact.
The DLM will engage with program
teams during mobile-enabled product development exercises to identify farmer
capacity building needs through farmer-centric research and work to adapt or
develop tools (marketing, products, services, partner staff orientation, and
materials) to enhance the financial inclusion of small-holder farmers by
program partners.
In addition to the development of
these capability-building tools, viable business models and value-add services
must be developed for their delivery in order to ensure long term
implementation at scale with a focus on embedded services within program
partners.
Significant attention will be placed
in learning and best practice, testing and iterating new methods and supporting
expansion of models which have proven impact and viability.
The DLM works under the direct
supervision of the Program Director and coordinates closely with technical
teams, Country Managers, and Research Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
(RMEL) Manager.
The DLM will identify and manage
external consultants as needed.
The DLM will also engage with RMEL
and Communications team members to ensure learning is collected, distilled and
communicated as planned.
Essential Job Functions:
Program Implementation:
- Lead program learning in best practices and
innovation in farmer capability building to ensure that the full program
teams across all countries are informed and working optimally.
- Support the external learning and
communications agendas around innovations for partners and ecosystem
players.
- Regular desk review of global best practice as
well as ongoing learning meetings with program stakeholders related to
capability building, working in coordination with country managers.
- Prepare field reports, social media postings
and blogs for mass communication regarding the farmer capability building
aspects of the program.
- Take the lead in identifying potential
capability-building partners and user-interface experts.
- Work with strategic partner Dalberg to
complete due diligence on partners to identify institutional strengths,
weaknesses and capacity for program implementation and ultimate scale.
Lead Capacity Building Tool and
Channel Development:
- Engage in the development of all partner
relationships and product roadmaps related to farmer capacity building
tool development and delivery, liaising directly with the Deputy Program
and Country Directors.
- Lead design sessions which drawing on rapid
product iteration and testing approaches, identifying and utilizing
technical consultants as needed, as well as providing direct capacity
building for partners as feasible.
- Ensure a focus on adapting existing and/or
identifying and testing impactful tools and methods of delivery that
leverage technology to the fullest extent.
- Ensure that tools are incorporated into
overall program impact evaluations, with successful tools being shared to
the fullest extent with program partners and the market at large.
- Ensure that tried and tested tools and models
will be packaged into capability building toolkits for public use.
Technical Support for Market
Assessments:
- Work with RMEL and country managers to
structure and implement market assessments to drive meaningful farmer
capability building.
- Ensure that there is a special focus on
understanding farmer needs related to financial inclusion and productivity
gains, as well as trusted channels and embedded models for delivery of
training for farmers, such as cooperatives and farmer extension services.
- Ensure that market assessments focus on the
“pain points” of small holder farmers to guide product and service
development and overcome the barriers for the small holder farmers so they
can increase their access, usage and utility of services.
- Ensure that research targets leading and
alternative technology companies to provide services to smallholder
farmers.
- Support the work of the RMEL Manager around
implementation of the RMEL agenda related to the delivery of
capability-building services, including tools, methodologies and delivery
channels viably reaching SHF with impact.
- Oversee, review and report on relevant
deployed product and tools results using established metrics and key
performance indicators at a client, institution, and systems level.
Program Representation and
Stakeholder Engagement:
- Proactively outreach and market
capability-building services for SHF.
- Proactively engage with program stakeholders
to inform coordination and collaboration, including agricultural extension
networks, research institutes with content, farmer cooperative groups and
other sources of training, training content and training delivery.
- Logically and simply visualize complex systems
orally and in presentations.
- Actively support program planning and
reporting efforts related to capability building for SHF.
- Ensure that programming works within Mercy
Corps’ market systems rubric and international best practice.
- Provide technical leadership within the team
in capability-building, including regular trips to the radial offices to
support Country Managers and Program Officers to build their capacity in
the sector.
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.
Supervisory Responsibility:
- Direct supervision of: N/A
- Reports Directly To: Program Director
- Works Directly With: Technical teams, Country
Managers, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager, Communications
Manager, Finance staff.
Knowledge and Experience:
- MA/S or equivalent in finance, business,
user-design, international development or related field of study
- 8 years’ experience in relevant training and
capability building implementation including 3 years in a senior
management position in a financial institution, consulting firm, or
related-entity.
- Strong understanding of financial capability
tools and best practice in emerging markets for low literacy populations
- Demonstrated experience in mobile-enabled
financial services. Strong preference for candidates with experience in
financial product design, testing, and deployment for adult and youth
clients.
- Demonstrated experience in financial
capability building activities using embedded and digital delivery
channels. Background in consumer education a plus.
- Understanding of and experience with improving
financial inclusion for smallholder farmers a plus
- Strong written and oral communication skills
in English (Swahili a plus), including report development, writing and
editing. Client-facing or farmer-level interviewing experiences a plus.
- Proven experience demonstrating the value of
client-centered design through verbal and visual presentations.
- Formal experience in human-centered design a
plus.
- Experience in East Africa preferred,
especially in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia preferred
Success Factors:
- The ideal candidate will have a strong
curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the three
diverse countries which AgriFin Accelerate operates.
- S/he will be an excellent communicator,
multi-tasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations.
- S/he will be a tolerant and flexible
individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow
procedures.
- S/he will be a team-player with a positive
attitude toward problem solving and conflict resolution.
- The successful candidate will be focused on
team-building and capacity-building of national staff; be a strategic
thinker, have strong skills in design monitoring and evaluation of
development programs and maintain a sense of humor.
Interested candidates who meet the
above required qualifications and experience should submit a cover letter,
detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including
a recent supervisor) to hr@ke.mercycorps.org.
The email subject line must clearly
show the job title and location they are applying for.
Applications without the right
subject heading will be automatically disqualified.
Please do not attach any
certificates.
(Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We will only get in touch with shortlisted candidates.)
NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any
fee at any stage of the recruitment process.