Job Vacancies at Mercy Corps

Purpose / Project Description:

• The Consultant will support the fulfillment of the objectives, activities, and deliverables below in close collaboration with the DCSA Director and Sprout Lead.

Consultant Objectives:

• The Sprout Platform Product Consultant will support the ongoing development of the Sprout Platform by enhancing its usability and manageability, leading content expansion and platform offerings, designing and developing the Dynamic Marketplace and Digital Advisory Services MVP, and aiding in business development and stakeholder engagement.

Consultant Activities:
The Consultant will:

• Lead in identifying, product designing, and integrating features to the Sprout Platform to enhance usability and manageability.
• Support the Sprout CTO in expanding and scaling the Sprout chatbot.
• Take an active lead and support internal and external stakeholders in the Sprout Platform’s Product Management and Evolution.
• Continuously update the fundraising strategy and lead fundraising for Sprout by identifying funding opportunities.
• Lead the Sprout Consultants in implementing CGIAR -Ukama Ustawi: Diversification for
• Resilient Agrifood Systems in East and Southern Africa Program
• Develop and manage partnerships with key content partners and agriculture government entities.
• Lead in updating of the business plan and strategy for Sprout content expansion into existing and new markets.
• Support the marketing strategy and business development activities.
• Engage with partners to identify potential funding opportunities for the Sprout Platform.
• Support Sprout Content Expansion into existing and new markets.

Consultant Deliverables:
The consultant will work to produce updates on the deliverables below alongside regular progress reports and activity time logs, in close collaboration with the Digital Climate-Smart Agriculture and Sprout Platform Lead:

• Lead in identifying and integrating features to Sprout to make it more easily usable and manageable including enhancement of the web interface.
• Lead the implementation of a co-designed project with the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture for the Acquisition and Transformation of Top Priority Agriculture Value Chains for FFOs and Farmers
• Lead in the maintenance of meeting minutes, log of website updates, and stakeholder requests from Sprout Platform.
• Develop partnerships with content partners – Stakeholder-building relationships with Agriculture Govt Entities for content review and strategic partnerships.
• Develop a structured survey tool and feedback loop with Sprout partners – Farmer Facing Organizations (FF0s) - to gather and track insights on the usefulness of existing and new learning content and services for their farmers.
• Assess Sprout Data Provision Platform to determine its current usability with FFOs and what is needed for FFOs to make access to content and services easier to use and integrate with their existing systems. Provide a report that includes the assessment process, data used, and recommended roadmap for the Sprouts data provision platform.
• Lead the implementation of a co-designed project with the Zambian Ministry of Agriculture for the Acquisition and Transformation of Top Priority Agriculture Value Chains for FFOs and Farmers. recruit and interview local FFOs (up to 5), acquire up-to-date content based on FFO and Zambian Government priorities (up to 10 value chains), transform and validate up to 10 value chains into farmer-friendly
• Support the business development lead in generating leads, presentations, negotiations, closing deals, and acquiring new partnerships.
• Support the Strategy development for Static Content Evolution for Sprout – based on partner needs and strategic opportunities, lead its implementation, and support the expansion of Static Content Availability/Depth into new countries and value chains.
• Update the fundraising Strategy, lead its implementation, and support ongoing fundraising activities for Sprout.
• Design, implement, and recruit service Partners for Sprout Dynamic Marketplace and Digital Advisory Services MVP
• Provide periodic updates on the Sprout Platform Roadmap in partnership with the DCSA Director, Sprout CTO, and BD teams.
• Update Sprout Content Strategy for Static Content Evolution for Sprout – based on partner needs and strategic opportunities.
• Support marketing strategy and planning with marketing team and Marketing Consultant
• Support in the scaling of Digital Weather Advisory Services in MVP, including fielding market research to better understand farmer needs and developing pricing.
• Design work plan and project design for identified Sprout services, which includes various stages including fully released, MVP, and experiment stages that will be integrated into the Sprout Platform.
• Analyze and update the documentation of the partnership process to determine the next Sprout services with key partners.

Timeframe / Schedule:
The time frame will be between June 17, 2024 - Oct 31, 2024.
The Consultant will report to:
Agrifin DCSA Director and Sprout Lead
The Consultant will work closely with:
The Agrifin Technical team
Required Experience & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, computer sciences, sciences, or a similar area
• MBA or Master of Sciences is highly preferable
• About five years of proven sales experience in business or a related area
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal, in order to express technical and nontechnical concepts clearly and concisely.
• Experience designing and developing products for open data portals
• Experience working with CKAN and DKAN open-source data portal platforms
• Experience working with WhatsApp for Business services, and previous experience working with Turn.Io a highly preferable
• Experience working remotely with a distributed team across time zones
• Experience designing content taxonomies and implementing these as schemas in knowledge management systems Experience in implementing and working with WordPress
• Previous experience working with MC AgriFin, and their network of 150 partners highly preferred
• Previous experience supporting partners integrate, port, and leverage the Sprout Platform and the Sprout Learning services
• Able to manage team and clients remotely

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General Position Summary 

• The Technical Resources and Quality (TRaQ) Director is a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) that oversees the TRaQ Unit in Kenya. The unit's role is to ensure the development of consistent standards, processes, and practices of program management and to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of Mercy Corps’ programs, serving as a nexus between various programs and teams. This includes; the development of effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes for both humanitarian and market system development programs, facilitating research and learning functions, program management standards and training roles, ensuring gender integration, leading the implementation of Knowledge Management and communication strategy, oversee capacity development strategy, fostering community accountability reporting mechanism (CARM) and safe quarding policy, coordination of key functions such as timely and quality program reporting (internal and external) and proposal development. The TRaQ Director thus plays a key role in helping build an environment of evidence-based programming and adaptive management at all levels. The TRAQ Director will have an important role in contributing to global and regional conversations and initiatives around program performance and quality.

Essential Job Responsibilities 

Program Strategy and Vision

• Support the overall strategic and annual planning for Mercy Corps Kenya in integrating cross- grants learning and ensure that lessons learned are used to inform adaptation of activities and future program design
• Support the country-level strategic development and adaptation to the various geographic contexts within Kenya
• Lead the development of sector strategies and frameworks in accordance with the overall country strategy
• Develop and provide oversight of the Technical Resources and Quality (TRaQ) team’s strategy
• Support the design of cost-effective, innovative, and high-quality programs, ensuring relevance to stakeholders and agency strategy and that incorporate Mercy Corps’ standards on design, monitoring, and evaluation
• Coordinate efforts on the development of partnership strategy, ensure a coherent and consistent approach to partnership and decision-making
• Actively identify and engage new strategic handing over identified partners/project to the programs team for implementation

Program Quality and Capacity Building 

• Contribute to the global and regional conversation around program performance and quality, TRaQ strategies, Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanisms (CARM), and global program quality initiatives including; Program Management at Mercy Corps ( PM@MC), gender minimum standards, adaptive management, TOLA, Safe Guarding etc.
• Regularly conduct project site visits to provide hands-on training to field staff on management practices and how to capture and organize information for accurate documentation and reporting.
• Build the capacity of all relevant team members to develop and maintain an excellent M&E system, including training on TOLA and the periodic reflection and analysis of program monitoring data to disseminate learning.
• Support M&E and ICT staff capacity building that guides the country teams towards developing technical skills and promotes a culture of data analysis for decision-making and adaptive management.
• Act as the key liaison point to coordinate efforts to roll out adaptive management and PM@MC training nationwide.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Ensure that all reports (both internal and external) are timely, high-quality, and responsive to donors in collaboration with a variety of teams, HQ, Finance, Program Managers/Leads, Director of Programs and Country Director.
• Lead the development and implementation of Mercy Corps Kenya Knowledge Management and communication strategy as well as offer guidance in program design, implementation and utilization of information collected at different project cycle phases and stages that include tell the story, results, and impacts of our programs to our beneficiaries, clients, donors, the global Mercy Corps agency, the local and national government.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of knowledge management to further stimulate use of evidence for learning, strategic adaptive management, and high-impact programming.
• Connect best practices and learning from other programs across Mercy Corps countries to ensure an evolving and effective learning system for improving program implementation. Liaise with other HQ and Regional MEL Advisor on this initiative.
• Support teams to capture lessons learned during program implementation, and feed this information into thought leadership and research opportunities and into ongoing program management and program design;
• Collect impact stories and evidence from Mercy Corps’ country teams on a regular basis.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Design and manage a country-wide Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation system providing managers and their teams real time information that can steer program implementation and maximize Mercy Corps Kenya’s ability to analyze and represent impact to donors, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.
• Promote adherence to Mercy Corps’ standards, including the use of standardized indicators, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), program and adaptive management approaches, and country-level learning and strategic objectives.
• Support in-country program design and development at proposal stage ensuring minimum standards for MEAL are incorporated.
• Provide leadership and training to ensure programs meet minimum standards, use necessary PM@MC systems and tools to inform and improve each individual program and feed into broader country-wide Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system, country strategy and agency level information system.
• Support teams to improve data collection, management, and use data to build a culture of adaptive management, high-quality program performance, and learning.
• Support the roll out and maintenance of TOLA, Institutional Performance Tracking System (IPTS), Concept Note Management System (CNMS), PM@MC, Gender and SADD standards
• Contribute to the understanding and application of new DM&E approaches to emerging themes like resilience, systems thinking, and complex humanitarian crises.
• Engage in other agency level tools and initiatives to ensure country input, coordinated delivery, messaging and consistent high quality implementation in the region.
• Conduct internal DQAs to ensure data is collected with attention to accuracy and consistency
• Lead on protection mainstreaming across projects, including developing team and partners capacities on the matter and utilizing protection mainstreaming tools in all  processes.
• Support programs team in integrating Do No Harm approach throughout project life cycle
• Coordinate proposal development processes (as appropriate), following agency’s best practices and donors’ compliance
• Serve as a focal point for any temporary or short-term Technical Advisors and Consultants

Gender Mainstreaming 

• Ensure all Mercy Corps Kenya programs comply with GEDSI/GESI policy and standards
• Create a culture of gender sensitive and where appropriate, gender transformative programing 
• Ensure timely training and other resources to raise awareness of gender across Mercy Corps Kenya country office.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Team Management 

• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Provide supervision to the TRaQ team members, ensure their work is aligned and contributing effectively to the strategy and that they have access to MC resources.
• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

Representation and coordination 

• Contribute to the global and regional conversation around program performance and quality, TRaQ strategies, and global program quality initiatives; PM@MC, gender minimum standards, adaptive management, Safe Guarding policy, TOLA etc.
• Lead efforts in Sharing best practices with other NGOs working in Kenya
• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnership with donors and other stakeholders, as required.
• Represent Mercy Corps in external coordination and donor meetings, as required.
• Participate in the complex program board call, as required.
• Contribution to media and advocacy needs, as required.

Security 

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership
• Lead the development of processes to support programs team in integrating cross- grants learning and ensure that lessons learned are used to inform adaptation of activities and future program design
• Ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of security policies.

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 toward 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:

• The TRaQ Director directly supervises Country MEL Manager, Partnership and New Initiatives Manager, Safe Guarding and CARM Manager, Knowledge Management and Communication Coordinator, Database officer and Country Technical Advisors, and dotted line technical reporting relationship with all program M&E 

Accountability 

Reports Directly To: Country Director 

Works Directly With: Director of Programs, CoPs, Program Managers, Regional Technical Advisors, Headquarters TRaQ Team (TOLA, MEL, PM@MC, and Technical Support Unit).

Knowledge and Experience 

• BA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development, or other relevant field; MA/S in similar relevant fields preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience and proven high level of competence in working in international settings, ideally in conflict-affected countries.
• Significant experience implementing M&E Systems particularly remote monitoring, mobile data collection platforms and managing evaluations.
• Demonstrated success with program development and design, including conceptualizing and articulating programming ideas in concept notes and proposals.
• Strong knowledge of and experience with humanitarian and development programming.
• Strong leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Personal dedication to quality and learning.
• Strong remote management skills.
• Ability and interest to work with a multi-ethnic team in a culturally appropriate manner.
• Willingness to work in a face-paced, fluid environment on multiple tasks.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in Kiswahili and other local language is a plus. 

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• Mercy Corps is seeking a Climate Change Advisor to support climate-focused interventions throughout Kenya. Mercy Corps, through a diversity of program interventions, seeks to address the challenges faced by pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities due to climate change.  This includes programs that test incentives for collective rangeland management, improving natural resource management practices, promoting good governance, strengthening livelihoods and supporting climate adaptation, among others. In addition to supporting specific programs to mainstream / incorporate appropriate climate-focused activities, the Climate cnage Advisor will also provide technical support to country-level strategies and interventions.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Develop, and drive forward, a strategic vision for Mercy Corps Kenya programming as relates to climate change interventions, with a particular focus on leading the application of Mercy Corps’ Kenya Climate Action Plan
• Collaborate with relevant departments within Mercy Corps Kenya regarding the measurement, monitoring and analysis of key performance indicators and promote learning and program adaptation within the country team
• Lead the planning, management and/or operationalization of Mercy Corps’ strategic climate programming, including such initiatives as carbon monetization, climate financing and others, as identified
• Support the capacity development of team members through trainings, presentation and other mechanisms to promote improved knowledge of climate change approaches
• Utilize climate modeling tools to highlight future climate scenarios and their impact on the target counties; support programs to adjust accordingly
• Support new business developments that seek to attract increased climate adaptation resources, both locally and globally
• Lead the development of relevant communication and thought-leadership materials, such as technical reports, briefing notes, vision documents and others, as relevant, to promote Mercy Corps leadership in climate programming
• Remain abreast of relevant county-, national- and international trends, events, approaches and opportunities and ensure this knowledge is incorporated into the country program. 

Technical Leadership

• Serve as technical advisor and play critical role in bridging the gap between technical knowledge and on-the-ground actions for sustainable, climate-resilient outcomes across all programs
• Participate in climate vulnerability assessments to identify specific climate risks and impacts in the target counties
• Collaborate with local communities, government stakeholders and other actors to understand perspectives, needs and priorities related to climate adaptation
• Lead the integration of resilience design and other climate adaptation approaches into all Mercy Corps programming; support the scaling up of successful models, incentives and approaches
• Advise on the potential viability, impact and expected outcomes of proposed interventions and support adaptation based on experiences and evidence
• Provide capacity building support, based on identified needs, to program stakeholders, both internal and external
• Support program teams to remain compliant with donor-, national- and Mercy Corps environmental regulations and expectations.

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Representation

• Represent Mercy Corps in all relevant forums and engagements, both internal and external, in regard to climate change initiatives and approaches
• Manage relationships with government and non-government stakeholders
• Support advocacy efforts engaging government agencies regarding the adoption of policies and legislation in support of climate adaptation approaches, especially in support of county- and/or community-identified priorities
• Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions
• Facilitate coordination with national- and country-level government agencies to ensure collaboration, engagement and information-sharing of relevant program activities.

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: TRaQ Director

Works Directly With: Country Director, Director of Programs, Operations Director, Finance Director, Program Managers, TRaQ team, consortium partners, local implementing partners.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

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

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelors degree in agricultural systems, environmental sciences, natural resources management, or climate resilience program; Masters degree beneficial
• 5 to 7 years of relevant technical experience in climate-adaptation or related field
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing climate adaptation strategies and interventions
• Previous work experience within the dryland areas of Kenya required
• Strong communication skills, including the proven ability to engage with / facilitate discussions with diverse stakeholders
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with others in a team environment, including with a diverse group of national and international staff
• In-depth understanding of climate-related policies at the local and national levels necessary
• Experience advocating for the adoption of climate-resilient policies, including influencing of decision-makers and key stakeholders
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office software (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) required
• Persuasive written and oral communication in English and Swahili required, competency in another relevant local language beneficial