Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long-term impact.
Resilience building is an agency priority and involves using a systems-based approach that builds on proven solutions, accesses new ideas and information, and integrates multiple sectors and partnerships to strengthen food and water security, economic opportunities, and climate change adaptation. Southern Africa continues to experience recurrent environmental and economic shocks that affect the wellbeing of its communities and undermine development investments. Mercy Corps will continue to contribute to the wellbeing of communities by building household' capacities and strengthening systems and institutions.
The Program / Department / Team
As part of itsโ strategy in Zambia, the Embassy of Sweden is exploring Programme ideas that can contribute to achieving the strategy result: โIncreased productivity and competitiveness of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the agricultural sector,โ. This initiative aims to boost enterprise development and employment creation for the rural poor including, women, and youth.
The anticipated five-year Market System Development (MSD) programme, includes a 12-month inception phase. The inception phase shall include a comprehensive sub-sector selection analysis, in-depth Market System Analysis (MSA), thorough environmental analysis and gender analysis.
The Position
The Deputy Team Lead (DTL) will provide technical and operational management of the anticipated MSD programme, to ensure the programme meets its targets and deliverables on-time and within budget. The DTL, working closely with the Team Lead (TL), will contribute to overall leadership, management and strategic vision of the programme with a particular focus on policy and stakeholder engagements. The DTL will be designated Acting Team Lead in the Team Leader's absence, and represent the programme to donors, relevant government ministries and departments, partners, other implementers and stakeholders.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION
โ Support the TL in the development of vision and strategy for the programme
โ Drive stakeholder engagements and policy analysis in support of enabling environment reforms
โ Play an active role to identify and develop new programme adaptations that foster and/or improve strategic objectives of the programme.
โ Pull in requisite technical and contextual expertise to ensure realistic strategy
PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
โ Oversee the technical and operational management of the programme activities across target sectors and geographic regions. Owning the technical approach and accompanying work plan to ensure effective implementation - including scaling/adaptation
โ Work with the TL to oversee inception, programme start-up, management and administration. With the TL, ensure programme implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective MEL systems to manage adaptively and reach desired impacts.
โ Ensure that programme implementation is responsive to communities, partners, and changing contexts, and consistent with Mercy Corpsโ relevant programme guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
โ Ensure programme activities support changes in local market systems that provide significant to benefit target populations.
โ Integrate rights-based approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corpsโ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and accountability standards.
โ Ensure programme strategies and activities represent global good practice for Market Systems Development (MSD)
TEAM MANAGEMENT
โ Oversee the programmeโs team and collaboration with partners
โ Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
โ Alongside the Team Leader, provide mentorship on Market Systems Development, support team capacity strengthening, and build a culture of collaboration and learning across program staff and partners.
โ Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
โ Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
โ Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
โ Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corpsโ regulations.
โ Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with programme, donor and Mercy Corpsโ needs.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
โ Ensure effective stakeholder engagement on enabling environment policies and reforms
โ In coordination with the TL, represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events
โ As deputised by the TL, coordinate activities with partners, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programmes.
SECURITY
โ Work closely with the country teamโs security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
โ Ensure that programmes are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING
โ As part of our commitment to organisational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organisations 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
โ 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
Sector Leads, Geographic Area Coordinators
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Team Lead
Works Directly With: Programme Team including Knowledge Mangement, MEL and all finance and compliance; Country Director, Regional and Global support teams
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our programme 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
โ MA/S or equivalent experience in Market Systems Development (MSD)