Mercy Corps is a leading global organisation powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action, helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
Enhancing resilience is at the heart of what Mercy Corps does and how we work. Mercy Corps strengthens sources of resilience to enhance the capacities of people, markets, and institutions to handle shocks, reduce risk, build more equitable and responsive systems, and improve well-being. Through our programmes, partnerships, and influence, we support communities to cope, adapt, and ultimately thrive.
Since 1986, Mercy Corps Afghanistan has supported communities to recover and build resilience to future shocks, and promote sustainable change by supporting community-led and market-driven initiatives, with a focus on the most marginalised. Our objectives include meeting immediate food and nutrition needs through cash, voucher, and WASH assistance, strengthening capacities for crisis preparedness and response, and in so doing, contribute to resilience through inclusive, climate-smart water systems, enhanced livelihoods opportunities, food security, and social cohesion.
About the ProgrammeThe UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has launched a call for proposals for NGOs to deliver the Promoting Resilient & Equitable Recovery of Agriculture and Livelihoods in Afghan communities (PREVALE) programme. The overall aim of the 5-year programme is to increase multi-year food productivity and profitability for vulnerable farmers, herders, and land-poor Afghans, including women with intersecting and overlapping vulnerabilities, build community-level resilience to climate and environmental risk, and strengthen livelihoods and local markets. The programme is anticipated to begin in November or December 2024. Hiring is contingent upon successful award of the grant.
The FCDO envisions the programme will deliver the following Outcomes, (i) Livelihoods for vulnerable Afghans - including women, smallholders, and the land-poor โ are more accessible, productive, profitable, and sustainable, (ii) Targeted communities are better able to anticipate, prepare for, respond, and adapt to environmental and climate shocks and stresses, and (iii) Targeted households have improved food security and nutrition, and reduced harmful coping behaviours. General Position SummaryThe MSD Lead will drive the vision for MSD programme implementation and provide a strategic steer on the day-to-day implementation of activities, supporting specific quality MSD interventions while also fostering MSD principles across the programme. The MSD Technical Lead will serve as a guide and mentor for programme staff, enabling them to apply the MSD approach to diagnose market systems challenges and design and deliver quality programme implementation using the MSD approach. This includes helping to identify strategic areas of focus (sub-sectors or cross-cutting areas such as finance), setting vision for sustainable systemic change, designing and implementing interventions and monitoring results. This work will be done in close coordination with the Consortium Director as well as in close collaboration with other team members. As a key member of the Programme Management Unit (PMU), the MSD Lead will be responsible for the strategic management of the MSD approach and activities and coordinate closely with implementation focal points. S/he will contribute to a successful delivery of MSD outcomes under the programme.
Essential Responsibilities
TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
- Ensure design and implementation of MSD programming aligns with MSD principles and standards, while also integrating technical resources and drawing on technical experts from other areas, such as GESI, and Climate resilience.
- Lead and manage sub-sector selection research and subsequent market system assessments (MSAs), and lead on putting findings into action.
- In collaboration with intervention managers, support adaptive management practices to ensure adequate targeting and programme success.
- Provide technical review of work products and deliverables related to MSD, including partnership engagement designs, scopes of work and key deliverables.
- Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration and human resources teams to ensure operational systems enable a diversely-skilled programme team to implement MSD effectively โ including supporting the team with processes and procedures for engaging and building partnerships with the private sector, intervention or concept design, and adaptive management. Work closely with the SMT and other programme team members to navigate and strengthen operational systems to support MSD implementation.
- Follow analysis of the Afghan socio-political and economic context, ensuring that this analysis is recognised and incorporated in programming.
PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT
- Provide effective overall leadership in the management of MSD interventions.
- Coordinate closely with the Consortium Director and other members of the PMU to ensure coordination between PREVALEโs diverse activities (across different implementation models).
- Ensure timely and effective design and implementation of interventions, and achievement of targets, on time, on scope and on budget for MSD activities.
- Support the team to adaptively manage an MSD portfolio of interventions that is appropriately balanced in terms of risk and benefits.
- Support the PMU of PREVALE to build, manage and maintain relationships with the donor, and communicate progress of MSD interventions.
- Prepare (or facilitate/enable the preparation of) high-quality reports according to MSD MEL standards in collaboration with the programme teams and the Program Quality and Learning team, and in alignment and coordination with the process set out by the Consortium Director and MEL Lead. These reports should demonstrate how the PREVALE programmeโs MSD activities contribute to the overall strategic objectives.
- Collaborate closely with the Deputy Consortium Director to support partnership planning and modalities that enable effective MSD implementation.
- Provide technical support to all team members involved in MSD activities, in particular for sector selection and system framing; market systems research and analysis, designing systemic interventions to address the market dysfunctions which disadvantage and exclude micro and small enterprises; finding strategic leverage points for change, building public and private sector partnerships, monitoring interventions, and adapting strategy in response to results, including support scale in relevant interventions.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
- Manage a team of implementation staff dedicated to support MSD implementation.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence while also valuing diversity, debate and disagreement.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance discussions and strong performance management protocols.
- Supervise, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
- Work with other colleagues to identify training needs and capacity gaps, to train and mentor staff in MSD approaches to ensure implementation of MSD programme activities, and support them to access additional professional development and technical capacity building as appropriate to their individual professional development.
- In collaboration with the Consortium Director, continue building the wider PREVALE teamโs understanding of MSD.
- Recognise opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
- Work closely with the PREVALE PMU to ensure cross-learning with other components of PREVALE and members of the wider consortium, avoiding any siloes.
PROGRAMME MONITORING, EVALUATION & LEARNING
- Work with the MEL team to develop and implement a MEL plan for MSD, with clear designation of roles and responsibilities between the MSD interventions and MEL teams.
- Ensure that robust monitoring and evaluation, quality data collection and analysis systems are in place, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, in coordination with the MEL team.
- Where appropriate, provide input into the development of PREVALE learning questions and research plans.
- Identify scope for, and lead the development of, case studies and learning documents.
- As relevant, collaborate closely with the Technical Resources and Quality team to provide feedback and share lessons to improve Mercy Corpsโ MSD programme design and implementation.
Supervisory ResponsibilityNumber of direct reports is to be determined.
Accountability Reports Directly To: PREVALE Consortium DirectorWorks Directly With: PREVALE Programme Management Unit (PMU), PREVALE Steering Committee, Mercy Corps Director of Programmes, Director of Finance, Mercy Corps Finance and Operations teams, consortium partner focal points. Coordinates with HQ International Finance.
Accountability to Participants and StakeholdersMercy 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.
Knowledge and Experience
- At least 7 years of experience advising or managing MSD programmes, at least 5 years in senior advisory or management roles on MSD-related projects in the field.
- Deep understanding of MSD methodology, frameworks and their operationalisation.
- Demonstrated experience operationalising MSD tactics, including experience navigating NGO procurement and administration systems.
- Experience working on large, complex โhybridโ programmes preferred.
- Prior experience in Afghanistan or similar complex environments preferred.
- FCDO prior experience is advantageous.
- Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organisational and prioritisation skills.
- Excellent oral and written English skills required;
- Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
- Knowledge of Dari and Pashto is advantageous.
Success Factors A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. This position requires an ability to think creatively about changing norms that lead to greater opportunities for economic growth at household, community and institutional levels. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritise, take initiatives, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team 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.
Living Conditions / Environmental ConditionsThis position is based in Kabul, Afghanistan, with significant travel required to programme locations across the country.
Ongoing LearningIn support of our belief that learning organisations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & InclusionAchieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organisation with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the worldโs most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
Equal Employment OpportunityMercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, programme participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.