Senior Advisor Youth Employment and Market System Development

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future. Program/Department Summary Mercy Corps works across more than 20 countries in East & Southern Africa (ESA) and West & Central Africa (WCA) to address the interrelated and compounding factors that drive vulnerability, responding to ongoing humanitarian needs while promoting good governance and conflict resolution, enhancing resilience, strengthening market systems, enhancing access to energy, finance and economic opportunities, and promoting youth employment and empowerment. We integrate programming across sectors, funding streams and geographies to tackle systemic barriers to resilience and prosperity. Mercy Corps looks to actively engage and partner with an ever-growing and innovative African private sector to achieve greater and sustained impact. The ESA and WCA regions are closely connected with Mercy Corps’ Global Technical Resources and Quality (TRaQ) department which, along with the Regional Advisors, is a key part of the Program Department. TRaQ subject-matter experts help set agency and regional strategy and provide consultation – from assessment and design through project implementation and results measurement – to field offices worldwide. Regional Technical Advisers are a vital part of this wider network of technical specialists, providing regionally-focused support services in close coordination with the global team while working more intensively with a small number of strategic programs in the region under the direction of the regional leadership team. General Position Summary Mercy Corps is seeking an experienced Senior Advisor, Youth Employment and Market Systems Development - Africa to support and grow our regional capacity to design, deliver and learn from a portfolio of high quality and impactful Market Systems Development for Employment (MSD4E) programs across Africa, as well as provide support to our portfolio of Market Systems Development programs working on livestock and other agricultural livelihood sectors. The Youth Employment team supports programming that facilitates more work, better work, or better access to work for young people, women and other marginalized people. This enables individuals, businesses and markets to become more resilient to conflict and climate related shocks and stresses. The Youth Employment team focuses on three major workstreams – Market System Development for Employment (MSD4E), Jobtech, and green jobs. This position will serve as the focal point for Mercy Corps’ MSD4E approach for teams within the two Africa regions, with guidance from the Regional TraQ Directors for each region as well as the Director of Youth Employment. This will involve providing technical support and guidance on the application of MSD to our livelihoods and economic opportunities work within the two regions with a particular focus on employment programming. Their work will cut across sectors where programs apply MSD principles, with an emphasis on sectors such as green jobs, employment, agriculture, and finance. The Senior Advisor will spend 70-80% of their time providing technical support to existing MSD programs to enhance program quality across the program cycle, from concept note development and design through to close-out, evaluation and learning, providing training and supporting research, evaluation, monitoring and learning across the portfolio. Additionally, the Senior Advisor supports the design and development of new MSD programs, including the development of proposals and concept notes, and supports program, country and regional teams with strategy development related to MSD for employment and for other economic opportunity programs. The Senior Advisor’s role also includes external engagement, including disseminating information, evidence and learning to external partners, representing Mercy Corps at key events, and building a network of key relationships with external partners. They will build out a wider system of global, regional and country-level support and expertise and employ a flexible, adaptive approach to the agency’s Market Systems work that builds on local capacities of teams, partners and communities, and applies the agency’s resilience lens. The Senior Advisor will be an integral part of the Africa (ESA + WCA) Regional Technical Quality and Resources (TRaQ) unit and the global Market Systems TRaQ team. They will work seamlessly within agency matrixed teams to plan for and deliver the optimal level of support to field programs for increased quality and impact, using multiple sectoral entry points to achieve our desired short and long-term results. They will have a significant role in program support and implementation, representing the agency’s work in external fora, supporting new business development, and contributing to the agency’s efforts to understand lessons and share learning related to the agency’s MSD4E approach and supporting more resilient market systems. Essential Responsibilities PROGRAM QUALITY

• Proactively engage with and provide close technical assistance to specific target programs/projects to ensure that they apply best practice MSD/MSD4E methodologies.
• Support effective MSD interventions at all relevant stages of the program cycle from assessment, analysis and design, piloting, monitoring and adapting, scale-up, close out and ex-poste monitoring.
• Review core documentation (work plans, reports, intervention concept notes) of target programs to ensure quality and support programmatic improvements.
• Support the team leader and program team to translate program learning into tangible adjustments to intervention strategies, as well as to share this learning in the MSD4E internal community of practice or other forums as appropriate.
• Serve as technical quality assurance focal point, ensuring quality standards, and working with program, country and TRaQ leadership to improve plans and deliverables when they fall short.
• Provide leadership and strategic vision to technical components of the target programs including workplan development, market and labor assessments, partnership selection and management, and overall sector strategy.
• Support teams to maintain standards of program delivery and compliance with relevant regulations and requirements, without compromising on technical quality.
• Increase program capacity within Mercy Corps through mentoring, coaching and training program staff as appropriate, as well as by developing and circulating implementation tools, manuals and guidance, case studies etc. in coordination with the relevant regional and global TRaQ directors.
• Integrate other key Mercy Corps approaches, such as jobtech and green jobs, Market Systems Resilience, and climate-resilient agriculture principles, into target programs where appropriate and apply learning from other relevant programs, such as the Regional Livestock Programme and the Jobtech Alliance. PROGRAM DESIGN AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
  • Collaborate with program, country, regional, and other TRaQ teams on prepositioning and strategy development, to support the design of MSD programs in Africa that meet the outcomes and commitments in Mercy Corps’ 10-year strategy
  • Write, review and advise proposal teams on grant proposals and concept notes for donors including foundations, corporations, and government agencies, with a focus on harnessing the Market Systems Development approach - especially for employment - within the design of new programs.
  • When needed, support teams to research, analyze, and assess data to determine program needs, priorities, and Mercy Corps’ strategic advantages for funding TRAINING AND COACHING
    • Identify ongoing opportunities for project/program staff upskilling and work with team leaders to implement professional development initiatives for staff.
    • Coach, advise, and support project staff and intervention managers, in collaboration with project leaders.
    • In close partnership with project leaders, create a work atmosphere conducive to professional growth and development of excellent MSD personnel at all levels.
    • Develop and deliver in-person and remote training for Mercy Corps staff, partners, and programs on MSD and MSD4E approaches
    • As needed, develop and disseminate guidance, tools and resources that scale technical support on MSD and MSD4E to a wider group of programs, and that provide a reference for program teams RESEARCH AND LEARNING
      • Support cross-learning between MSD programs across Africa, including by supporting the growth of MSD community of practice(s) across Mercy Corps to strengthen program quality, facilitate cross-learning, and build a community of technical experts.
      • Encourage systematic opportunities to use data for learning and improvement, and to focus on learning lessons throughout the life of the program; support target projects to develop and implement learning agendas that contribute to regional and global learning agendas,
      • In collaboration with the research and learning team, support program teams to develop and disseminate learning briefs, case studies, blogs and other communication pieces for internal and external audiences with a focus on MSD technical approaches (and, where relevant, our other strategic approaches); oversee dissemination of lessons learned to internal and external stakeholders.
      • Support research projects led by the Research and Learning team on target programs.
      • Support program staff to represent Mercy Corps at academic events, conferences, media forums, and other events, to cultivate relationships and establish Mercy Corps’ voice as a thought leader in Market Systems Development, particularly for employment, and where appropriate represent Mercy Corps directly STRATEGY
        • Ensure that lessons, experiences, and tools from target projects are fed back into Mercy Corps relevant strategies, both at the regional and global levels PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
          • Demonstrate exceptional leadership by consistently delivering expectations and maintaining composure, even in challenging situations.
          • Embrace a growth mindset, actively seek diverse perspectives, and welcome feedback to drive continuous improvement.
          • Maintain the highest ethical standards, treating all individuals with respect and dignity.
          • Demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of life, ensuring that your conduct reflects positively on Mercy Corps and does not compromise its mission or work.
          • Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary. SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
            • Actively learns about safeguarding and integrate it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
            • Practice the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
            • Encourage openness and communication in their team; encourage team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options. Supervisory Responsibility The position does not have supervisory responsibility, though there is a strong support role to program staff in collaboration with team leaders. The person in this role will sit on both the East and Southern Africa TRaQ team and the global Youth Employment team. S/he will also liaise closely with the West and Central Africa TRaQ team and the global Markets team. Accountability Reports Directly To: TRaQ Director of East and Southern Africa, and Director of Youth Employment (dual management) Works Directly With: West and Central Africa TRaQ team, the global Markets team, all other TraQ teams, HQ, Regional and Program teams, and external 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
              • 5+ years of experience of increasingly proficient management and/or technical support in MSD programming, with at least one job experience in a well-reputed MSD project.
              • Proven experience assessing markets and working with private sector partners
              • Experience working across different geographies, including Africa, and more specifically in fragile environments.
              • Strong ability to understand and manage multiple stakeholders and complex relationships at multiple levels of the organization.
              • Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites, including traveling to insecure environments, is required. This position is expected to spend up to 30% time traveling to field programs and countries. A proven proactive approach to work and self-driven leadership.
              • Fluency in English is required, with strong written and oral communication skills.
              • Fluency in French is preferred
              • Experience in or knowledge of youth employment programming and labor markets preferred.
              • Experience of delivering capacity building support (training, coaching and/or other related processes) preferred Success Factors The Senior Advisor will have significant experience adjusting technical theories to real world complexities; program management/implementation experience is a strong plus. The person must have exceptionally strong relationship skills – including an ability to build strong partnerships with program teams working in challenging contexts, demonstrating empathy and being willing and able to challenge. The individual should have the proven ability to influence donors, partners, and peer organizations toward innovative programs and best practices. The Senior Advisor must take a lead role in building and maintaining external relationships as well as demonstrating the drive and initiative to contribute to internal team efforts, including responding to program support requests and providing technical support on program design. The Senior Advisor will have a proven ability to take initiative, work proactively, lead workstreams, and deliver reliably. At Mercy Corps, we value team members who embrace curiosity, act with integrity, and foster an environment of inclusion and collaboration. Our successful team members work effectively in evolving and dynamic environments, prioritize clear communication, and build collaborative relationships across departments. They interact with all global team members with an inclusive approach and excel at multitasking, meeting deadlines, and processing information to support our changing program activities. Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions The position can be based in any country in Africa where Mercy Corps has an office. The typical travel load is approximately 30%, but this varies from quarter-to-quarter and could be higher depending on support needs to country programs. This may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. The role is envisioned to be remote, but if the candidate is based within commuting distance of a Mercy Corps office and prefers hybrid or onsite working arrangements, this can be negotiated. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.