Regional Market Systems and Economic Opportunities Advisor - MENAE

Department Summary  

Mercy Corps implements a variety of programming throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe in response to the diverse humanitarian and long-term development needs of the region. Mercy Corps has ongoing programs in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Ukraine and Palestine. Mercy Corps is committed to delivering high quality, high impact programming that reaches communities or individuals in need, wherever they are. 

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps has a growing portfolio of Market Systems and Economic Opportunities programs in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. The Economic Opportunities and Market System Advisor will support country teams in the region grow their capacity to design, deliver and learn from a portfolio of high quality and impactful economic recovery and market systems development (MSD) programs. Their support includes program design and development, network and partnership development, representation at key sector fora and events, helping to monitor and improve program quality and relevance, staying abreast on industry innovation and best practices, writing competitive proposals for submission to donors, delivering training, and disseminating information to internal and external partners. The advisor will also participate in matrixed teams, share and build the capacity of others, and help integrate their technical areas with others. They will bring expertise in economic programming to the role, but also be a skilled connector, leveraging technical knowledge in specific sectors/themes from across the regional and the global TRaQ team. 

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision 

• Lead new business opportunities for MSD programs in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe
• Lead on the Economic Opportunity Vision and Strategy for the MENAE Region
• Develop strategy documents and capacity briefs at country and regional level to advance Mercy Corps’ Economic Opportunities positioning in the region
• Facilitate technical inputs from the TRaQ team related to MSD and Economic opportunities, such as in Financial Inclusion, Youth Employment, and Agriculture on program design

• Lead/write/oversee review of proposals and concept notes for funding from donors including foundations, corporations, and US, European, and UN agencies. 
• In partnership with country program teams, gather/analyze data and complete and/or manage market assessments to determine program needs and priorities and Mercy Corps’ competitive advantage for funding, including potential to evolve and scale existing programs focused on economic recovery and development using market systems approaches. 
• Strategize with country/regional teams, global TRAQ, and regional Senior Business Development Advisor on prepositioning for strategic funding opportunities that advance country strategies 
• Mobilize resources from other TRAQ teams to effectively design multi-sectoral, integrated programs that encompass elements of broader agency goals such as food and water security, and focus on Mercy Corps distinctives, such as resilience, MSD for Employment (MSD4E), financial inclusion, job tech particularly for youth. 
• Work with regional leadership to identify and pursue multi-country and regional programs that advance the Economic Opportunities outcomes envisioned in the regional strategy. 
• Keep up to date on relevant strategies being developed or applied by significant governmental, academic, and non-profit groups. Work with Mercy Corps to determine how the agency can best work with and/or influence such materials. 

• Engage as an active, integrated member of the regional team providing technical support to a portfolio of programs across development, humanitarian, and triple nexus contexts. 
• Advise on effective interventions in the areas of economic recovery, financial inclusion, and youth employment, applying integrated principles where relevant and using integrated approaches. 
• Ensure maintaining standards of program delivery that apply agency priorities and comply with relevant regulations and requirements. 
• Manage MC’s pool of technical experts and consultants that can serve as an additional resource to be deployed for program support. 
• Harness agency-wide learning and structures to help country and regional teams gather, refine, and disseminate tools such as training presentations and manuals, teaching notes, best practices and lessons learned, program examples, and monitoring and evaluation tools. 
• Build program staff capacity to better design and implement programs that advance economic opportunity outcomes using an MSD approach, through mentorship and training in collaboration with various TRaQ and program team members. Core focus areas for applying MSD principles include: youth employment, financial Inclusion, and economic recovery. 

• Support MSD Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) activities for priority MSD programmes, including design and execution of internal and external evaluations to measure impact with economic opportunity-driven activities is practical and reflects best practices. This may include identifying MEL priorities for building economic recovery into humanitarian portfolios using market systems principles as well as identifying key changes for MEL systems to monitor through private sector partners and measure change in MSD interventions. 
• Contribute to the development and execution of the MENA/E region’s Evidence and Learning Agenda as it pertains to research and learning around economic opportunity sub-sectors, as well as to agency-wide opportunities to advance thought leadership. 
• Provide in-country and remote training and support for Mercy Corps staff, partners, and others. 
• Support new and ongoing programs with best practice advice and assistance on assessment, implementation, research, and evaluation needs. 
• Oversee and guide assessments; write and review case studies, learning documents, short articles, and blogs. 

• Represent Mercy Corps’ work at key networks, forums academic events, conferences, media, and other events; contribute to thought leadership in area of expertise. 
• Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions, with a focus on local organizations advancing economic recovery and develop outcomes in the places Mercy Corps works. 
• Contribute to a strong and regularly updated network of technical experts and consultants that can serve as an additional resource to be deployed for program support. 
• Build relationships with donors and potential partners to advance MSD programs in the region 

• 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  

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

Budget Management Responsibility

Accountability

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field preferred. 
• 5 to 7+ years of experience in international development work and or relevant private sector experience, with a minimum of three years in a program management or technical advisor role, including proposal design.  
• Minimum of 3-4 years of experience in technical work related to technical focus areas within Economic Opportunities (Financial Inclusion, Youth Employment) - including experience with program design, private sector partnership building, business modeling, technical advising, and/or learning and research.
• Experience working in the MENA and Europe required. Experience working in fragile contexts and humanitarian settings preferred. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills, in working with wide range of stakeholders across various countries, cultures and languages, including coordination and communication skills.
• Strong writing skills required.
• Strong presentation and representation skills required. 
• Fluency in oral and written English required; Arabic or Ukrainian/Russian knowledge is preferred.

 Success Factors

The technical advisor will demonstrate a winning track record in program development, and bring flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm to every project they undertake. The individual must have exceptional writing skills and the ability to multi-task, set priorities, pay attention to detail, and work under tight deadlines within complex team environments. The regional advisor must take an active role in building and maintaining external relationships as well as demonstrating the drive and initiative to contribute to internal team efforts. The individual must learn quickly how to provide technical data and support in the most efficient and effective form possible for each unique field team and environment. The role requires strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, and a level of emotional intelligence proficiency that quickly builds and maintains productive relationships across teams. Being aware and sensitive to international development issues and diverse cultures is critical.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions 

 Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps’ vision.  Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.