Tracking Code: 218949-927
PROGRAM SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps, in partnership with Swisscontact (SC), has been
awarded funding from the Livelihood and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) to
implement a three-year program: Making Vegetable Markets Work for
Smallholder Farmers in Southern Shan and Chin States (MVMW).
The MC-SC consortium offers a holistic approach to improving
and opening the vegetable market in mountainous areas that offer opportunities
for learning, and developing policy recommendations. MVMW sees market-based
solutions to six key obstacles to growth for smallholder farmers in the
vegetable market: (1) access to quality inputs and know-how;
(2) availability of appropriatefinancial services; (3) access to
reliable market information; and (4) the reach of government
extension services and policy effectiveness. Other areas that offer
significant potential for growth include (5) access to off-season production,
and (6) post-harvest technologies and services. In these
six areas and in order to develop market linkages between farmers
and buyers, the consortium will work with farmers, the private sector and the
government separately and together to improve information flows and incentives
for cooperation, create or strengthen market linkages, and build trust at
different levels. While linking farmers to new markets for their products and
bringing them into the mainstream economy, MWMW will demonstrate the economic
development potential of the rural poor.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Program Director has overall responsibility for the
implementation of the MVMW program and is responsible ensuring adherence to
market development principles and approaches, management, vision and leadership
of the program. The position provides an exciting opportunity to
implement a market development project in Myanmar, which is in the midst of a
dramatic political and economic transition. The successful candidate will
have the opportunity to assist thousands of small-holder vegetable farmers to
increase profits and productivity and to provide government, donors, and other
development actors with data, lessons, and facilitation skills to support
inclusive, pro-poor agricultural policies.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Strategy and Vision
- Demonstrate
and communicate the viability of pro-poor, market development approaches
and programs in the current Myanmar context.
- Recognize
opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where
alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
- Set
direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve
objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.
Program Management
- Facilitate
team members to conduct detailed market research, intelligence,
assessments and feasibility studies; liaise with and engage market actors
in the vegetable sub-sector to find strategic leverage points for
co-investment; design systemic interventions in response to root causes of
market ineffectiveness and exclusion of the poor. Follow
intervention and investment plans, and implement interventions effectively
though the Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) approach.
- Ensure
market based approaches/principles are followed in all aspects of the
program.
- Oversee
management of the project portfolio and range of interventions; ensure
market based approaches/principles are followed in all aspects of the
program; and make regular visits to project sites to ensure that
activities remain on track through program documentation mechanisms.
- Lead
the development and maintenance of all project planning documents and
processes, including intervention results chains, workplans, and M&E
plans.
- Ensure
monitoring of project activities is on time, target and budget, using
effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts in order to assess
effectiveness and impact and propose recommendations for improvements.
- Create
and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial
resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and
Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
Team Management
- Create
and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive
to achieve excellence.
- Promote
accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback
via regular performance reviews.
- Supervise,
hire and orient new team members as necessary.
- Train
and mentor staff in market systems approaches to ensure successful program
implementation.
- Work
closely and oversee partners, including private sector actors, local NGOs,
universities, and research entities.
- Provide
team members with information, tools and other resources to improve
performance and reach objectives.
Representation & Partnership Management
- Identify,
build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners,
sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
- Communicate
effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are
met.
Policy Advocacy
- Develop
policy briefs from evidence gathered from the project to influence
decisionmaking that will favor inclusive, growth-oriented agricultural
development polices.
- Manage
the design and implementation of integrated market and political-economy
assessments to understand where and why market inefficiencies along exist
along the value chain and how they can be removed.
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 towards 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: All Mercy Corps MVMW
staff and consultants
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Country Director,
Myanmar
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: MWMW project staff including
Swisscontact Senior Technical Advisor, Field Team Advisor, Private Sector
Engagement Manager, Market Development Advisor, Agricultural Technical Advisor,
Business Development Manager (Shan), Business Development Manager (Chin),
Private Sector Engagement Officers, Business Management Officers, and other
project staff.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- MA/S
or equivalent in management, economics, social sciences, or other related
field.
- At
least five years of management experience in market, value chain, and
private sector engagement related programming.
- Experience
in developing agricultural markets and value chains.
- Experience
in M4P (market systems) methodologies, results chains, and DCED standards.
- Strong
management, team building, capacity development skills.
- Experience
managing consultants.
- Knowledge
of adaptive program management and innovative monitoring and evaluation
techniques.
- Knowledge
and experience in gender and governance as transversal themes in market
development projects.
- Entrepreneurial
spirit, adaptability and an ability to think creatively around market
development problems.
- Excellent
communication skills.
- Preference
given to candidates with experience in the region.
- Fluency
in written and oral English required.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The successful Program Director will combine exceptional
management skills and technical skills with a focus on innovative interventions
to institutionalize an M4P/market systems approach. S/he will also have proven
experience with providing technical inputs in market development programming,
individual staff development, and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking,
prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and
strategic vision are essential. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members
have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and
changing environments and make effective written and verbal communications a
priority in all situations.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
This is an accompanied position based in Yangon, with
frequent travel to Shan and Chin States. Yangon has comfortable
living facilities and is an accompanied location. The position is not
eligible for hardship or R&R benefits.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during
and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to
a field posting. Staff 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.
Job Location: Yangon, Yangon, Myanmar [Burma]
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular
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