International Non-profit Jobs – Economic Development Team Leader at Mercy Corps

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Organisation: Mercy Corps
Project Name: Growth, Health and Nutrition (GHG)
Funding Source: USAID
Duty Station:  Uganda
About US:
Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization which
implements high-quality, analytical development work in very difficult places.
We have been operating in Uganda since 2006 and currently implement development
programs in the Acholi and Karamoja sub-regions of Uganda with funding from
USAID, EC, SDC, and USDA. We were recently awarded a market-development focused
5-year USAID/Food for Peace-funded program working in the northern half of
Karamoja.
About USAID GHG Program:
The project, called the Northern Karamoja Growth, Health and Governance
(GHG) program, aims to support the immediate needs of program beneficiaries
while promoting long-term development by spurring systemic improvements in key
economic sectors of northern Karamoja.
Job Summary: The Economic Development Team Leader will
participate in strategy development and lead the daily implementation of
long-term development programming through support to key business partners
including commercial banks, MFIs, SACCOs, commodity, traders, transporters,
input sellers, pharmacies, animal and human healthcare providers, consumer
goods retailers, and a host of other actors. He / she will also be responsible
for the design, implementation and support of facilitation projects that make
beneficial products and services accessible to households within the geographic
focus of the program. These activities will work almost exclusively through
private sector actors, seeking to crowd in provision rather than displace or
replicate private actors with donor-funded services. Facilitation projects will
include, but are not limited to, increasing access to tillage services,
improving access to beneficial and life-saving health products, developing
agent input and aggregator networks, improving the service offerings and
profitable provision of community animal health services, commercializing
access to fuel efficient stoves, increasing availability of solar products and
improved accessibility to local hand pump repair and spare parts.
Key Duties and Responsibilities: 
1. Program:
  • Steer the Economic Development Teams
    (Animal Health Services and Livestock Marketing team) to deliver sector
    related activities in a quality and timely manner;
  • Provide strategic support to team members
    to help them deliver their activities as per agreed work plan and achieve
    scale;
  • Recommend program priorities and explore,
    evaluate and present new opportunities that with high potential for impact
    in the area of livestock marketing and animal health services;
  • Introduce the program to relevant
    stakeholders including local business owners, local representatives and
    community members. Build ongoing positive cooperation with these
    stakeholders;
  • Make sure there is an integrated approach
    to program implementation in order to maximize resource utilization and
    synergy between the staff and different MC programs, if any; management of
    conflicts as they emerge.
  • Offer timely support to CSO management
    system development for local partners, including financial and internal
    governance standards and adherence. Enhance capacity building/support to
    CSOs (Youth groups) to strengthen their internal systems (Documentation,
    reporting and communication) in a timely manner.
2. Partnership Management:
  • Identify, assess and develop sound partnership
    strategies for potential private sector partners at all levels (national,
    Regional and district levels).
  • Establish and maintain productive working
    relationships with sub-county and district leaders and production and
    marketing departments, soliciting their participation in all activities
    where appropriate;
3. Team Leadership: Actively
participate in the recruitment of Economic Development Officers; ensure their
effective supervision; identify training needs and ensure adherence to Mercy
Corps’ performance management system within the team;
4. Monitoring and Evaluation:
  • Create a dynamic program environment that
    promotes inquiry;
  • Take primary responsibility for work plan
    development, reporting, data gathering, quality control in coordination
    with M+E focal person;
  • Establish procedures and guidelines to
    monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of economic development
    support work including setting and measuring benchmarks along results
    chains;
  • Keenly analyze project implementation
    strategies to identify constraints to program success and provide timely
    recommendations;
  • Where needed support external evaluations
    by research partner Feinstein International Center and other
    organizations;
  • Perform ongoing assessments of target
    geographic areas to assess current situation, economic opportunities and
    resources, needs and potential programs.
5. External Representation and
Coordination:
  • Ensure establishment and maintenance of
    relationships with communities, village councils and local government in
    Abim, Kotido and Kaabong/Karamoja target areas.
  • Technically support and coordinate visits
    from regional and HQ based staff and external visitors, such as donors and
    media, in collaboration with CoP and DCoP.
  • Establish and maintain contact with all
    key actors as relevant for program implementation –government ministries,
    UN agencies, NGOs, private sector partners – and establish mechanisms for
    contacting local community organizations and partners and other local
    NGOs/CBOs in line with key GHG areas of work
6. Other:
  • Conduct himself/herself both
    professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy
    Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission;
  • Perform any other duties as assigned.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience: 
  • A minimum of five years of related
    professional experience.
  • Past management experience is an added
    advantage
  • Prior experience developing business plans
    and/or business growth strategies
  • Proven writing and analytical skills
  • Demonstrable quantitative skills,
    including familiarity with financial accounting.
  • Proven skills in networking,
    team-building, community consultations and organizational development;
  • Excellent reporting, communication and
    representation skills
  • Detailed working knowledge of Uganda’s
    economy and business environment, particularly in the context of rural
    development and Karamoja.
How to Apply: 
All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their
applications including a cover letter clearly stating the salary requirements,
updated CV (with three professional referees), and copies of academic
qualifications/certificates to the HR/Admin Manager, Kampala Head Office on
4th Floor Embassy Plaza, Plot 1188-1190 Ggaba Road or to Mercy Corps Field
Offices in Kotido and Kaabong. The E-mail applications with cover letter should
be sent to: tomcuganda@ug.mercycorps.org.
Deadline:  30th
April 2015
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