Assistant Field officer

About Mercy Corps

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. We help people overcome poverty and conflict. Working with communities, we leverage local logic to help people transform their lives. To grow more food, earn higher incomes and ultimately advocate for their needs.

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004. In partnership with civil society organizations, private sector, and the government, Mercy Corps Ethiopia has reached more than five million Ethiopians with interventions to save lives and build secure livelihoods. Our programs emphasize market-driven solutions, reinforce social bonds, and help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently in Seven regional states – Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Tigray and South Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR) – Mercy Corps Ethiopia is driven by the mission to contribute the emergence of a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Ethiopia which is inclusive of youth and women. Our strategic directions focus in promoting inclusive and dynamic markets; promoting peace and social cohesion through strengthening formal/informal governance structures and citizen engagement; improved natural resource governance; and integrated humanitarian response.

Program / Department Summary

Trade4Peace is a Hilton Foundation funded project with the aim of building sustainable peace and improving livelihoods of host communities and refugees in Gambella region with the specific objectives of strengthening peaceful co-existence & social cohesion among conflicting communities, improving their livelihoods through increased agricultural production and productivities, accessibility to economic opportunities and provision of inclusive financial services.

General Position Summary

The assistant field officer will be a full time Mercy Corps staffs to be attached and work with woredas Agriculture and Natural Resources offices in Itang special woreda to facilitate implementation of the overall T4P project` implementation. He/she is responsible to ensure effective implementation of the project in the woreda of his/her assignment and expected to involve in the project`s designing, planning, implementing, reporting, and other activities that contribute to the success of the project in the region of Gambella to benefit both host and refugee communities.    

Essential Job Responsibilities

§  Works with woreda Agriculture and Natural Resources Office in the target area to mobilize development agents (DAs) to improve provision of agricultural extension service with the aim of increasing communities` crop production and productivity keeping high quality of standard of their products.

• Create conducive environment for smallholder farmers to access predictable market for agricultural inputs and produces.
• Facilitate access to financial services through formation of VSLA and cooperatives and link them to formal financial institutions to benefit both host and refugee communities
• Works with woreda Agriculture and Natural Resources Office in the target area to create mass awareness to induce behavioral change to improve diversification and consumption of nutritious food.  
• Facilitate woreda level stakeholders’ coordination meetings and joint monitoring and follow up events.
• Take part in assessments and data collection when required
• Provide activity, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Represent Mercy Corps in the woreda of his/her assignment.
• Take part in any activity related to the implementation of the project as per the direction given by his/her supervisor.

Strategy & Vision

• 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 countrywide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support

Supervisory Responsibility: None

Location: Itang Special Woreda, Gambella

Position Status: Full-time  

Safeguarding Risk Level: 1

Reports Directly To: Project Coordinator

Program Management

• Coordinates, participate and facilitate assessments, activities planning, coordination’s meetings and workshops with stakeholders.
• Provide systematic technical support to woreda Agriculture and Natural Resources Office to ensure quality and impactful implementation of all integrated smallholders resilience and livelihood support.
• Work with woreda Agriculture and Natural Resources Office to improve agriculture extension service to increase agricultural production and productivity.
• Facilitate market linkages between aggregators, agriculture - input suppliers, and smallholder’s farmers.
• Facilitate woreda and kebele level activities such as, beneficiaries’ selection and profiling, extension service provision, capacity building trainings and meetings events, market linkage events, financial inclusion activities,
• Provide work plan, and corresponding activity report about the activities.
• Regularly visits field activities to assess progress and provide formal and informal feedback.
• Develops key monitoring and measuring indicators, milestones and plans in close collaboration with supervisor and M&E team, and solely responsible for monitoring and reporting all output, outcome and impact indicators for respective market system(s).
• Facilitate formation of village saving and loan association (VSLA), primary Cooperatives, and unions in their respective woredas
• Builds and maintains close relationships with key government partners and other stakeholders.
• Develops monthly, quarterly, and final report providing summary of activities and recommendations and share with his/her supervisor and other team members and stakeholders.
• Works closely with the program team and partners ensuring we adhere to humanitarian principles, Mercy Corps’ gender policies, Do No Harm principles and beneficiary accountability standards.
• Integrates community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities.
• Fulfill Mercy Corps Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

Team Management

• Assist woreda level government team members to adopt effective project implementation.
• Mobilize stakeholders to actively take part and contribute to implementation of the project in the target woreda.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence. He or she should build strong positive relationship with the government sector they are attached to and with other stakeholders in the woreda.
• Facilitate participation of Development Agent and Field Agent field team, government partners and community partners when providing technical programmatic inputs and trainings to improve their knowledge and technical skills.

Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency programming.
• Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget.

Influence & Representation

• 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.

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

• Understand and aware GDI related priorities of the country office and contribute for the realization of priorities (continually work to understand and be aware of the gender diversity and inclusion priorities of the country office and contribute in the execution)
• Promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with a team member, partners and program participants.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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 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.
• 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

 Field officers have no supervisory responsibilities.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Project Coordinator

Works Directly With:

1. T4P Project Coordinator
2. MSD Specialist: Financial Inclusion
3. Gender advisor
4. MSD Advisor: Agriculture
5. Peace building social cohesion specialist

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in one of the following subjects: economics, Natural Resource Management, Irrigation, Plant Science, Agriculture extension, Cooperative, development studies, Environmental Science, Disaster Risk management social science/s, international development, humanitarian response and other related fields.
• At least three years of experience in the related activities.
• Experience in practical field-based activity implementation
• Willingness and ability to perform field work and spend extensive time in remote areas.
• Ability to engage with communities and various traditional institutions, women’s and youth groups.
• Ability to effectively work with diverse ethnic groups within the target area.
• Knowledge of participatory analyses, action, and results processes.
• Experience in the region, local languages and knowledge of the culture is required.
• Ability to speak at least one of the local languages spoken in target woreda.

Success Factors   

• Fluent in English and one of the local languages in Gambella
• He/She will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures
• Excellent communication, facilitation and networking skills with a wide range of private, partner and NGO-sector actors
• Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Ability to write clear and concise reports in English. Strong written and spoken English skills a definite advantage.