Project Manager

Essential Job Responsibilities:

Program Management

• Understand and articulate the priorities and objectives of the program
• Develop, monitor and execute a detailed workplan for the program
• Manage multiple and competing priorities across different workstreams including product development, training, and strategy.
• Provide technical knowledge and leadership and contribute to technical work undertaken by program staff and/or consultants.
• Provide high degree of attention to detail, logistics, budget, and planning to ensure high quality and consistent execution.

Partnership Management

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with multiple external partners, including SIDA, IBS, KIMS, business development service providers and other producer and value chain actors in the livestock sector.
• Communicate clearly and consistently with internal and external stakeholders
• Coordinate program activities across multiple implementing organizations and develop shared workplans, objectives and key results.
• Take ownership of donor reporting, completing detailed, accurate, compelling and timely reports for SIDA.
• Identify the need for support from third-party providers, including consultants, and lead the recruitment and management of such providers to meet the needs of the program and its partners and participants

• People Management
• Lead hiring process for staff and consultants
• Provide leadership and management to the program team, including clear objectives and key results, regular performance reviews and feedback, and support for ongoing professional development.
• Provide technical oversight to the field teams and mentor staff in the design and implementation of activities that improve and expand financial inclusion in the livestock sector

• Strategy and Vision
• Take ownership of advocacy and communications focused program deliverables, including evidence and learning outputs
• Provide vision and direction to guide the technical assistance efforts to financial partners (IBS Bank and KIMS Microfinance) to improve internal capacity for delivering products and services.
• Work closely with key stakeholders to develop a long-term scale and impact strategy for IFSLS, that can survive the closure of the program and lead to broader market expansion.
• Leverage resources and relationships with other livestock programs such as RLP and IRiS to advance the objectives of the IFSLS program.
• Ensure program outcomes and product outputs are gender-responsive and socially inclusive.
• Engage and lead on thought leadership opportunities including organising and facilitating workshops with local partners and key stakeholders in the financial inclusion sector in Somalia to share and advance program learnings and opportunities.

Security

• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to ensure the safety and security of all team members.
• Ensure that communication activities are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.
• Adhere to Mercy Corps’ safe communication policy and other safeguarding principles with respect to communication.
• 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 empower all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

• Accountability to Program Participants
• 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.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Agricultural Finance, Economics, or a related field.
• Strong commitment to using financial inclusion as a tool to serve the most vulnerable in improving their incomes and resilience.
  • Minimum of 7 years of experience in financial inclusion, preferably including experience working for a financial institution, international development agency, or financial inclusion consulting in Somalia. Including, High degree of fluency in microfinance, digital technology or mobile money
  • Experience or knowledge of human centered design
  • Familiarity using integrated approaches and applying systems thinking and/or key partnership development.
  • Experience of working in the financial inclusion in Somalia and a strong understanding of the sector, key actors, constraints and opportunities
  • Experience of managing or working in similar development programs in Somalia
  • Good understanding of the livestock sector in Somalia, including key value chains, actors and financial inclusion within the sector
  • Project planning and management experience
  • Great people skills. Proven ability to build and manage strong working relationships in-person and remotely, and to build strategic partnerships with institutional partners
  • Proven ability to lead technical assistance efforts to build the capacity of financial institutions, including the development of Sharia-compliant financial products.
  • Experience in promoting gender equity and social inclusion in business or financial settings.
  • Excellent analytical, communication, and project management skills.
  • Fluency in English is required; knowledge of Somali is an asset.

Competencies:

• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, with the ability to develop innovative solutions to complex challenges.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including financial institutions, government agencies, and local communities.
• Cultural sensitivity and commitment to advancing gender and social inclusion in development programs.

Supervisory Responsibility

Program team of 5 staff

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of Programs

Works Directly With: Senior Advisor, Digital Financial Inclusion (TRaQ), Country MEAL Manager, Knowledge Management and Learning Coordinator, Program Communication Leads, Program Team Leads, Field Officers, and other relevant Mercy Corps Somalia staff

Success Factors

The successful Project Manager candidate will provide in-depth experience of microfinance operations, excellent leadership and management support to the program team, be passionate about high quality execution and field operations, develop long term sustainable strategy and vision, and manage multiple relationships with key strategic partners. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority. Should be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment with demonstrated sensitivity to the people and issues in Somalia and the region. A sense of humor, a team mentality, and a positive nature are highly desirable.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal-opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work. We strongly encourage qualified female candidates to apply

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs,

and to adhere to the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.