MSD Advisor

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use. Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations.

Program / Department Summary

The Livelihoods Improvement for Women and Youth (LIWAY) is a nine-year programme (July 2017 to June 2026) funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The program aims to contribute to sustainable poverty reduction and social stability in Addis Ababa by increasing incomes through improved wage and self-employment opportunities, primarily for poor women and youth. LIWAY has the objective of increasing incomes of 257,000 poor people in Addis Ababa, of which at least 128,500 (50%) are women (young and adult) and 192,750 (75%) are youth (female and male).

LIWAY stands out for its focus on enhancing economic opportunities for women and youth, two of the most vulnerable groups in Ethiopia. To do so, it applies a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach that involves identifying the root causes of market failure that disadvantage or exclude poor women and youth from wage and self-employment opportunities and identify private companies and public institutions with the incentive and ability to deliver change. The program works in four interrelated market systems (Labour, Micro and Small Enterprises-MSE, Medium and Large Enterprises-MLE, and Skills) that were selected based on their relevance to the target group of poor women and youth, the opportunity for positive impact, and the feasibility of interventions. These four systems are interconnected and together contribute to structural transformation.

LIWAY II is a four-years program implemented by Mercy Corps and SNV Netherlands Development Organization, funded by the Swedish International Development Organization (Sida). The program aims to improve market functions, support-service effectiveness, and the business ecosystem. LIWAY II continues to focus on the four systems: labor, SMEs, MLEs, and skill system. While MC is leading the Labor Market Sector and all activities related to Labor market information focusing on Exchange infrastructure, Trust and risk, Childcare Service in LIWAY I, the second phase of the program is aimed at following a more flexible approach providing MC the opportunity to also work in the other market systems as found feasible. LIWAY II aims to create additional employment opportunities and income for 143,000 women and youth in regional cities and Addis Ababa. The targets are composed of poor women and youth (15 to 35 years old). The overall impact of LIWAY, including the period of extension, will be 400,000 women (50%) and young people (75%) to find or sustain jobs.

General Position Summary

The Market Systems Development (MSD) Advisor is responsible for developing and implementing strategic market interventions aimed at improving urban livelihoods for women and youth. This position requires strong technical expertise in MSD, ability to identify and forge partnerships with key market players and collaborating with key stakeholders to enhance the performance of market systems for target groups. The MSD advisor reports to the MSD Team Lead.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Intervention Development (20%)

• Assess markets to identify market gaps and develop detailed concept notes for strategic interventions in close collaboration with identified implementing partners.
• Develop systemic business models that respond to the market challenges faced by LIWAY target groups.

Stakeholder Engagement (20%)

• Assess and onboard key stakeholders, including implementing partners, to foster collaboration for intervention implementation.
• Identify and select relevant market systems for LIWAY target groups and conduct detailed analyses to identify root causes affecting market performance.
• Collaborate with other MSD advisors to exchange key industry information and tap into created partnerships.

Implementation Facilitation (30%)

• Prepare and finalize implementation agreements (sub-grant agreements) with selected partners and facilitate the signing process.
• Provide all required technical support during the implementation of agreed interventions to ensure alignment with project goals.
• Follow up on the implementation of approved concept notes and budget use to ensure quality of deliverables while meeting timelines.

Technical Support and Advisory Services (15%)

• Act as a technical expert following the MSD approach, providing ongoing technical assistance to implementing partners.
• Ensure that women and youth are meaningfully integrated into interventions and that their constraints are identified and addressed.
• Ensure all facilitations related to the market system are in line with the Market Systems Development approach.

Monitoring and Reporting (15%):

• Monitor the progress of interventions under management and report on outcomes to ensure effective tracking and learning.
• Work with the Monitoring and Results Measurement team to regularly measure results and intervention level changes.
• Document lessons learned and case studies to facilitate knowledge sharing among stakeholders.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: I) MSD Team Lead (Line Manager)

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: LIWAY Deputy Chief of Party, LI-WAY MRM and Knowledge Management Advisor, MRM Specialist, Women’s Economic Empowerment advisor, Partnership and grant Specialist and other LIWAY MSD advisors.

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 programs.

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.

Knowledge and Experience

• Master's Degree or equivalent in relevant fields such as International Development, Economics, Business, or related disciplines.
• At least Five years of experience in market systems development or related fields, with a focus on urban livelihoods.
• Strong understanding of the Market Systems Development (MSD).
• Proven ability to analyze market systems and identify root causes affecting performance.
• Full professional proficiency in spoken and written English, with strong report writing skills.
• Capacity to work in a dynamic environment and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Proficient in relevant computer applications and technologies.
• Familiarity with the Ethiopian context and its market systems is an advantage.

Desired Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to engage with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills to foster teamwork and partnership development.
• Ability to think critically and devise innovative solutions to complex challenges.
• Proven capacity to build and maintain professional relationships with key market actors.
• Understanding of and respect for diverse cultural perspectives and practices.
• Proficient in computer skills and relevant technologies applicable to the role.

Success Factors

A successful MSD Advisor (Intervention Lead) will have a demonstrated ability to design and lead interventions that address key constraints in the market system, resulting in creating economic opportunities for the LIWAY target groups. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, work within a complex security and political situation and to follow strict security protocols. A willingness to relocate for short-term as necessary within coverage regions, based on programmatic needs, work independently and as part of a team are essential Computer literate especially in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)