MSD – Natural Resources Management /NRM Officer 1439 views5 applications

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.

The Program / Department / Team

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 six regional states – Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara 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.

                   Position Title:  MSD – Natural Resources Management /NRM Officer

                   Duty Station: Gambella

                  Open Position:  1

 Program / Department Summary

The Market Systems Development (MSD) NRM officer is responsible to facilitate interventions and activities under PPIL or T4P project to strengthen social cohesion between host and refugee communities and improve their livelihoods. She/he will be directly engaged with a wide range of actors and stakeholders including government, private sector actors and program participants with a focus on crops production and marketing activities. He/she will be a key member of Market Systems Development unit.

The MSD Team uses a market-systems, community-led approach to stimulate economic growth to create wealth and jobs for the poorest while maximizing investment from the private and public sectors. The MSD team is comprised of technical expertise in the areas of production, marketing, employment, input/output markets, post-harvest technologies and financial services. The focuses will be on supporting livestock/crop production activities, small and medium enterprises development, facilitating access and uses of production supporting inputs and output market development

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Undertake property and field inspections, stakeholder management, procurement, project management and technical assessments, to provide advice on environmental, planning, natural resource and land management issues to support the achievement of government priorities in the management of Crown land. Key accountabilities

· Undertake environmental assessments, studies and complex and routine land management and planning activities for effective and timely delivery of Crown land outcomes.

· Provide environmental management advice to clients regarding the management land property issues and outcomes of assessments undertaken.

· Draft and present reports based on sound scientific and appropriate land use principles to clients and relevant stakeholders.

· Liaise with stakeholders to ensure awareness of objectives in the negotiation of Crown land issues and coordinate and manage land use planning projects.

· Coordinate hazard reduction activities to mitigate the Department’s public liability risk.

· Provide technical guidance and information to staff throughout the organisation to raise awareness of environmental planning and natural resource management issues with regard to the management of client properties and land management.

Ensure accurate and timely data entry in to recording systems, ensuring relevant outcomes are appropriately recorded and all necessary steps in a process are completed. · Providing appropriately balanced and timely advice, recommendations and briefings on complex and routine environmental, planning and land management issues.

· Interpreting and applying environmental and planning legislation, policies and procedures in complex situations.

·       Deliver recommendations and advice in relation to environmental assessments, studies and complex and routine land management and planning activities.

·       Provide guidance, advice and support in understanding Crown land and environmental issues.

·        Provide technical information in the form of reports and advice

·       Provide guidance, advice and support in understanding Crown land and environmental issues.

·        Provide technical information in the form of reports and advice

·       Provide timely and accurate advice in the coordination of property management projects and dealing with complex Crown land issues.

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.

Program Management

• Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.

• Ensure that beneficiaries are effectively targeted according to established vulnerability criteria.

• Develop partners’ MoUs and contracts & oversee a training program for program partners.

• Develop program implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, beneficiary targeting and distribution process as well as WASH, psychosocial and capacity building of partners.

• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.

• Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts.

• 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.

• Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide.

• Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

Team Management

·       Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.

·        Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.

·       Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.

·       Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

·       Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

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

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.

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

Knowledge and Experience

·       Minimum of bachelor’s degree (MSC/MA preferred) in the areas: plant science, crop production and other related fields

·       Minimum of 2 years’ experience in private sector and/or NGOs working focused on MSD (facilitation and providing technical supports), agribusiness and/or financial services.

·       Good understanding on the Markets4Poor approach and Markets development facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurialism/business understanding and innovating.

·       Experiences in supporting privet sector lead business enterprises in pastoral/ agro-pastoral settings, providing business development supports, industries (public and private), institutions and stakeholders.

·        Knowledge of participatory analyses, action and results processing.

·       Experience/exposures to the location/region he/she applied for.

·       Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

·       Knowing one of the local languages

Success Factors

·       Define the specific behavior and attitudes critical to success in the position at time of hire and as it develops over time in paragraph form (soft skills).