Mercy Corps Latest Jobs Vacancies

Mercy
Corps is a global, non-governmental organization, which exists to alleviate
suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive
and just communities. Mercy Corps works in the areas of emergency relief,
sustainable economic development and civil society. Since 1979, Mercy
Corps has provided $1 billion in assistance to people in 94 nations. Mercy
Corps is collaborating with the Federal Government of Nigeria, the UK
Department for International Development and USAID partners implementing
economic development programs throughout the country.

Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), in partnership with Mercy Corps (MC), the Catholic
Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN), the Federation of Muslim Women
Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and eight (8) Civil Society Organizations
(CSOs) is implementing the Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project (FFNLP),
with support from the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID). The project employs a multi-sector approach that will help 42,000
vulnerable households (HHs) in rural communities in northern Nigeria’s Sokoto
and Kebbi states, and in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) grow their
agricultural and non-agricultural incomes.

We
are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job
Title: Consultant
(Market and Value Chain Mapping)
Locations: Sokoto, Kebbi & Abuja (FCT)

Job
Description
The focus of this assignment is to develop a market access study to determine
the extent to which product value chain upgrades will be required for
beneficiaries in technical and vocational skills, micro franchising
agricultural production, and processing to competitively identify and take
advantage of local market opportunities.

Specifically,
the Study will:

Provide
a detailed market analysis of industries relevant to the project (formal
and informal sector): fashion, textile, agriculture, and consumer goods
(including, but not limited to, food, personal and home care divisions).
This
must include assessing market needs, particularly product types and
specifications/quality standards, and the nature of bargain taking place
between different market players in the study area (relationships,
attitudes, and behaviors).
Understudy
400 individual beneficiary enterprises and the products produced in order
to map the supply and value chain, including primary and secondary market
actors.
Assess
and profile businesses and products that are capable of meeting market
needs, including resources, skills, capacity related to procurement of
input, production and supply of products.
Analyze
the capacity of profiled businesses to access credit, information and
resources.
Determine
aspects of product value and supply chains to upgrade for successful
direct linkages with market as well as propose a detailed plan of
interventions to address constraints identified in chains.
Determine
all regulatory requirements that market suppliers (beneficiaries) and the
market must meet.
Determine
and draft market terms and conditions for trade.
Propose
alternative strategies for forward and backward linkages to markets based
on findings.
Construct
scenarios of the economic impact (change in market share, increase in
local trade, profits, jobs, and wages) that the market linkage would bring
about.
Identify
investment needs, and opportunities for potential investors to enable
businesses scale up to meet market demand.
Identify
opportunities for interested private sector players in the industries
relevant to the project as off-takers and/ investors in the expansion of
individual micro-enterprises within broader industries.

Key
Deliverables

A
comprehensive market access report that addresses the objectives above,
with a specific focus on the following sectors: Agriculture, Fast Moving
Consumer Goods, Textile, Fashion and other sectors as identified during
research.
An
investment analysis report and deck for potential investors in each
industry.
Organize
a stakeholder workshop including presentations on proposals for upgrading
and introducing innovations into the value and supply chain to meet market
needs.
Conduct
weekly progress sessions with project team.
Data
collection instruments.
Hire
enumerators at Mercy Corps rate.

Required/
Preferred Skills and Experience

A
Master’s Degree in economics, business or other relevant field.
Prior
experience conducting market access studies.
Demonstrated
strong understanding of value and supply chains, market and investment
analysis.
Excellent
command of English.
Excellent
communication, organisation and teamwork skills/
Working
experience with international non-governmental organisations and civil
society organisations/

Project
Locations:

Federal
Capital Territory Abuja (4 communities from 1 LGAs)
Kebbi
State (8 communities from 2 LGAs)
Sokoto
State (16 communities from 4 LGAs)

Resources
Prior to and during the evaluation, the Mercy Corps FFNLP staff will provide
the consultant/evaluator with the following resources:

Relevant
documents
Access
to project communities
Logistical
support

Period
of the Assignment
The assignment will be for a period maximum of 35 days. A work plan may be:

Week
One and Two: Data collection, beneficiary interviews, field work.
Week
Three: Data analysis and meetings with Mercy Corps and partner
organizations.
Week
Four: Draft report and review by Mercy Corps for comments.
Week
Five: Final report, investment analysis deck, presentation to Mercy Corps
and partners.

Evaluator
Response
The Evaluator will respond to this scope of work providing a detailed work
plan, methodology, detailed work schedule and budget. In addition, the
evaluator will provide the following:

CV
of lead researcher with evidence of prior market access studies.
Key
personnel working on the study together with their qualifications and
experience.
An
individual or company profile.
Evidence
of working experience in Africa, and preferably in Nigeria is desirable.

Job
Title:
Consultancy (Financial Inclusion Outcome Evaluation)
Locations: Sokoto, Kebbi & FCT
Project Details

Catholic
Relief Services (CRS), in partnership with Mercy Corps (MC), the Catholic
Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (CCFN), the Federation of Muslim Women
Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and eight (8) Civil Society Organizations
(CSOs) is implementing the Feed the Future Nigeria Livelihoods Project
(FFNLP), with support from the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). The project employs a multi-sector approach that will
help 42,000 vulnerable households (HHs) in rural communities in northern
Nigeria’s Sokoto and Kebbi states, and in the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) grow their agricultural and non-agricultural incomes.

Job
Description
The Evaluation Consultant will conduct an in-depth and accurate evaluation of
the performance outcomes of the various IR2 sub-interventions on beneficiaries’
abilities to successfully manage and grow businesses for which they received
technical and financial assistance. Along with predefined indicators developed
below, the evaluator will use the following elements in the performance of this
task to determine:

Relevance:
Has the intervention(s) and overall approach been adequate and appropriate
to help beneficiaries manage and grow their business enterprise?
Efficacy:
To what extent i.e. how effective are the financial interventions provided
(conditional cash grant vis-a-vis micro-franchising/loan product)
vis-à-vis technical assistance and gender in enabling beneficiaries start
and improve their business
Sustainability:
Are the project beneficiaries likely to continue to manage and grow their
enterprises long after the intervention is over?
Lessons
Learned: What key lessons can stakeholders learn based on findings
gathered from the outcome performance evaluation study?

Key
Evaluation Questions
The following questions should guide the evaluator and be addressed in the
assessment:

Were
the project strategies, interventions and areas appropriately targeted?

Did
the intervention activities properly target the needs of beneficiaries
already in business, and those new to business: providing them with the
adequate skills, and finance to start and manage a business, providing
them with the markets to help their businesses increase their revenue and
in turn income.?
Was
the program’s aim to enable the beneficiaries above to start and improve
on their businesses, and access finance options in order to diversify
revenue sources while increasing income levels an appropriate response to
the needs in target communities?
Did
the program target and reach the intended beneficiaries?
Were
there unintended consequences, both positive and negative, that arose
from the project strategies, interventions and targeting?

To
what extent have the grants, product loans, business and TVET trainings,
as well as SILC groups formed individually and collectively enabled
targeted beneficiaries access finance and appropriate trainings to start
and manage a business, identify and link up with new markets in order to
help them businesses increase their revenue and in turn income assisting
vulnerable households escape the poverty trap?

What
evidence is there to determine whether the project achieved its
objectives?
Which
elements of the 5 intervention activities above individually and
collectively saw the greatest impact since the beginning of the program?

What
lessons can be learned regarding the approaches used by the project?

Which
delivery mechanisms were most effective? Conditional grants or loans or
none at all, the case worker model etc.
What
were the major challenges looking across the various project
stakeholders?
What
did the program do to address these challenges?
What
recommendations can be made towards similar projects in Nigeria?

To
what extent are results achieved likely to be sustainable?

Will
vulnerable households be able to maintain economic stability based on
their current business, savings and investment status after the close of
the grant period?
Did
Mercy Corps sufficiently engage with local partners, government,
community stakeholders and beneficiaries themselves to ensure knowledge
gained in program implementation continues to reach vulnerable
populations after program closure?
How
likely is it for the beneficiaries to continue to access affordable
credit (cash and products) beyond the life of the project?

Did
Mercy Corps effectively coordinate with the following groups in the
implementation of its project activities?

Beneficiaries;
Implementing
CSOs;
Local
community heads;
State
government; and
Implementation
and donor communities?
How
has such coordination helped or hindered the program in the
accomplishment of its objectives?

Impact
Measurement:
In addition to the above questions, the assessment will measure impact along
the following dimensions and indicators. There is no baseline data using these
indicators and a methodology to assess impact must be included in the work
plan/methodology submitted in response to this Scope of Work.
Dimension:

Entrepreneurship

Indicators:

Self-employment
rate
Number
of jobs created (direct employment and voluntary skills transfer beyond
FtF)
%age
own initial capital invested
Number
of new businesses created post intervention
Self-employment
rate

Dimension:

Access
to finance

Indicator:

Access
to loans (bank, SILC, family and friends other sources) per
microenterprise

Dimension:

Access
to Market

Indicators:

Microenterprise
with new markets that they did not reach before
Existing
market: size and value per microenterprise
Total
Market: size and value per microenterprise

Dimensions

Skill
and Innovation

Indicators

SME
introducing new product, and/ service, marketing or organizational
innovations

Dimension

Financial
Performance

Indicators

Gross
margin
Net
revenue

Specific
Tasks to be Accomplished and Evaluation Methodology
The evaluation will be conducted by an external consultant recruited by Mercy
Corps. Although the methodological approach of the evaluation depends on the
strategic choice of the consultant, it is important that the choice be
participatory. Therefore, the consultant must present a detailed methodology on
the content, approach, proposed evaluation tools, and the logistical planning
of the mission (including proposed travel dates) in her/his bid. Although the
development of this methodology will be left to the consultant, it should
include, at minimum:

A
detailed and comprehensive outcome performance evaluation plan with
appropriate methodology to guide the implementation of the evaluation
study.
Specific
indicators and areas of evaluation using the evaluation indicators already
developed and approved by Mercy Corps and indicators proposed by the
consultant.
A
review and analysis of documents, reports, and other materials beneficial
to the impact evaluation, including quarterly and annual review reports
from CSOs and MCN
Extensive
field visits to project sites where relevant Feed the Future interventions
have been implemented.
Proposed
design of data collection instruments [surveys, focus group discussion and
key informant interview] to capture all variables of interest.
Methodology
behind proposed data analysis with qualitative and quantitative evidence
of impact, lessons learned and recommendations from the analyzed results.
Meetings
with stakeholders and target groups including local government heads,
state governments, CSOs and the project beneficiaries.

Key
Deliverables
The consultant is responsible for the following services:

Detailed
outcome performance evaluation plan.
Data
collection instruments and indicator sheet.
Comprehensive
outcome evaluation report with lessons learned.
A
draft and final report submitted to Mercy Corps that includes:

Cover
page;
Table
of contents;
Executive
summary;
Background;
Assessment
Methodology and Limitations;
Findings:

Findings
should assess outcomes and impact on vulnerable households;
Findings
should be presented as analyzed facts, evidence and data and not be
based on anecdotes, hearsay or the compilation of people’s opinions.
Findings should be specific, concise and support by strong qualitative
or quantitative evidence;

Lessons
learned;
Recommendations;
Annexes/Appendices.

At
least 2 publishable articles in a reputable journal within 6 months post
evaluation.
Weekly
project update to the project management office and debrief country staff
prior to close of the project on the initial and final findings from the
evaluation study.

Place
of Performance, Duration and Planning
The assessment will be conducted in the following areas:

Federal
Capital Territory Abuja (2 communities from 1 LGAs FCT: Bwari municipal
council)
Kebbi
State (8 communities from 2 LGAs Birni Kebbi and Dankowasago)
Sokoto
State (16 communities from 4 LGAs Dangeshuni, Tangaza, Rabbah, Kebbe)

The
consultant is responsible for providing a work plan to Mercy Corps. The entire
assessment should not take longer than 35 days. An illustrative work plan is:

Week
1: Preliminary meetings, document review, preparation of the evaluation
plan and finalization of tools and data collection methods.
Weeks
2 and 3: Field work (collection of primary data in the field).
Week
4: Data analysis, interim report, and partial sharing of findings. The
final report will be delivered within three days of the sharing of
findings. Presentation to the Embassy of Sweden in Liberia and Mercy
Corps.

Resources
Prior to and during the evaluation, the Mercy Corps FFNLP staff will provide
the consultant/evaluator with the following resources:

Relevant
documents;
Access
to project communities;
Logistical
support.

Evaluator
Response

The
Evaluator will respond to this scope of work providing a detailed work
plan, methodology, and detailed work schedule as well as resume of the
lead assessor and his/her project team (if proposed).
The
Evaluator will also provide a detailed cost estimate (professional fee,
operational cost of carrying out the evaluation).

Required/
Preferred Skills and Experience
The consultant should have the following qualifications:

At
least a Master’s degree in relevant area (Economics, Statistics, Impact
Evaluation, Public Policy etc.).
At
least 7 years of experience in research or practice on both experimental
and quasi-experimental impact evaluation designs.
Working
experience in Africa, and preferably in Nigeria is desirable.
Excellent
command of English.
Excellent
communication, organisation and teamwork skills.
Working
experience with international non-governmental organisations and civil
society organizations.
Prior
assessment experience.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates or companies should send their Expression
of Interest along with other relevant supporting documentations to: ng-submissions@mercycorps.org Subject for the
email should clearly state EOI for “Market Access”

Note

Submissions
after the deadline will not be taken into consideration.
All
applications must include the position title in the subject line.
Only
short-listed candidates will be contacted.
We
are an equal opportunity organization and we strongly encourage women to
apply for this position.