Livelihoods and Market Systems Specialist - Nigeria at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the north-east of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps has decided to address the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities by starting its humanitarian program in July 2014. With funding from the US Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Mercy Corps is collaborating with Action Against Hunger (ACF), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Oxfam to conduct a six-month joint assessment focused on Livelihoods and Market Recovery (LMR) in North East Nigeria. These six organizations aim to understand the market system dynamics across three conflict-affected states—Borno, Yobe, Adamawa—by identifying constraints and opportunities to enable market systems to strengthen economic coping, facilitate market recovery, and increase livelihood opportunities for conflict-affected communities and identify approaches to facilitate local market recovery. By collecting data on 3-4 key market systems, LMR partners will analyze how they can be adapted to ultimately improve income generation, food security, nutrition, and protection for vulnerable conflict-affected households within North East urban and rural areas.  The specialist will provide the necessary technical guidance to lead the assessment planning and implementation to produce a series of comprehensive reports for public dissemination.  

General Position Summary

The specialist will work in Nigeria until 30 June 2017 to lead the LMR Assessment.  S/he will be responsible for the overall design, implementation, and production of the assessment reports.  S/he will have a team of to support key functions including data analysis, research, and graphic design, and will also collaborate with and oversee the work of a Technical Support Consultant.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Technical oversight

• Develop and oversee successful implementation of LMR Assessment activities, ensuring partners follow work plan to keep activities on time, target, and budget and program deliverables completed;
• Oversee the work of and collaborate closely with Technical Support Consultant on relevant deliverables, including workshops, data collection processes, data collection tools, background analysis (literature review and household income analysis), enumerator training, and contributions to final analysis;
• Guide Literature Review that documents key aspects of North East Nigeria markets, drawing on existing materials secondary sources to inform the LMR approach, in collaboration with Technical Support Consultant and Writer/Editor;
• Manage Household Income Analysis using data from partner organizations to identify characteristics and trends within the target vulnerable population in three states;
• Oversee selection of 3-4 market systems in collaboration with partner organizations and Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit, including facilitating Kick-Off Workshop in Abuja on 18/19 January to harmonize approach;
• Collaborating with and overseeing Technical Support Consultant, develop in-depth assessment tools for 3-4 market systems to collect data, in collaboration with partner organizations, including testing to maximize the data collection;
• Collaborating with and overseeing Technical Support Consultant, design and implement training of enumerators across partner organizations using market system tools, building in best practices for qualitative data collection;
• Supervise information management and data platform used across partners, in collaboration with Data Analyst, while conducting quality checks across partners;
• Conduct data analysis across market systems to identify key trends and findings to draft reports, in collaboration with Data Analyst and Writer/Editor, as well as prepare Validation Workshop (mid-April 2017) that includes external stakeholders including United Nations, governmental and non-governmental agencies;
• Draft and edit final reports that document each market system findings and trends with recommendations that harmonize future programming, in collaboration with Writer/Editor and in consultation with Mercy Corps’ Technical Support Unit and partner organizations;
• Create report dissemination plan to ensure information is shared widely with the public, and participate in two roundtable discussions to highlight the assessment findings; and
• Other tasks related to assessment, as assigned.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

Finance & Compliance Management

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

Influence & Representation

• Represent Mercy Corps at partner coordination meetings and with external stakeholders as relevant to the assessment.
• Actively participate in relevant working group as relevant to the assessment.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country
• 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.

Supervisory Responsibility
LMR assessment team members.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Director of humanitarian programs

Works Directly With: Operations, Finance, Program Managers, technical advisors, and others

Knowledge and Experience

• At least 5 years of practical field experience managing related projects.
• Demonstrated strong theoretical and applied knowledge of livelihood and market systems programming and familiarity designing assessments.
• Previous experience of working in insecure environments (ideally including experience in an emergency response).
• Proven experience conducting large scale livelihood and market system assessments and analysis of data, including using participatory approaches and quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
• Experience facilitating workshops and multiple stakeholder meetings.
• Strong writing and report development skills.
• Experience coordinating and leading international partners and stakeholders.
• Experience managing national and international staff.
• Must be able to work independently while being a strong team player.

Success Factors

The successful candidate should be an individual with a background in livelihoods and market systems who is a good collaborator, facilitator and coach.  They should have demonstrated experience developing assessments, and producing systematic analysis from data collected and translating the analysis to produce reports. This position is expected to work in partnership with other international NGOs and multiple stakeholders to produce results in a short timeframe.  This position requires patience and flexibility and a person who can motivate buy-in from experts of various fields and contexts.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Abuja (Nigeria) and it requires up to (30%) travel to other field locations where the assessment will be conducted.

Considering the frequent travel from/to different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of accommodation and logistics. Housing in the field will be in hotels or guesthouse where available.  Security in the field locations require additional vigilance and accessibility will be reassessed continuously. Access to good medical services in the north east is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity and water is available, but can be erratic. Given the nature of the humanitarian response, working hours require flexibility and working through weekends/evenings might be necessary.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting. 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.