Enterprise Investment Coordinator (EIF) at Mercy Corps

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps Nigeria was established in 2012 to respond primarily to growing humanitarian needs in the Northeast. With a strong and growing team of over 200 staff, Mercy Corps is currently serving over 1,500,000 beneficiaries across the country with programming in Lagos in the South; Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau in the Middle Belt; Kano, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno in the North. Programs include girls’ education and financial inclusion, community peacebuilding, market-based livelihoods and a multi-sector humanitarian response that has a strong emphasis on WASH, Shelter, Cash and Protection. With the vision of a Nigeria in which all people are empowered, engaged, resilient and secure, Mercy Corps Nigeria focuses on the root causes of conflict, governance, humanitarian response, and market systems development.

Program / Department Summary

Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) is a $30 million project with a life span of five years, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Mercy Corps is the prime implementer and in partnership with Save the Children International (SCI) and International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). The goal of the RRA is to facilitate and protect economic recovery and growth in vulnerable, conflict-affected areas and sustainably move people out of chronic vulnerability and poverty via expanded opportunities.

Mercy Corps is recruiting for the position of EIF Coordinator. The purpose of Rural Resilience Activity’s Enterprise Innovation Fund is to catalyze new investments in viable economic opportunities (market systems, livelihoods, agribusiness, and employment) through grants that stimulate, rather than distort market development and avoid exacerbating conflict dynamics

General Position Summary

Working directly under the Managerial supervision, the EIF Coordinator will provide full time dedicated support to the management of Rural Resilience Activity’s Enterprise Investment Fund while adhering to compliance procedures related to finance, match/cost-share management and documenting, sub-awards, etc.

The EIF Coordinator in close coordination with the Manager will be primarily responsible for securing the required cost leverage/match reports and support documentation from partners (sub-award recipients), coordinating grant processes from initiation to closeout in close collaboration with partners, programs, finance and subawards/compliance teams, building the capacity of partners in areas around risk management, business planning and development, reviewing and analyzing match/cost-share financial records, coordinating timely match reporting and files archiving, monitoring of subgrants and ensuring adequate internal controls are in place to mitigate risks in compliance with laws, regulations, donor requirements and Mercy Corps policies and procedures through the program cycle.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Work closely with the project team to conduct research and assessments to identify potential private sector, public and community-managed entities for partnership, including prioritizing the identification of under-represented groups such as women and youth.
• Organize and conduct multi-stakeholder platforms to disseminate Rural Resilience Project’s Investment Fund opportunities to potential partners.
• Lead the coaching and mentoring of shortlisted subaward recipients in areas around business planning and risk management, financial modelling, cash flow planning, and business model.
• Support the EIF Manager in administering a transparent and competitive mechanism for the Investment Fund in compliance with Mercy Corps and USAID policies and procedures including developing RFAs, evaluating applicant eligibility, concept notes, full applications, issuing status notices to applicants, liaising with other departments to ensure effective coordination among the relevant units and ensuring all components of the Investment Fund work together to meet program goals.
• Support the Manager to set up filing and record-keeping systems to ensure all grant documents are properly filed, including financial and program reports as articulated in the Rural Resilience Activity’s Innovation Fund and Mercy Corps Sub-Awards Financial Management Policy.
• Support the Investment Fund Manager in reviewing sub-award applicants’ budgets and budget narratives for completeness, cost realism and compliance to USAID regulations, including ensuring all components of the Investment fund are compliant with USAID and MC regulations, all sub-grantees are complying with the procedures in the RRA Innovation Fund Manual and Mercy Corps Sub-Awards Financial Management Policy, and that the annexes are fully utilized.
• Understand the key elements of a successful investment, and support the Manager to develop tactical and strategic plans for the fund including ensuring that the investment fund supports activities across the key sectors that the project is targeting and does not crowd out financial markets and actors, rather helps them to flourish.

This list is not exhaustive as tasks will be performed as assigned.

People Management:

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members and sub-awardees with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

Influence and Representation:

• Support, identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively and build consensus to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

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 Responsibilities:

Investment Fund Interns on Rural Resilience Activity and other Mercy Corps Sub-awards and Compliance Interns.

Accountability:

Reports Directly to EIF manager Fund Manager.

Works Directly with Program Team, Finance and Operations, Human Resources.

Knowledge and Experience

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Business Administration, or Bachelors’ degree with 7 years of relevant work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years experience in enterprise development; investment management; impact investments and working in partnership with private sector actors, civil society organizations and public sector ministries, departments and agencies.
• Good understanding of facilitation approaches including coaching, relationship building, communicating, open and willing to work on new initiatives.
• S/he should also have a basic understanding of the concept of triple line business modelling (commercial, social and environment impact models) and concepts around inclusive business models.
• Must have a good understanding of impact investment, planning and analysis, marketing strategy development, distribution of products to the last mile-consumers and general business system operations management.
• 3-5 years of sub-award management on international donor-funded programs e.g. USAID, DFID, EU, with USAID program experience being a significant advantage and preferred.
• Demonstrated competency with computerized G-Suite and Microsoft Office applications.
• Proven skills in organizational and business capacity assessments, strategic planning, and business development including developing financial models and business plans, as well as proven practical and theoretical understanding of the project management cycle.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to professionally and appropriately represent the organization and negotiate and defend Mercy Corps’ interests with a diverse range of international and local organizations and other groups.
• Excellent negotiation, consensus building, verbal and written communication, organizational and prioritization skills, ability to multi-task, support and/or fill multiple positions at one time, and work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff in a very sensitive environment.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work both independent of supervision and cooperatively with team members.
• Fluency in spoken and written English required.
• Knowledge of Hausa and other local dialects such as Fulfulde and Kanuri is an advantage.

Success Factors:

The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. 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.

In particular, the successful candidate will be willing to travel to locations within Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe States and in the LGAs (Local Government Areas) outside the state capitals according to the needs of the Mercy Corps program. This will mean sometimes staying and working in stressful environments with very basic living conditions, strictly following security protocols at all times and sometimes working long and irregular hours.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours.

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.