Jobs at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

The community capacity building officer will be responsible for technical oversight and ensuring management for all activities related to community development, conflict management and peaceful co-existence around natural resource. S/he will define implementation strategies in coordination with the county government,  LMS project coordinator and other leadership team. The community capacity building officer will train WPCs after conducting technical capacity assessment. S/He will provide technical assistance based on identified gaps; and ensure that common strategies and approaches are applied consistently in all communities’ priorities as envisaged on ward based plans. S/he will coordinate closely with the M&E team to ensure that systems are in place to track, analyze and report results. The Officer will be required to keep abreast of the latest research and evolutions in the field of conflict management around natural resources and integrate new ideas and approaches as appropriate, seek additional technical assistance as needed and ensure effective working relationships with collaborating agencies.  S/he will work closely with NDMA on community participatory scenario planning,  our partner ACDI/VOCA and advocate the adoption of ward based planning approaches. 

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Oversee the implementation of Ward Development Planning Process
• Capacity builds the WPCs to strengthen their governance and financial mobilization skills.
• Conduct WPC capacity assessment in collaboration with communities and county governments
• Contribute to teamwork plans and guide successful implementation of conflict management and natural resources management activities, ensuring teams follow work plans so activities are on time, target and within the approved budget, and program deliverables achieve desired impact;
• Conduct, participate in and/or update ward development process, involving a variety of stakeholders;
• In collaboration with National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) and county governments, facilitate discussions within communities aimed at promoting Disaster Risk Reduction approaches including for drought cycle management as important components to community resilience to shocks and other stress.
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate. Certify all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards;
• Work with adolescent girl groups and link with WPCs development agenda

COMMUNITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT

• Conduct community mobilization and sensitization for the WDP process
• Engage development actors  to resolve resource-based conflict and facilitate community dialogues
• Engage and support county government in the WDP process and ensure their participation and integration of plans into county priorities.
• Facilitate planning meetings and workshops with government, NGO, private sector, and community partners to revise plans and promote partner acceptance/buy-in.
• Support county government initiatives to develop appropriate policies related to ward planning approach 

PARTNERSHIP

• Link Ward Planning Committees to county government department and other development partners
• Establish collaborative partnership with other development partners working on community resilience and community development
• Identify potential opportunities for linkage with other development partners such as Partnership for Resilience and Economic Growth (PREG)
• support FCDC in passage and implementation of ward development bills/acts

PROGRAM MONITORING

• Support MEL team to develop appropriate monitoring tools for the WDP process,
• Support participatory community-based monitoring in counties where initiatives are taking place - organize and coordinate capacity building in relation to community-based monitoring, including experience sharing 
• In coordination with the MEL team, monitor the implementation of activities through regular field visits and assessments to ensure program quality and impact.
• Document best practices and lessons learned across counties and share with management and team members 

COORDINATION

• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, finance, administration and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities
• Support operations team to facilitate procurement of goods and services related to the WDP process and conflict management  

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Represent Mercy Corps at government, donor, NGO and other relevant events, in close coordination with the County project coordinator and country leadership. 
• Coordinate activities with consortium partners, sub grantees, local government, and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs
• Facilitate planning meetings and workshops with government, NGO, private sector, and community partners to revise plans and promote partner acceptance/buy-in;
• In coordination with the MEL team, monitor the implementation of activities through regular field visits and assessments to ensure program quality and impact. Document approaches, successes and lessons learned;
• Coordinate with procurement, logistics, security, administration and human resources teams to ensure operational systems support field activities. 

SECURITY

• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members. 
• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

OTHER:

• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission;
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Experience

• BA/S or equivalent in development studies, Disaster Risk Reduction, Range management, conflict mitigation, social sciences or other relevant field;
• A minimum of three years of relevant professional experience in community development where there is Natural Resource based conflicts with hands on experience in working with ward development committees;
• Experience drafting contingency plans with communities in ASAL areas is required;
• Strong management skills, including effective personnel management, adaptive management coordination and decision-making Strong facilitation and consensus-building skills;
• Competent in building networks, strong problem-solving skills, and ability to influence with effective listening, persuasion, negotiation and other techniques.
• Strong understanding of USAID compliance issues.
• Excellent and persuasive oral and written communication skills, including report writing, in English and other language(s), and fluency in Kiswahili.  Local dialects spoken in duty station is a plus;
• Previous work experience in northern Kenya desirable.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members

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The Position  

The job holder will be part of our African Programmes and Advisory team, which includes professionals from a range of private sector backgrounds, including engineering, project development, entrepreneurship, banking and investment, micro-finance, and management consulting. They will help implement different energy access programmes, work with our donors and sub-contractors, advise MSMEs, and support E4I team members in programme implementation.  

 Essential Responsibilities

• Work closely with Programme Managers and support them by doing data analysis, market research, reporting, as well as client engagement and communication.  
• Help to develop Mercy Corps internal processes and knowledge of technologies, business models, regulatory issues, financing processes, etc. 
• Deliver high quality work, with attention to detail and a focus on results. 

Advisory responsibilities 

• Support in providing analytical advice in engineering, business or finance to early and later stage SME companies, including solar home system distributors, mini-grid developers, stand-alone solar appliance suppliers and other service providers. 
• Provide support to SME clients on their business models, partnership facilitation, project development, investment readiness, financial modelling and capital raising. 
• Work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation team to ensure expected results for advisory activities are measured and evaluated. 
• Support development of internal processes and institutional knowledge of energy access financing, business models, regulatory issues etc. 
• Support data management, analysis and presentation for external and internal knowledge management. 
• Conduct market studies and research for SME clients, donors and internal knowledge generation, including desk research, primary and secondary research. 
• Stay up to date on market news, regulations, and trends in the field of energy access and productive use of electricity in Africa. 
• Support the Programmes and the Business Development team in preparing bids, concept notes and proposals for donors consistent with the objectives and requirements of the potential donor.   

Supervisory Responsibility

• None 

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: Programme Manager
• Works Directly With: Global Director of Advisory, Regional Head of Programmes

Minimum Qualifications & Skills

At least 2 - 4 years’ experience in at least one of the following areas: 

• Energy project implementation, operations, or financing; 
• Financial advisory, management or strategic consulting; 
• Marketing or technical support for agricultural and other electric appliances used for income generating purposes; 
• Renewable energy development in a humanitarian setting; or 
• Early-stage business building as an entrepreneur, investor or incubator 
• Research and data analysis in the development sector 
• Experience working with rural and off-grid business models and an understanding of the unique challenges faced by businesses operating in Africa 

Academic and Professional Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Business Management, Economics, Finance, International Development, Energy, Environment, Climate Change or other relevant subjects  

Success Factors

• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills 
• Ability to understand the off-grid market, preferably in an African context 
• Ability to understand the entrepreneurial space and impact investing sector 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to write high quality written documents, strong ability to work in power point a firm advantage. 
• Ability to critique and develop financial models is highly desirable 
• Fluent English a must 
• Fluent French an advantage