Investment Manager – Regional Livestock Program, Africa
Kenya
JOB DETAIL
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.
In the Horn of Africa, Mercy Corps has been working in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, since 2004, in rural, peri-urban and urban areas and engaging in both development and humanitarian work, that seek to integrate approaches, programs and geographies as much as possible. Our partners include government and intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions, development and private sector actors, civil societies, and the participating public.
Program/Department Summary
Mercy Corps has been a leader in the drylands of the Horn of Africa for the last decade, supporting households affected by climate change, drought, conflict and other challenges to cope, adapt and thrive in the face of increasing shocks. Our programming focuses on strengthening livestock production and stimulating markets to be inclusive of smallholder producers and SMEs, enhancing food and water security, addressing gender inequality and youth opportunities, and strengthening devolved governance outcomes to support dryland communities and break the cycle of humanitarian need. Our approaches lay the foundations for a more food secure and resilient future.
Aligned with Mercy Corps 10-year Regional Livestock Strategy, the Regional Livestock Programme (RLP) is working across the drylands of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia to enhance household food security and livelihoods for vulnerable pastoralists and agro-pastoralists. The RLP leverages the significant potential for livestock production and trade within the region by building vibrant and inclusive regional livestock market systems, strengthening livestock production and trade, supporting climate adaptation, and enhancing regeneration and governance of communal and private rangelands.
General Position Summary
Mercy Corps is currently seeking an Investment Manager for Regional Livestock Program (RLP) who will lead the management of Enterprise Investment, a matching grant facility that will support enterprises to address underlying key constraints, facilities access to finance to support the private engagement and promote investment. The Investment Manager is responsible for the overall leadership and management co-investment interventions including developing privates sector engagement mechanisms/procedures and best practices for the promotions of investments in the livestock industry in the RLP targeted areas. The Investment Manager will lead establishment of processes and implementation of the intervention as per investment Fund manual. They are responsible to coordinate with the project team in designing call for proposals/Application, selection of the most viable investment ideas and its execution; and introduce innovative ideas and approaches to enhance financial inclusion for livestock related business. Working closely with the Mercy Corps RLP program implementing country finance team and RLP program contracts and compliance Manager and other teams, the Investment manager will be responsible to ensure the co-investment interventions are following RLP Donor’s regulations. They will monitor performance and provide timely reports to ensure that financial resources are used effectively and efficiently. The investment Manager will be guided by the principles of transparent and competitive allocation of funds, strict management guidelines, and support for public, private or community actors and organizations of all sizes. S/He will coordinate closely with the Monitoring and Results Measurement Manager, contracts and Compliance Senior Manager, Country program managers, Sr. Women Economic Empowerment Advisors and other RLP team in intervention designing, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our team and partners.
Essential Job Responsibilities
- Take the overall technical lead on management of the co-investment fund and private sector interventions to meet the intended project goal and catalyze investment in target areas.
- Lead the design and development of process and guidelines for successful management of investment funds based on Mercy Corps global best practices and in compliance with RLP donor’s regulations.
- Understand the key elements of a successful investment and develop tactical and strategic plans to enhance the investment in the livestock industries in the program targeted area.
- Ensure 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.
Specific Job Functions
- Work closely with the project team to conduct research and assessment to identify potential private sector, public and community managed entities for partnership.
- Organize and conduct multi-stakeholder platforms to disseminate Regional Livestock Program (RLP) Investment Fund opportunities to potential partners to stimulate changes.
- Develop tracking systems to ensure all documentation is appropriately disseminated and managed.
- Lead the process of the private sector engagement including leading carrying out of due diligence on companies/ business.
- Liaison with the project and finance team to provide support on strengthening partner skills in financial management, program reporting and other administration process.
- Ensure all components of the Investment fund are compliant with RLP donors and MC regulations.
- Responsible for all administrative issues related to the investment fund including monitoring, tracking financial and program reports.
- Propose strategies for building resilience and improving market system performance, including making business strategies more inclusive and beneficial to enterprise productivity through investment fund.
- Support development of learning platform related to innovation and investment to be utilized throughout the life of program.
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.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
Supervisory Responsibility: No direct reports but financially oversee private sector
engagement officers.
Accountability
- Reports Directly To: Deputy Director/technical lead- Regional Livestock Program
- Works Directly With:
- Regional Livestock Program Managers (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia),
- Monitoring & Results Measurement Manager,
- Reginal Livestock Program Contracts & Compliance Senior Manager,
- Regional Livestock Program Women Economic Empowerment Advisor
- Regional Livestock Program Senior Officers/specialists,
- Mercy Corps Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia country offices grant and compliance coordinators/managers.
- Mercy Corps Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia Financial Inclusion team members
Knowledge and Experience
-
- Masters’ degree or equivalent in Finance, Economics, or Business Administration, or Bachelors’ degree with significant additional experience.
- Minimum 7 years of experience in enterprise development; investment management; and working in partnership with private sector actors.
- Good understanding on Markets Systems Development (Making Markets Work for the poor-M4P) approach and facilitation including coaching/mentorship, relationship building, communicating, open and willing to work on new initiatives.
- Good understanding of private sector engagement and investment process is essential.
- Demonstrated experience in the financial sector and in financial inclusion for the private sectors.
- Proven skills in strategic planning, assessment, and business developments
- Demonstrated experience and ability to represent the organization and negotiate with a diverse range of market actors professionally and appropriately.
- Demonstrated understanding of complex developmental and transitional contexts, particularly in a resilience context, preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication.
- Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work both independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Experience of working on different donor funded programs preferred.
- Fluency in spoken and written English required.
Success Factors:
A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem solving. S/he will have a proven ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, take initiative, and be accountable for results, understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, problem solving, work within a complex and sensitive setting and to follow laws and security protocols. The most successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position can be based in Ethiopia, Kenya or Somalia. The position requires up to 40% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited.
Applicants must be a Citizen or Permanent Resident of Kenya, Ethiopia or Somalia. Expatriate benefits are not included in this position.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening, and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
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.
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