Mercy Corps announces vacancy for Senior Technical Officer. Interested candidates can apply for the job. Read the full article below for the job details.

Knowledge and Experience

  • At least Bachelor degree in Agriculture with 3-5 years experience in vegetable, fruits, commonly grown cereal production, marketing and supply chains. Master degree in agriculture is preferable.
  • Understanding of governance and financial services and experience in integrating agriculture, governance and financial service will be additional benefits,
  • Experience of working with cooperative, and/or private sector organizations focused on agriculture, agriculture market, supply chains, and livelihood development.
  • Experience with USAID/USDA Agriculture and Governance in project districts would be an advantage. 
  • Experience of working with local implementing partner and community based approach
  • Strong community capacity building, development and facilitation skills. 
  • Experience of working in partnerships, coordination among different stakeholders and organizations at district/province/national level is required. 
  • Demonstrated ability to work in tough geographies with limited facilities, complex environments and under tight deadlines. 
  • Good writing and computer skills, including preliminary research and information gathering from the internet, MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint preparation are required. 
  • Fluency in written and spoken English and Nepali required. 
  • Effective writing skills to prepare reports, complete analyses and make presentations. 
  • Negotiation, networking, advocacy, coordination and representation skills with key local actors is preferred 
  • Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment. 
  • Proven ability to learn quickly, facilitate program implementation to achieve stated results and objectives.

Essential Job Responsibilities

The specific duties and responsibilities of the Senior Technical Officer, but are not limited to, the following:

Strategy & Vision

  • Together with Field Manager/Agriculture Specialist, develop agriculture technical strategy paper for the Project, elaborating the vision initially laid out in the proposal. 
  • Set a clear vision for the response, working closely with field leadership
  • Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.  
  • Actively participate in meeting and strategy sessions for the program.

Technical Leadership

  • Support Field Manager/Agriculture Specialist to develop detailed program work plans, approaches and relevant tools based on project overall strategy.
  • Support the assessment, design, authorization of all project interventions for project, that includes oversee farmers group mobilization and strengthening; linking to climate information system, strengthening of capacity of local government, cooperatives and school management committees on school meal and sustainable and locally managed food system for schools and mainstreaming of community action plans into the development planning process of the local governments. 
  • Oversee and lead all market studies/assessments, workshops, training and orientation programs and formal/informal interactions with program participants, partners and stakeholders. 
  • Together with Field Manager/Agriculture Specialist, develop standard operating guidelines (SOG) for use of field staff and partners for each of the major interventions of the project.
  • Ensure agriculture activities, approaches and tools fit within country and regional strategies, as well as USDA and WFP goals and national government agriculture development policies and frameworks. 
  • Ensure governance activities, approaches and tools fit within country and regional strategies, as well as USDA and WFP goals and national government agriculture development policies and frameworks. 
  • Support to design, recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed. 
  • Ensure that program implementation is responsive to communities and partners, and consistent with Mercy Corps’ relevant program guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan. 

Program Implementation 

  • Oversee work planning and implementation of project activities, design risk informed work plans, standard operating procedures. 
  • Ensures the district implementing partner fully understands the program areas of implementation.
  • Facilitate and support the district implementing partners to fully implement the program activities on the ground. 
  • Work with the district implementing partners to ensure they fully take ownership for the program and support them to build relationships with both local and government sector collaborating agencies and departments. 
  • Support teams to conduct market assessments, analyze data and utilize findings on an on-going basis to inform and adapt program design/approaches. 
  • Ensure that program participants are effectively targeted according to proposed criteria, and that feedback mechanisms are in place. 
  • Ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget, using effective M&E systems to reach desired impacts. 
  • Ensure CARM, GESI and humanitarian principles are owned by the implementing partner and implemented accordingly.
  • Monitor program activities on a regular basis to ensure timely and effective program implementation. 
  • Ensure monitoring of field activities to be on time, target and budget, and propose recommendations for improvements. 
  • Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Code of Conduct, Gender, Diversity and Inclusion guiding documents; Core Humanitarian Principles and Do No Harm 
  • Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards

Monitoring, Evaluations, and Learning (MEL) and Reporting

  • Together with Program Manager, Field Manager/Agriculture Specialist and MEL Specialist, design the measurement and analysis key performance indicators to inform strategic decision making.
  • Coordinate closely with the MEL Specialist to generate and collect required information and data for measuring program intervention results.
  • Support team to establish functional CARM systems, and engage closely with the program’s collaboration, 
  • Actively engage in learning and adapting (CLA) processes to practice quality adaptive management.
  • Support implementing partners to generate weekly updates, quality progress reports and documents that capture program learning, good practices and success stories. 
  • Ensure that innovative approaches, good practices, challenges, and positive results are documented to support agency learning. 

Influence & Representation

  • Build partnerships and good working relationship with district partners, sub-grantees, local governments, other USDA/WFP implementing partners and other stakeholders to leverage technical and financial resources to scale-up or replicate good practices promoted by the program. 
  • As required by the program management, represent agency at the district levels in each project district 
  • Ensure close coordination and information sharing with local implementing partners, local government and other implementers, as well as with other Mercy Corps programs. 
  • Establish and maintain professional and productive relationships with communities, private sector actors, and local government.

Security

  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership. 
  • Proactively ensure that team members and community operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.
  • 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.

Finance & Compliance Management

  • Ensure adherence to program management minimum standards in carrying out their duties, advising and supporting other staff in the same as required 
  • Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to programming.

Others

  • Mercy Corps as a humanitarian agency is expected to respond as and when crisis and humanitarian situation engulfs. As an MC employee, all staff are expected to be part of humanitarian and emergency response in addition to their regular roles and responsibilities.
  • Ensure proper integration of safeguarding and GESI aspects into sector specific program planning and implementation.  
  • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
  • Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not to jeopardize its mission
  • Other duties as assigned by his/her supervisor and/or Director of Programs or Country Director.

Supervisory Responsibility: N/A

Reports Directly to: Field Manager/Senior Agriculture Specialist.

Works Directly with: Finance and Operations departments, District Implementing Partners and Program Manager as required.

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 has been operating in Nepal since 2005, implementing programs in food security, agriculture, market development, financial services, youth engagement, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. We take a systems-based approach in our programming, with the aim of improving the lives and potential of vulnerable individuals and communities across Nepal.

Click here to apply

Application Deadline: 10th Apr, 2022

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