Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) invites applications for a Market System Development Coordinator to join our dedicated and talented MEDA team in the Philippines in our mission to create business solutions to poverty!

MEDA’s work is built on a foundation of Mennonite business roots and faith-based values, within the global context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We believe business solutions are effective interventions to address poverty. Through a market-systems approach and strategic partnerships, MEDA enables access to finance and provides business and technical expertise to build transformative agri-food market systems that create decent jobs, allowing traditionally excluded groups to become active participants in a sustainable economy. MEDA welcomes all who share our values and want to join us in our mission. To find out more about MEDA, please visit our website at www.meda.org.

Project Summary

MEDA Organization Philippines is implementing a five-year Resilience and Inclusion thru Investment for Sustainable Agrikultura (RIISA) project funded by the Global Affairs Canada (GAC). It aimed for more resilience and inclusive economic growth for women and men cacao smallholder farmers (SHFs) in Mindanao, Philippines, from strengthened cacao market systems supported by investment. With a focus on Davao region and exposure to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), RIISA responds to multiple challenges in the Philippines cacao sector and draws on MEDA’s experience in market systems development, gender lens investing (GLI), gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), and environment and climate change (ECC).

RIISA is addressing cacao SHFs socio-economic challenges while contributing to market systems resilience (MSR) by i) mobilizing Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)-focused investment for cacao sector small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and financial intermediaries (FIs); ii) strengthening the capacity, including GESI, human rights (HR), and ECC, of local FIs and business service providers (BSPs) to deliver better services and products to cacao SMEs and cooperatives; iii) strengthening the capacity of cacao cooperatives and smallholder farmers (SHFs) in environmentally sustainable and inclusive farming and business practices; and iv) improve key enabling environment actors’ awareness of ESG practices in the cacao market system.

Position Summary

The Market Systems Development (MSD) Coordinator is responsible for the facilitation interventions and activities under RIISA and its objectives that pertain to resilience and inclusion through investment for the cacao sector in Davao region and BARMM. She/he will be directly engaged with a wide range of market system actors and stakeholders including government, SMEs, private sector actors, cooperatives, and project clients with a focus on women, men, and youth cacao smallholder farmers.  He/she will be a key member of the Market Systems Development unit.

The MSD Team uses an integrated and inclusive market system development approach to stimulate economic growth to create wealth and decent jobs for the marginalized small-scale producers experiencing poverty in the agrifood system while maximizing investment from the private and public sectors. The MSD Team is comprised of technical expertise in the areas of agricultural production, marketing, environment and climate change, sustainable agriculture, employment, livelihoods, agriculture value chain, and financial services. The main sectors in the cacao market system include Micro, small and medium enterprises development, Market and business development services and improving access to inclusive and environmentally sustainable business practices and financial services, Cacao industry development councils’ program, and Government and private sector program support to cacao industry development. All these sectoral interventions will integrate gendered environmental social and governance considerations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Provided technical facilitation support in Market System Development (MSD) activities to ensure the planned activists are implemented timely and with required deliverable quality.
Manage and provide guidance to the business service providers in carrying out their deliverables for cooperatives and micro, small and medium enterprises based on the approved Contract and Work Plan and Budget in coordination with the Market System Technical Lead.
Facilitate and coordinates markets systems assessment, organizing validation workshops and stakeholder platforms/events in in collaboration with Market System Technical Lead, Investment Specialist, GESI-HR Specialist, SLA Specialist, IKM Manager, and Admin/HR Manager.
Facilitate capacity building efforts for market actors (i.e. private, public, civil) on the MSD approaches, identification of the market system opportunities/constraints through conducting continues system analysis, develop approaches/modalities to support the establishment and/or expansion of the high potential micro, small and medium scale business enterprises in market areas focused on environmentally sustainable and inclusive business practices on cacao, and gendered environmental social and governance considerations in the cacao business operations of cooperatives and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Facilities the development of short-term strategies and its implementation linkages creation between and among market actors (i.e., training providers, technology providers, and other technical service providers; inputs suppliers; producers; traders; processors; MSMEs cooperatives, financial service providers like Banks, MFIs, and Village level Saving and Loan associations; farmers associations, chamber of commerce, academe and research institutions, LGUs, national government agencies, international organizations, individual entrepreneurs, etc.) to achieve the output and outcome level deliverables for the cacao smallholder farmers in the project sites.
Facilitates the implementation of the impactful activities by market actors to create job opportunities for youth and women in the RIISA target areas.
Engage in regular field visits to assess the activities implementation progress, give technical advice/mentor and provide feedback(s) for further improvement.
Closely work with supervisor and IKM team during the development of monitoring tools/measuring indicators, milestones development, and monitoring/ reporting of output and outcome in his/her area assigned.
Ensures the project properly captures, documented, and updated relevant information in coordination with the IKM Unit.
Ensures that terms and provisions in the Contract between MEDA and business service providers, cooperatives and MSMEs are observed, and deliverables achieved on time and meeting MEDA’s standards.
In collaboration with RIISA’s technical specialists, work to build and maintain close relationships with key government partners and business service providers.
Represent MEDA Organization Philippines professionally in meetings, workshops, and other professional gathering related to the implementation of RIISA.
Compile and submit regular updates/reports per RIISA’s reporting guidelines; and
Other duties as maybe assigned related to achieving market system level change that responds to RIISA’s Project Management Framework (PMF).

Strategy & Vision

Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

Program Management

Ensure that project implementation is responsive to cacao smallholder farmers and partners (i.e., cooperatives and MSMEs) and consistent with MEDA’s relevant project guidelines, principles, values, quality standards and strategic plan.
Work with the Finance Unit in finalizing contracts & executing it with the project clients or partners, i.e., business service providers, cooperatives, and MSMEs.
Develop project implementation strategies, including partnership frameworks, and capacity building of business service providers, cooperatives and MSMEs along gendered environmental social, and governance considerations, in collaboration with RIISA’s technical specialists.
Integrate gender equality and social inclusion, environment and climate change, and investment lens into all activities as appropriate.
Ensure project implementation is on time, target, and within budget, using MEDA’s organizational systems to achieve the desired outcomes for the smallholder farmers.
Adhere to GAC and MEDA’s policies and procedures to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting.
Work with the Market System Technical Lead in fulfilling RIISA Smart Incentives Guide with the selected cooperatives and MSMEs in collaboration with the Technical Specialists.
Ensure all interventions adhere to MEDA’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Framework and Policy, Environment and Climate Change Framework and Policy Statement, and MEDA’s accountability mechanisms and standards.

Partners Management

Ensure compliance of matching award recipients with donor and MEDA guidelines on Smart Incentives.
Responsible for following up and providing technical guidance on the implementation of the matching award with winning cooperatives and SMEs, per the approved contract, in collaboration with the Market System Technical Lead and RIISA’s Technical Specialists.
Coordinate activities related to donor’s field visits and meetings with cooperatives and MSMEs.
Showcase the project’s results and success stories with external stakeholders in coordination with the SLA Coordinator/Specialist and IKM Manager.
Responsible for securing all necessary technical information for the elaboration of contracts for the winning cooperatives and MSMEs.
Responsible for following up with BSPs on the needed technical assistance to the cooperatives and MSMEs.
Coordinate with the Finance and Grants Officer, IKM unit, and Technical Specialist for the monitoring of cooperatives, MSMEs, and BSPs to ensure Contract and deliverables are adhered to.
Reconcile with the administrative team the budget execution data of the matching award mechanism.
Draft and/or review scope of work to hire and manage any technical consultants, including review for technical efficacy and contract budget. Work with the Market System Technical Lead and the Admin/HR Manager for the hiring of any technical consultants or Business Service Providers.

Influence, Linkages, Representation

Identify, profile, build and manage collaborative partnerships with BSPs, cooperatives, MSMEs, NGOs, local governments units, research and academic institutions and other market system actors and stakeholders.
Work with the Market System Technical Lead in facilitating the market system linkages between and among cooperatives, SHFs, MSMEs, and other cacao market system actors who have commercial interest to work and benefit the SHFs.
Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

GESI (GENDER EQUALITY, AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

Understand and be aware of GESI related priorities and strategies of MEDA-RIISA and contribute for the realization of priorities (continually work to understand and be aware of the gender equality and inclusion priorities of RIISA and contribute in the execution with the selected cooperatives in their action plan)
Promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with team members, partners and project participants.

Security

Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by Country leadership and Security and Safety Focal Person.
Proactively ensure to operate in a secure environment within the office and during official travel.

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 clients they serve, we expect all team members to commit some time to learning activities that benefit MEDA Organization Philippines as well as themselves.
Participate and support the project team in the planning, preparation of reports, and documenting lessons learned.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

MEDA Organization Philippines team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our clients and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging clients as equal BSPs, cooperatives, and MSMEs 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 MEDA’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Safeguarding & Ethics

MEDA Organization Philippines is committed to ensuring that all individuals we meet through our work, whether team members, community members, project participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in compliance with MEDA’s policy and to always adhere to MEDA Organization Philippines Code of Conduct and values. Team members are required to learn and sign the Code of Conduct upon hire.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum of bachelor’s degree in the areas (master’s degree preferred): Economics, Agricultural Economics, Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, Sustainable Agriculture, Marketing, Agrifood system, and other related subjects.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in private sector and NGOs focusing on Market System Development (program coordination, facilitation, providing technical supports, partner management), agribusiness, entrepreneurship, business management, and financial services.
Good understanding on the Markets4Poor approach and Market system development facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, entrepreneurship, business management and innovation.
Experience in supporting women and youth owned enterprises, providing business development services and financial services, and working with industries (public and private), institutions and stakeholders.
Excellent oral and written communication in English
Knowledge of cacao value chain and market system actors and stakeholders.
Working experience in Davao region and BARMM is an advantage.
Experience working with IPs, cooperatives and MSMEs is a plus.
Team collaborator, and values aligned with MEDA.

Additional Qualifications:

Appreciation and support of MEDA’s mission, vision and values
Understanding and appreciation of business principles, international development and MEDA’s approach of creating business solutions to poverty

APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 26, 2023 @ 4:00 pm PHT.

_MEDA is an equal opportunity employer and accommodations are available during all phases of the recruitment process. We ask that any applicants requiring accommodation make their needs known in advance.
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