Program Manager - Maize Market System Development

**About Mercy Corps

**Mercy Corps is driven by the belief that a better world is possible. To that end, we know that our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and each team member has a sense of belonging. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to be stronger and make a long-term impact.

**The program / the department / the team

**Mercy Corps is an international humanitarian and development NGO whose mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build safe, productive communities around the world.

Mercy Corps has been operational in Burkina Faso since 2016 and works in the areas of food security, promotion of economic opportunities, including youth employment, livestock research, collaboration and learning for development assistance (CLA), peace and social cohesion. Mercy Corps' operations in Burkina Faso are part of an integrated mission with Niger, where much of the leadership is based. With a staff of approximately 70, Mercy Corps in Burkina Faso has multi-year funding with its country coordination office in Ouagadougou, its two operational bases in Fada and Ouahigouya, and its field sub-offices in Kaya, Gaoua, Po, and soon in Bobo.

**The position

**The DS2M Program Manager is a key position within Mercy Corps in Burkina Faso, responsible for the development of the maize market system. Reporting to the Country Coordinator, the DS2M Program Manager will oversee all aspects of the Market System Development (DS2M) program, including planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and implementing and monitoring program activities. The Program Manager will ensure the accountability of the DS2M program to program participants, our donors, and key stakeholders, including government authorities. The Program Manager is responsible for ensuring that the DS2M program is on time, on scope and on budget. The position will provide technical leadership in strategic development to ensure the quality and impact of the DS2M program. He/she will serve as the point person for market systems development aspects of Mercy Corps Niger and Burkina Faso.

The DS2M program has a 2-year duration and focuses on structuring the maize sector in Burkina Faso, with a sub-office in Bobo Dioulasso to serve the Hauts Bassins and Boucle du Mouhoun regions. The Program Manager will support the expansion of the DS2M program and manage additional DS2M projects in Burkina Faso and eventually in Niger. The DS2M Program Manager is part of the Country Coordination Team.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

• Provide effective leadership in the management of Mercy Corps DS2M programs, including ensuring that the program meets objectives, timelines, quality of implementation, and budget.
• Implementation of management tools such as operational planning and budget monitoring.
• Ensure that the program meets Program Management @ Mercy Corps (PM@MC) standards.
• Ensure regular communication with the donor on the status of program activities.
• Prepare high quality monthly, quarterly, annual and final project reports in collaboration with program teams and the MEL team.
• Provide support to all team members, including directly managing portions of programs as needed, particularly market research, intelligence, evaluations, and feasibility studies; develop private sector partnerships and engagement plans; liaise with labor market actors to find strategic leverage points for co-investment; and design systemic interventions in response to the root causes of market inefficiency and youth exclusion.

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP

• As the DS2M technical lead within the organization, ensure that DS2M market research, program implementation, and evaluation are consistent with the standards of the DSM approach promoted by Mercy Corps.
• Ensure that operational systems enable the multi-skilled program team to implement the DS2M program in accordance with operational procedures for engaging and contracting with the private sector, enabling the design and implementation of relevant interventions with appropriate guidance for adaptive management.
• Produce a regular analysis of the socio-political and economic context of Burkina Faso, while ensuring that this analysis is shared and integrated into current and future programming.
• Contribute to the development of the country's strategy, including components related to market systems development (MSD).

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Create and maintain a work environment based on mutual respect, where team members strive for excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback through regular performance discussions and robust performance management protocols.
• Supervise, hire, and orient new team members as needed.
• Train and mentor staff on DS2M approaches to ensure successful implementation of the program.
• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcome.

BUDGET MANAGEMENT

• Support for the development of financial management tools and budget monitoring.
• Cross-reference detailed transactions and review budget to actual expenditure reports (AERs) to determine the status of program burn rates.
• Work with the Country Finance Director to ensure that expense reduction plans and cash flow projections are developed and followed.
• Leads the program's input into any budget revisions or program input into financial reports.

PROGRAM MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING

• Work with the MEL team to ensure finalization of the program specific MEL plan and any relevant procedures with clear designation of roles and responsibilities between the program and MEL teams.
• Ensure that robust systems for monitoring and evaluation, quality data collection and analysis are in place, adhered to, and used as a decision-making tool, in coordination with the MEL team.
• Ensure appropriate attention to program learning and integration of lessons learned.

Supervisory Responsibility: The DS2M program team, under the supervision of the Program Manager, is composed of a social intermediation specialist, an agricultural economics and rural finance specialist, and a monitoring, evaluation and learning officer.

**Accountability:

**Reports directly to: Country Coordinator
Works directly with: Program Director, other department heads, other program managers, support staff (finance; operations, human resources, and administration); Mercy Corps Europe HQ Regional Program Team; Technical Support Unit (TSU); Resource Development Department.

Accountability to participants and stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts to be accountable, especially to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and the international standards that guide international relief and development work. We are committed to actively involving communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum qualification and transferable skills

• A Master's degree or equivalent in international development, international relations, business management or other relevant field is strongly recommended;
• 5-7 years of field experience in the rural development sector in general with demonstrated experience in market systems development with a focus on agricultural markets in fragile contexts is required; at least 3 years of experience in project management roles.
• Proven experience in developing and directly implementing private sector partnerships.
• Good understanding of agricultural markets, their constraints and opportunities, and the different players in these markets.
• Experience managing teams in post-conflict environments for at least 3 years.
• A good knowledge of agricultural value chains in general and of the maize chain in particular
• Strong strategic thinker with demonstrated ability to anticipate and translate concepts into action, with proven ability to be accountable for all program components.
• Ability to think in a variety of ways, from ensuring that all aspects of a work plan are completed to discussing the strategic vision with a donor partner.
• Additional experience in financial inclusion or gender transformative DS2M programming is an asset.
• Networking skills, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to influence through effective listening, persuasion, negotiation and other techniques.
• Good written and oral communication skills in English and French, including report writing.
• Previous work experience in Burkina Faso or West Africa is a great advantage.

**Success factors

**The successful candidate is expected to be a strategic market development leader with a strong technical understanding of the MSD approach in fragile markets like Burkina.  In addition, he/she must demonstrate performance in fast-paced project cycle management, MEL, quality assurance and team and budget management. The DS2M Program Manager will have excellent writing and analytical skills, as well as the ability to build these skills in country team members. The DS2M Program Manager will have an entrepreneurial attitude that allows him/her to take on challenges as they arise in a way that fully engages the entire team. He/she draws energy from solving program implementation problems. He/she has a strong ethic and commitment to protection. They will be influential and able to connect with a variety of audiences, from a small business start-up to a private sector employer, to a senior government official.

Living conditions / Environmental conditions The DS2M Program Manager is based in Ouagadougou or Bobo Dioulasso with frequent travel to the field. Housing is individual with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the home/office. Staff have good access to services, medical care, electricity, water, etc. This position requires up to 40% travel to field offices in secure environments. This position is not eligible for hardship and/or R&R benefits.

**Ongoing learning

**In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we provide all team members with the opportunity to spend 5% of their time on learning activities that support their personal and/or professional growth and development.

**Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

**Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people from different backgrounds, 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 to build a culture of trust and respect, where everyone brings their own perspective and authenticity, realizes their potential as individuals and as a team, 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 and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skills in order to be collectively stronger and have a lasting global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunity is available to all. We do not discriminate 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 places where we work.

**Safeguarding and Ethics

**Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all persons with whom we come into contact in the course of our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse set forth by the United Nations Secretary General and the IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment by or on behalf 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 adhere to the policies and values of the Mercy Corps Code of Conduct at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory e-learning courses on the Code of Conduct upon hire and on an annual basis.