Mercy Corps AGRIFIN Accelerate Director, Learning Management

Job Description

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. 

Driven by local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support they need to turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. 

Mercy Corps is looking for committed and dynamic individuals to take up the following position.

AGRIFIN Accelerate Director, Learning Management – Nairobi
 

General Program Summary: The AgriFin Accelerate program will operate in three African countries (Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia) utilizing a market ecosystem approach, working with carefully selected partners to build sustainable models, where farm and crop management tools and financial services are “bundled” in affordable, unified platforms on mobile phone channels to promote mass uptake commercially. 

The program involves three interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products and build ecosystems to drive scale. 

We work with farmers, banks, mobile network operators, MFIs, research institutes and other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing the range of services, access points and value for farmers. 

The program works with partners to identify, prototype, test and scale successful mobile-enabled services for smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design techniques.
 

General Position Summary: The Director, Learning Management is a key position in the AgriFin Accelerate program responsible for cross-cutting programmatic information management, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that information collected is reflected upon, used to improve ongoing program implementation and sectoral learning, and is incorporated into consistently high quality reports and communications products. 

More than just measuring results, the program’s M&E system will be an integral part of project planning and allow strategic and informed management of interventions across Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. 

The Director, Learning Management will provide team leadership related to project development and learning, as well as learning management. 

Based on program deliverables, the Director, Learning Management cohesively represents the multi-country program to relevant stakeholders and other organizations/institutions through a variety of different channels. 

Given the program’s objectives of facilitating sustainable systemic change in the market system, measuring high-level results alone is not sufficient. 

It is also necessary to understand the processes which lead to the end impact. This requires an ongoing monitoring process that can measure indicators along the results chain of the program. 

In addition, the position holder is responsible for ensuring that the reports are timely and of a high quality, as well as overseeing and building the capacity of related staff.

Essential Job Functions:
 

Vision, Leadership and Strategy

Provide direct oversight and management for the technical matrix team, comprised of experts in financial services, technology product development, digital capacity building and agriculture.

Provide leadership to program offices in implementing and conducting Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (RMEL) activities that inform and improve each intervention, as well as feed into the broader program-wide RMEL system.

Lead strategy related to program learning and impact assessment, including selection and management of strategic partners and consultants for MEL.

Maintain a system that improves MC’s ability to analyze and represent impact to donors, government, colleague agencies, and communities themselves.

Serve on the senior management team and work with the Program Director to design and lead management meetings and strategy sessions.

Work closely with the Program Director to link, support and build other AgriFin programming globally.

RMEL System Development

Lead efforts to establish an RMEL system working out of Nairobi that will facilitate RMEL for all three country offices and collaborate closely with program consultants in developing and establishing of the RMEL system, one that serves the needs of the overall AgriFin Accelerate program and it’s field officers.

Support all country programs independent efforts to ensure high quality RMEL at the program level as well as build a program-wide system that captures and presents results.

Design and maintain a system with utility and program quality in mind, providing managers and their teams real time information that can steer program implementation as well as informing donors and strategic program direction and that helps strategize future program interventions.

Learning Agenda

Be the focal point for the learning agenda for AgriFin Accelerate program, ensuring consistent application of the learning agenda through program design, implementation, assessment and communication.

Working with program teams and consultants to ensure learning is distilled and communicated via high impact channels to program partners, stakeholders, and broad industry groups to build ecosystem development and impact, aiming for expanding stakeholder capacity to implement successful models and learn from program failures.

Lead work with program partners to establish responsive joint learning agendas which serve both partner and program needs, with well integrated data collection planning and implementation.

Ensure that learning goals are well established and coordinated for DFCL activities.

Communications

Assist in the coordination, development and implementation of the program communications strategy in close coordination with the AgriFin Senior Leadership Team (director, country managers and finance) and in cooperation with the program donor and assigned consultants.

Play a leadership role in development of grant and management reporting, ensuring that materials are timely, high-quality and responsive to donors and partners.

Monitoring and Evaluation/ Assessments

Lead design and implementation of evaluations and assessments as outlined in the program proposal and workplans, drawing on appropriate research and survey tools and incorporating Mercy Corps’ standards on design, monitoring, and evaluation.

Provide input as to RMEL Agri-Fin Senior Leadership Team and act as a liaison with Mercy Corps HQ MEL technical staff.

Play a central role in all design, monitoring, evaluation, reflection, and learning activities, and developing the capacity of teams to understand and reflect on data as well as share across implementing countries.

Establish all required consulting agreements and relationships for MEL activities based on Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

Oversee and support all MEL consultant work, ensuring high levels of coordination and integration into overall programming, as well as appropriate support for partners.

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 communities they serve – we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
 

Accountability to Beneficiaries: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards 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.

Supervisory Responsibility: Communications Manager, Digital Farmer Capability Lab Manager, Technology Product Manager, Financial Services Manager, Agronomy Manager

Accountability:

Reports Directly To: Agri-Fin Accelerate Program Director

Works Directly With: Country Managers, Finance Director, Partner Organizations, Donor
 

Knowledge and Experience:

At least 10 years’ proven experience in monitoring and evaluation tied to development programming. Strong inclination toward economic development and technology-enabled programming a plus

Strong demonstrable understanding of burgeoning trends and ideas in the M&E field 

MA/S or equivalent in Social Science, Management, International Development preferred

Experience with mobile data systems and platforms

Extensive experience designing, developing and implementing M&E systems, including data management platforms, data collection tools, survey design, evaluations, etc.

Proven experience using monitoring data and feedback loops to regularly reflect, iterate and improve programs

Must have extensive experience working with a variety of donors, preferably in Africa and strong demonstrated writing, presentation and communications ability, with clear experience in use of social networking and other digital channels

History of working effectively and respectfully with host country government, INGO and NGO partners

Demonstrated ability to support complex programming and meet tight deadlines

Experience living and working in East Africa region is preferred

Fluency in written and spoken English essential

Success Factors: The ideal candidate will have a strong curiosity for understanding and working effectively within the three diverse countries which Agrifin Accelerate operates. 

S/he will be an excellent communicator, multitasker, and able to work in ambiguous situations. 

S/he will be a tolerant and flexible individual able to work in difficult and stressful environments and follow procedures. 

S/he will be a team-player with a positive attitude toward problem solving and conflict resolution. 

The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments, make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations, have strong skills in design monitoring and evaluation of development programs and maintain a sense of humor.

How to Apply

Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor) to hr@ke.mercycorps.org on or before Thursday 30th April by 4.00pm. 

The email subject line must clearly show the job title and location they are applying for.

Applications without the right subject heading will be automatically disqualified.

Please do not attach any certificates.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. 

We will only get in touch with shortlisted candidates.

NB: Mercy Corps does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process.