Regional Economic Opportunities Technical Advisor, Latin America and the Caribbean At Mercy Corps

The Position

The Regional Technical Advisor for Economic Opportunities will support and grow Mercy Corps LAC’s regional capacity to design, deliver and learn from a portfolio of high quality and impactful economic recovery and market systems development (MSD) programs. Their support includes program design and development, network and partnership development, representation at key sector fora and events, helping to monitor and improve program quality and relevance, staying current on industry innovation and best practices, writing competitive proposals for submission to donors, delivering training, and disseminating information to internal and external partners. The advisor will also participate in matrixed teams, share and build the capacity of others, and help integrate their technical areas with others. They will bring expertise in economic programming to the role, but also be a skilled connector, leveraging technical knowledge in specific sectors/themes from across the regional and the global TRaQ team.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAM AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Write/review proposals and concept notes for funding from donors including foundations, corporations, and US, European, and UN agencies.
In partnership with country program teams, gather/analyze data and complete and/or manage market assessments to determine program needs and priorities and Mercy Corps’ competitive advantage for funding, including potential to evolve and scale existing programs focused on economic recovery and development using market systems approaches.
Work with country/regional teams, global TRAQ, and regional Senior Business Development Advisor on prepositioning for strategic funding opportunities that advance country strategies
Mobilize resources from other TRAQ teams to effectively design multi-sectoral, integrated programs that encompass elements of broader agency goals such as food security, and focus on Mercy Corps distinctives, such as resilience, MSD for Employment (MSD4E), financial inclusion, particularly for youth.
Work with regional leadership to identify and pursue multi-country and regional programs that advance the Economic Opportunities outcomes envisioned in the regional strategy.
Keep up to date on relevant strategies being developed or applied by significant governmental, academic, and non-profit groups. Work with Mercy Corps to determine how the agency can best work with and/or influence such materials.

PROGRAM QUALITY

Participate as an active, integrated member of the regional team providing technical support to a portfolio of programs across development, humanitarian, and triple nexus contexts.
Support effective interventions in the areas of economic recovery, financial inclusion, and youth employment, applying integrated principles where relevant and using integrated approaches.
Help maintain standards of program delivery that apply agency priorities and comply with relevant regulations and requirements.
Harness agency-wide learning and structures to help country and regional teams gather, refine, and disseminate tools such as training presentations and manuals, teaching notes, best practices and lessons learned, program examples, and monitoring and evaluation tools.
Build program staff capacity to better design and implement programs that advance economic opportunity outcomes, through mentorship and training in collaboration with various TRaQ and program team members. Core topics include MSD and quality approaches for youth employment, financial Inclusion, and economic recovery.

LEARNING AND IMPACT

Work with the regional Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Advisor and country MEL staff to ensure that monitoring and evaluation of programs with economic opportunity-driven activities is practical and reflects best practices. This may include identifying MEL priorities for building economic recovery into humanitarian portfolios as well as identifying key changes for MEL systems to monitor through private sector partners and measure change in MSD interventions.
Contribute to the development and execution of the LAC region’s Evidence and Learning Agenda as it pertains to research and learning around economic opportunity sub-sectors, as well as to agency-wide opportunities to advance thought leadership.
Provide in-country and remote training and support for Mercy Corps staff, partners, and others.
Support new and ongoing programs with best practice advice and assistance on assessment, implementation, research, and evaluation needs.
Conduct assessments; write and review case studies, learning documents, short articles, and blogs; and develop internal and external dissemination plans for all products.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

Represent Mercy Corps at academic events, conferences, media forums, and other events; contribute to thought leadership in area of expertise.
Identify and nurture strategic partnerships with other organizations and institutions, with a focus on local organizations advancing economic recovery and develop outcomes in the places Mercy Corps works.
Contribute to a strong and regularly updated network of technical experts and consultants that can serve as an additional resource to be deployed for program support.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options

Supervisory Responsibility

None.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: LACTechnical Resources and Quality Director

Works Directly With: Global Economic Opportunities and other TRAQ teams (Financial Inclusion, Market Systems, Youth Employment, Cash,), Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director for Programs, Country Directors, Directors of Programs, Program Directors/Managers implementing related programs, global Evidence and Learning team members

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.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field preferred.
4+ years of experience in international development work and or relevant private sector experience, with a minimum of three years in a program management or technical advisor role, including proposal design.
Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in technical work related to technical focus areas within Economic Opportunities (Financial Inclusion, Youth Employment) – including experience with program design, private sector partnership building, business modeling, technical advising, and/or learning and research.
Experience working in Latin America and the Caribbean required. Experience working in fragile contexts and humanitarian settings preferred.
Strong writing skills required.
Strong presentation and representation skills required.
Fluency in oral and written Spanish and English required; French skills preferred

Success Factors

The Advisor will demonstrate a winning track record in program management and bring flexibility, creativity, and enthusiasm to every project they undertake. The individual must have change management skills and the ability to multitask, set priorities, pay attention to detail, and work under deadlines within complex team environments. They will contribute towards and establish the foundational systems and practices promoting learning within Mercy Corps. They will also be a skilled communicator, able to develop and utilize strong relationships with team members and departments internally, as well as with external bodies, and to facilitate process mapping and champion opportunities for improvement in existing approaches. They will have a positive and dynamic working style that enables them to adapt to contextual and other challenges as they arise. They will harness the expertise, experience and ideas of diverse Mercy Corps team members and external partners to strengthen accountability and program management systems and processes within Mercy Corps. Being aware and sensitive to international development issues and diverse cultures is critical.