Innovations and Investments Fund Manager

Innovations and Investments Fund Manager

Job Category: Programming

Requisition Number: INNOV004926

Posted: May 22, 2024

Position Status: Full-Time

Locations

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
House #377 Yeka sub city, 22 Mazoria (in front of Gollagul tower / next to Addis Ababa traffic police HQ)
Addis Ababa, Region 14, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, ET-AA 14319, ETH

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises.

General Position Summary

The Innovations and Investment Manager is a key member of the HRA Technical Leadership team with a focus on designing and facilitating key partnerships with critical actors that will create access to essential and affordable services and products for PSNP households. Specifically, the role requires the Innovations and Investment Manager to oversee a USD 9 million fund to ensure it is catalytic to meet the objectives of the Activity while attracting critical investments from the private and public sectors that benefit PSNP households in the activity areas.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Take the overall technical lead and direction on the management of the Innovations and investment fund to meet the intended project goal and catalyze private and public investment in target areas.
• Lead the design and development of processes, guidelines, and manuals for successful management of investment funds based on Mercy Corp's global best practices and in compliance with USAID rules and regulations.
• Understand the key elements of a successful investment and develop tactical and strategic plans for the fund to leverage co-investments.
• Ensure that the Innovations and Investment fund supports activities across the key result areas that the project is targeting and does not create unfair competition among the market actors.
• Participate in the development of the overall project implementation plans.
• Design and support the development of processes leading to innovations in close coordination with program technical leads.
• With HRA Technical Leads, participate and lead in the design of NOFOs, Annual program statements, EOI's, and NOFOs. Shall manage all processes leading to awards.
• Responsible for the review of fund applicants' budgets and budget narratives for completeness, cost realism, and compliance with budget requirements.
• Responsible for pre-award financial review and other due diligence of apparently successful applicants in coordination with the finance and compliance teams.
• Coordinate selection of sub-award agreement type, draft sub-award, and negotiate sub-award agreements with selected sub-recipients.
• Draft modifications to sub-awards, as needed to work closely with the project team to conduct research and assessment to identify potential private sector, public, and community-managed entities for partnership.
• Organize and conduct multi-stakeholder platforms to disseminate Highland Resilience Activity's Innovations and Investment Fund opportunities to potential partners.
• Develop tracking systems to ensure all documentation is appropriately disseminated and managed.
• Liaison with the project and finance team to provide support on strengthening partner skills in financial management, program reporting, and other administration process.
• Responsible for all administrative issues related to the Innovation and investment fund including monitoring and tracking financial and program reports.
• Propose strategies for building resilience and improving market system performance, including, making business strategies more inclusive and beneficial to enterprise productivity, and specifically reaching PNSP households through the Innovations and Investment fund Support the development of a learning platform related to innovation and investment to be utilized throughout the life of the program.

Job Requirement

• Masters' degree or equivalent in Finance, Economics, or Business Administration, or Bachelors' degree with significant additional experience.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in enterprise development; investment management; and working in partnership with private sector actors in on-farm, off-farm, wage and employment, nutrition, governance, and increasing commercialization and ensuring greater sustainability of partnerships.
• Good understanding of market systems Development approach and facilitation including coaching, relationship building, communicating, open and willing to work on new initiatives.
• Good understanding of the innovations and investment process is essential.
• Proven skills in strategic planning, assessment, and business development, as well as a proven practical and theoretical understanding of the project cycle related to private sector investments.
• Excellent communicator and able to engage private sector actors by socializing key interests and objectives of the program and be able to attract private sector investments.
• Demonstrated ability to develop proposals for new projects and programs from conception to submission.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to professionally and appropriately represent the organization and negotiate and defend Mercy Corps' interests with a diverse range of international and local organizations, private sectors, and other groups.
• Demonstrated understanding of complex developmental and transitional contexts, particularly in a resilience context, preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational and prioritization skills and the ability to multi-task and support and/or fill multiple positions at one time.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines, and work both independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Experience of working on USAID programs preferred.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is required and knowledge of the local languages in Ethiopia.

Success Factors

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to lead and communicate effectively with team members and other stakeholders of varied work styles and cultures, follow procedures, and meet deadlines with flexibility and creativity in planning and problem-solving.

Application Instructions

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically. Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 31 May 2024 / 4:00 PM
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