7:29 AM
maboko
Financial Services Advisor
Mercy Corps is implementing a 3-year USAID funded Youth empowerment program (Yes Youth Can initiative), covering six regions in Kenya; Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Central, Nairobi and Coast.
Mercy Corps is implementing a 3-year USAID funded Youth empowerment program (Yes Youth Can initiative), covering six regions in Kenya; Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Central, Nairobi and Coast.
This
program aims to appropriately empower Kenyan youth (18-35yrs) to strengthen
their socio-economic and political stakes through youth-led and managed
initiatives and institutions.
The
program will in the first three years provide sustainable financial and skills
development assistance to approximately 200,000 youth through a variety of
youth-identified social and economic community development projects.
General Position Summary:
General Position Summary:
The Financial services advisor for YYCN will work under the direction of the Chief of Party (CoP) and provide oversight to all activities concerning the provision of financial services.
The
Financial services advisor will directly support the development and
capacity-building of county-level youth SACCOs and the provision of funding to
those SACCOs deemed eligible to receive funds for on-lending to youth
enterprises.
The
Financial services advisor of YYCN will directly manage project staff and will
work closely with them to ensure high quality and the timely implementation of
activities.
The
level of oversight will require traveling to field sites, representation, and
coordination with project stakeholders, including institutions such as the
National Youth Bunge Association (NYBA) and the youth-led County Boards and
Committees, as well as YYCR partners, the Ministry of Cooperatives, audit
firms, and business groups, financial intermediaries and other local and
central government authorities as appropriate and necessary.
Essential Job Functions:
Essential Job Functions:
Advise on all Fund activities including:
- Working
closely with county-level youth SACCOs to identify/provide needed
capacity-building support to ensure that each SACCO operates in accordance
with Ministry of Cooperatives rules and regulations and project
objectives
- Providing
very clear guidelines concerning terms and conditions associated with any
financial support to SACCOs, whether in the form of grants or loans, and
ensuring that such terms and conditions are consistently followed
- Leading
the development of the fund operations manual
- Managing
and maintaining detailed records pertaining to disbursements from the Fund
- Undertaking
regular monitoring visits to SACCOs to ensure that YYCN funds are being
used in accordance with agreed-upon terms and conditions
- Working
with audit firms engaged to conduct audits of SACCOs
- Work
with the Chief of Party and Program Managers to develop future strategy
for the program and ensure that it continues to meet USAID requirements
and standards
- Ensure
that project performance is evaluated effectively, including coordinating
internal and external performance review
- Management
and mentorship of program staff and partners, gradually transferring
skills and capacities
- Representation,
coordination and relationship management with the National Youth Bunge
Association (NYBA) and the youth-led County Boards and Committees, as well
as YYCR partners, the Ministry of Cooperatives, audit firms, and business
groups, financial intermediaries and other local and central government
authorities as appropriate and necessary
- Regular
reporting to the Chief of Party on program progress, ensuring that
required deliverables are met in a timely fashion
- Engage
and develop joint initiatives with relevant stakeholders to highlight the
impact and achievements of the project
- Work
with project staff on an ongoing basis to ensure smooth planning,
preparation, implementation and joint monitoring and evaluation of program
activities and achievements towards project goals
Organizational
Learning
As part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative, all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
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: None
Accountability:
Reports Directly To: Chief of Party
Works Directly With : Grant Manager, Regional Managers, Business Officers, Deputy Chief of Party, Think Tank Manager, M&E Manager, Communications Manager, Operations Manager, Finance Manager, Country Director, and most importantly, Youth Leaders
Knowledge and Experience:
- BA/S
or equivalent in finance, business, or related field;
- High-level
management experience in finance, particularly with savings and credit
cooperatives
- “Hands-on”
and proven experience with financial institutional and staff
capacity-building
- Successful
record of accomplishments in working with key representatives from the
financial sector in fund management processes, dialogue mechanisms and
leading due diligence processes; preferably in relation to youth access to
financial services such as youth enterprises seeking finance, and
financial institutions interested in improving their outreach to youth;
- Experience
with managing/advising an investment fund that provides loans through
financial intermediaries such as savings and credit cooperatives,
preferably to youth groups and youth organizations;
- Ability
to work independently with an affinity for decentralized administration
and planning processes;
- Strong
written and oral communication skills in English and Kiswahili;
- Proven
project leadership, management, project planning, organizational,
interpersonal, and communication skills;
- History
of working effectively and respectfully with a wide range of project
stakeholders including youth groups and government.
- Ability
to effectively convey project goals, enlist partnerships, and work
with a range of project and external stakeholders;
- Proven
experience producing high-quality, timely and professional documents,
presentations and spreadsheets
Success
Factors:
The successful financial services advisor will have strong interpersonal skills and demonstrate an ability to create and maintain effective working relationships with program partners.
S/he
is ready to make a commitment to Mercy Corps for the duration of the
project.
S/he
will work productively as a member of the overall project and country team
while also being able to work independently.
S/he
will have an inclusive leadership style with a demonstrated commitment to
staff, youth development and organizational learning with the skills to engage,
motivate, and encourage creative solutions to development issues and identify
opportunities for increased impact.
The
Financial services advisor will be innovative and decisive in day-to-day
operations and long-term strategy.
S/he
will have a hands-on approach, spending significant time (30-40%) traveling to
areas outside of Nairobi, including remote locations, to interface directly
with youth leaders, partners and project stakeholders.
The
successful financial services advisor will prioritize and multi-task for the
timely completion of tasks.
S/he
will have the ability to comfortably adapt to a quickly changing environment
with a sense of urgency, humor, and curiosity.
Living /Environmental Conditions:
The position is based in Nairobi with 30-40% travel to project sites throughout the country.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting.
Living /Environmental Conditions:
The position is based in Nairobi with 30-40% travel to project sites throughout the country.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit to a field posting.
Staff
are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local
laws, customs and Mercy Corps' policies, procedures, and values at all times
and in all in-country venues.
M & E Manager
M & E Manager
General Position Summary
Working under the direction of the Deputy Chief of Party, the M&E Manager ensures high quality program information is available and used to promote program accountability, learning, and improvement of Yes Youth Can National.
This
person will perform quality control and regular audit of the program progress
and results.
The
M&E Manager provides informed and independent professional advice to the
program with a view to improving the delivery process and achieving high impact
outcomes.
For
this position, Mercy Corps requires good enterprise acumen, statistical,
investigative skills and writing skills.
The
M&E Manager must maintain sober and professional communication with Mercy
Corps partners and field staff in the program during execution of his/her
functions.
The
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager will be based in Nairobi with frequent travel
to implementing sites in six regions in Kenya; Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley,
Central Province, Nairobi and Coast as required.
Essential Job Functions
Essential Job Functions
- M&E
systems’ development
- Design
and maintain a monitoring and evaluation system for the program that
produces timely and trustworthy data results
- Lead
in revision of the program indicators and results matrix whenever
appropriate and based on program experience
- Works
closely with the ICT specialist in using SMS and other technological
innovations for collecting data
Evaluation
and impact assessment
- Develop,
standardize and deploy survey tools, and other data collection forms to
realize the effective use of monitoring plans.
- With
stakeholders, set out the framework and procedures for evaluating program
activities and outcomes
- Review
existing social and economic data, including methods employed in data
collection to ensure they are fit for use as baseline statistics for
impact evaluation
- Based
on the review of existing data on the area, draw up the TOR for, design
and cost out a baseline survey, needs assessments, and impact evaluations
- Design,
together with field officers (of Mercy Corps and partner agencies),
on appropriate tools for conducting participatory discussions with groups
of clients
- Implement
and improve existing monitoring tools for the youth & staff to ensure
the appropriateness of the program and to gauge its impact, including a
system of recording and presenting relevant data.
- Design
and oversee rigorous evaluations of the impact and scalability of programs.
Information
/ knowledge management
- Prepare
consolidated program progress reports for management submission to
relevant bodies. Also guide partner agencies in preparing their progress
reports.
- Mentor
staff on quality report writing keeping in mind the donor (USAID) and all
other stakeholders.
- If
possible, create discussion forums for cross-sharing and debating on
monitoring findings and data
- Document
and disseminate key findings from program studies and evaluations in
accessible forms that can influence program design and donor policies
M&E
capacity building
- Develop
a plan for project-related capacity-building on M&E and for any
computer-based support that may be required
- Train
field officers and investment officers on user-friendly data collection,
ensuring they all understand the importance of M&E for the program
- Train
program staff and local partners on the logical framework, data
management, data analysis and results-oriented programming, basic
surveying and sampling techniques, monitoring and evaluation methods and
principles and report writing techniques and requirements for Mercy Corps
and USAID.
- Supervise
training of youth joint monitoring teams and reporting teams and engage
them in monitoring their own projects and implementing youth mentorship
programs.
Quality
assurance
- Conduct
periodic client audits/visits also with a view of identifying success
stories
- Ensure
all trainings delivered to staff and beneficiaries under the program are
properly and timely documented and filed.
- Work
with partner agency M&E team to agree and execute periodic progress
monitoring and reporting, in line with the overall reporting timelines
under the program
- Identify
the need and draw up ToRs for specific project studies
- Travel
to the field to monitor and evaluate project sites, work with beneficiary
groups, and organize and conduct assessments as necessary.
Supervisory
Responsibility:
N/A
Accountability Reports Directly To: Deputy Chief of Party
Works Directly With: Chief of Party, Country Director, Fund Manager, Field Project Officers, Grants Manager, Investment Officers
Knowledge and Experience:
Accountability Reports Directly To: Deputy Chief of Party
Works Directly With: Chief of Party, Country Director, Fund Manager, Field Project Officers, Grants Manager, Investment Officers
Knowledge and Experience:
- Previous
experience with USAID programs in a similar position is desirable.
Familiarity with the Results Framework approach is required.
- Experience
in M&E methods and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative and
participatory)
- Experience
delivering capacity building programs in the economic development sector
for multiple stakeholders such as women’s groups, youth groups and CSOs.
- Bachelor's
or Advanced degree from a recognized college or university in statistics,
project management or equivalent. Each additional year of approved formal
education may be substituted for one year of required work experience.
- An
understanding of USAID regulations.
- Demonstrated
experience and skill in information analysis and writing comprehensive and
high quality reports
- Familiarity
with and a supportive attitude towards processes of strengthening local
organizations and building local capacities for self-management
- Advanced
computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel
- Prior
management experience and strong organizational skills
- Excellent
oral and written English skills
Success
Factors
Excellent writing skills
Excellent writing skills
- Demonstrated
ability to provide leadership and communicate effectively with team
members.
- Demonstrated
ability to train, coach and build capacity of staff of competencies
- Demonstrated
flexibility and creativity in planning
- Proven
ability to learn quickly, take initiative, and be accountable for results.
- Ability
to understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details.
- Awareness
of and sensitivity to multi-cultural international development work.
- Good
sense of humor a plus
- Experience
working with a youth or women program
- Ability
to coordinate and communicate across departments (Operations, Finance,
Program).
- Any
other duties as assigned by supervisor and characteristic to the position
Living
/Environmental Conditions:
The position will be based in Nairobi, with 60% field travel.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting.
The position will be based in Nairobi, with 60% field travel.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting.
Staff
are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local
laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all
in-country venues.
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before November 11th 2012 at 4.00 p.m. a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor and your current and expected salary in the CV) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org
Applicants must clearly indicate on the email subject “Application for the position of Financial Services Advisor or M& E Manager.
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before November 11th 2012 at 4.00 p.m. a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent supervisor and your current and expected salary in the CV) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org
Applicants must clearly indicate on the email subject “Application for the position of Financial Services Advisor or M& E Manager.
Applications
without this subject heading will be disqualified. Please do not attach any
certificates.
(Only Qualified and short-listed candidates will be contacted)
