RANGELAND MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST -RLP

Position Title:    RANGELAND MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST -RLP

Duty Station: Jijiga

Open Position:  1

About Regional Livestock Program (RLP)

The Regional Livestock Programme (RLP) is a collaborative effort led by implementing partners Helvetas, IGAD, and Mercy Corps. Its aim is to address the challenges that render smallholder and medium-scale market actors uncompetitive and highly susceptible to economic and environmental shocks. The program is designed based on the insights gained from the experience of implementing partners and a year-long analysis of regional livestock trade dynamics and livestock market systems in the pastoralist and agro-pastoralist ASAL regions of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, conducted by Mercy Corps.

Phase I's overall objective is to enable pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in target trade corridors to have more climate-resilient, inclusive, and sustainable livelihoods. The emphasis is on increasing production and productivity of poor agro-pastoralist and pastoralist households, with a particular focus on peri-urban and rural women engaged in the livestock sector and youth. The program also aims to enhance domestic markets and trade while leveraging opportunities for regional integration, competitiveness, and cross-border collaboration along the targeted trade corridors.

Programme / Department

Mercy Corps has a significant depth of experience throughout the Horn of Africa, including an operational presence in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Within the Horn of Africa, Mercy Corps’ strategic focus is on dryland communities and programming in these areas include governance, social cohesion, market systems development, climate change adaptation interventions, among others. Through our work across a diversity of program activities, Mercy Corps supports the establishment and cultivation of resilient livelihoods. Mercy Corps is starting-up the Regional Livestock Programme. Implemented largely in the ASAL areas of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, RLP works to ensure pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in the target trade corridors have more climate resilient, inclusive and sustainable livelihoods.

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 and acts on behalf of people who have become disenfranchised and poor. We stand with Ethiopia to find and access opportunities, and to be part of lasting and meaningful transformation in the country. Mercy Corps seeks to be influential with government and development actors towards a more resilient country where poverty is tackled through the eyes of those who understand it best. This translates into ensuring that the population is financially stable, healthy & nourished, educated & unformed, and that natural resources are accessible, shared and utilized sustainably.

Mercy Corps RLP requires experienced Rangeland Management Specialist. The successful candidate will have a relevant track record and experience in rangeland management approaches and livestock production exposure. The Specialist should have the drive to tackle new and complex challenges in the sector and to learn, adapt and deliver sustainable benefits for the target Corridors.  S/He will oversee the technical approach and implementation quality of participatory rangeland Management approaches within the Togwajale and Galkayo livestock trade Corridors in Ethiopia side.

General Position Summary

The Rangeland Management Specialist, working under the supervision of Ethiopia Livestock Trade Corridor Coordinator and close working relationship with RLP deputy director, RLP Ethiopia Program Manager and in conjunction with other RLP teams in Somalia and Kenya. He/She will work with relevant stakeholders leading activities within the target trade corridors (Togwajale and Galkayo Corridor) namely in Fafan, Jarar and Doolo Zone of Somali region. The Technical specialist will work with program Advisors and Officers to develop and maintain partnerships with government departments, civil society, and private sector to strengthen the PRM and NRM system  S/he will be the primary relationship holder with all rangeland management related activities in the field.. S/He will also coordinate with RLP team to organize training events, identify learnings and successes for documentation and sharing PRM best practices, support development or adaptation of  tools and guidance documents, identify and support rangeland development and research activities, lead stakeholder and technical knowledge sharing events, and liaising with relevant stakeholder networks, and local partners/institutions. 

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND VISION

• Provide guidance and support as necessary to RLP team in implementing the RLP’s PRM activities for leveraging local community and rangeland units.
• Drive the creation of partnerships between sector actors, including attracting and incentivizing the public and private sector to invest in RLP initiatives and interventions in the effective usage of range and natural resources.
• Coordinate with the RLP Livestock trade corridor coordinator, deputy director/Inclusive Markets Technical Lead, RLP Program manager, Women’s Economic Empowerment Advisor to lead access to range resource interventions that reach or benefit target populations.
• Closely coordinate with RLP Somalia team leading other corridors to expand networks and create opportunities for joint learning.
• Facilitate research into relevant sector-facing opportunities and trends to identify opportunities for interventions that grow sustainable livestock production.
• Liaise with the Results Measurement (RM) team on the development of appropriately tailored research tools and methods for the collection and collation of relevant intervention information from the field.

INTERVENTION MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE CORRIDOR

• Formulate strategies to develop rangeland management actors within the Corridor and seek opportunities to work as per the RLP sector strategy.
• Develop intervention activities and implementation procedures in a participatory manner with key stakeholders.
• Support development plans and budgets and ensure sequencing, layering and integration of Participatory rangeland management (PRM) interventions in to other activities and corridors.
• Identify and test public and private investment schemes for good natural resources management in the corridor.
• Stay up to date with current trends and best-practices in relation to climate change adaptation and climate tracking technologies; present and make recommendations on how to incorporate relevant, appropriate methods to inform-decision-making and support adaptation outcomes at different levels.
• Assist in updating and supervising Results Measurement aspects of the intervention activities, including establishing baselines, indicators, and results.
• Assist in collecting baseline, midline and endline data related to interventions targeted for study or implementation by the project.
• Lead rangeland management stakeholder mapping, stakeholder capacity measurement and stakeholder analysis in collaboration with Livestock Trade Corridor
• Develop approaches and strategies to rangeland and natural resource management sector-led investments in the RLP interventions.
• Assess the inclusiveness and effectiveness of management and governance structures of customary institutions and provide capacity building support, including institutional strengthening, gender equity, and skills development.
• Promote joint governance approach for both government and communities that recognizes the strengths and relevance of the roles of the parties.
• Within the sector ensure the appropriate communication of clear intervention guidelines, expected outcomes, timeframe and workplan to all relevant parties.
• Lead the participatory rangeland management (PRM) process to support multi-purpose rangeland management (land use) plans, as well as to strengthen customary institutions such as Rangeland management Councils/sub-councils in the target corridors.
• Identify opportunities for cross-border learning and conduct regular field visits to ensure proper implementation of activities.
• Increase the involvement and engagement of women in the customary institutions.
• Remain up to date of developments in the relevant sectors, tools, approaches and research relevant to participatory rangeland management, natural resource management and range restoration.
• Work with the Results Measurement (RM) to design appropriate tools for monitoring the progress of interventions within the various range actors.
• Lead concepts note development to refine and adapt the intervention strategies in light of community and stakeholder requests and changing needs and opportunities, within the overall program.
• Help identify PRM failures and successes and identify ways to address to successfully strengthen the system.
• Identify priority areas for interventions that will change as opportunities pass or are realized and new ones emerge.

POLICY AND REPRESENTATION WORK

• Coordinate with local partners and stakeholders to develop and implement a range and natural resource management and advocacy agenda, engaging with local and national institutions, as well as private sector actors, to drive rangeland resource systems discussions, development, and implementation.
• Represent the programme in key sector forums within the guidance of Livestock Trade Corridor Coordinator and Deputy Director.
• Manage and update stakeholder management plan.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

SECURITY MANAGEMENT

• Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to develop and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security.

MONITORING & EVALUATION (M&E) AND REPORTING

• Work closely with the programme MEL team members to ensure that RLP teams working within the Corridor feed into M&E systems and processes and that data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform ongoing adaptation of programme strategies and delivery approaches.
• Work with country-level Program managers to assess and analyze impact and adaptively manage the programme to meet results.

INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

• Understand and aware GDI related priorities of the country office and contribute for the realization of priorities (continually work to understand and be aware of the gender diversity and inclusion priorities of the country office and contribute in the execution)
• Promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with a team member, partners and program participants.

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 AND PARTNERS

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and partners 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.
• Team members 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.

Supervisory Responsibility

• TBD

Accountability

Reports Directly To: RLP Ethiopia Program manager

Works Directly with: Ethiopia RLP Livestock Trade Corridor Coordinator,  RLP Deputy Director,  MEL/MRM team members, RLP Compliance & Finance team members, RLP and Regional TSU technical advisors.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, such as Animal Production and Rangeland management, natural resource management, Economics, Entrepreneurship or similar; Master’s degree in Business, Economics or Agri-business or other related field preferred.  
• A minimum of 3 years of experience implementing participatory Rangeland management through system strengthening & engagement, market systems development.
• Demonstrated experience working with and building the capacity of traditional rangeland governance institutions.
• Preference for candidates with field and technical experience working with local communities and designing system strengthening and resource management programs.
• Experience coordinating multiple activities, developing synergies and creating opportunities for collaboration.
• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder relationship cultivation and management, driving partnership agreements, and strengthening effective coordination for achieving program goals.
• Demonstrated commitment to local capacity building and the ability to engage local stakeholders in project design and implementation.
• The position requires a candidate with excellent communication skills, a relationship builder, Innovator, a coach and a political economist.
• Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
• Persuasive written and oral communication in English, including report writing, competency in a relevant local language (Somali) is essential.
• Experience in Somali region in Ethiopia and specifically in the target Corridor with local language is preferred.

Success Factors

The successful Rangeland management Specialist  will have exceptional community engagement and partnership skills, as well as the ability to strengthen the capacity of the community and staff members and sector leaders. In addition to technical Rangeland and natural resource expertise, s/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams, capacity building of partner institutions and of individual staff, with strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.

 S/he will be conversant in a diversity of cross-cutting technical themes and diverse team members including market system development, Livestock production, range restoration and governance, climate change, social cohesion and female empowerment, among others. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written / verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field, such as Animal Production and Rangeland management, natural resource management, Economics, Entrepreneurship or similar; Master’s degree in Business, Economics or Agri-business or other related field preferred.  
• A minimum of 3 years of experience implementing participatory Rangeland management through system strengthening & engagement, market systems development.
• Demonstrated experience working with and building the capacity of traditional rangeland governance institutions.
• Preference for candidates with field and technical experience working with local communities and designing system strengthening and resource management programs.
• Experience coordinating multiple activities, developing synergies and creating opportunities for collaboration.
• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder relationship cultivation and management, driving partnership agreements, and strengthening effective coordination for achieving program goals.
• Demonstrated commitment to local capacity building and the ability to engage local stakeholders in project design and implementation.
• The position requires a candidate with excellent communication skills, a relationship builder, Innovator, a coach and a political economist.
• Demonstrated proficiency with the MS Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
• Persuasive written and oral communication in English, including report writing, competency in a relevant local language (Somali) is essential.
• Experience in Somali region in Ethiopia and specifically in the target Corridor with local language is preferred.

Success Factors

The successful Rangeland management Specialist  will have exceptional community engagement and partnership skills, as well as the ability to strengthen the capacity of the community and staff members and sector leaders. In addition to technical Rangeland and natural resource expertise, s/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams, capacity building of partner institutions and of individual staff, with strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision are essential.

 S/he will be conversant in a diversity of cross-cutting technical themes and diverse team members including market system development, Livestock production, range restoration and governance, climate change, social cohesion and female empowerment, among others. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written / verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Ongoing Learning

This project will be adaptive based on learning and evidence emerging from programme interventions and research. Additionally, in support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, 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 for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, 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 that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in 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 locations where we work.

 Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or 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 to always adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply for the position advertised. All applications must be submitted electronically including a CV, three references, and all relevant official documents.

Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.

“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting gender, equity and    diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower women and youth.”

Link:- https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/MER1024MERCY/JobBoard/7de55979-49d4-4f59-b61b-9c7d0e38d500/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=f41832f7-f652-4fed-9b5c-3f7d1c62591c

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: March 22, 2024, 4:00 PM