Старший спеціаліст/ка по сільському господарству / Senior Agriculture Officer

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program Summary

Mercy Corps’ Ukraine response seeks to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Ukrainians and other conflict-affected people where they are: displaced inside Ukraine, refugees in Poland, Romania, and Moldova, or trapped behind frontlines. We aim to reach 500,000 vulnerable people with multi-purpose cash assistance, in-kind humanitarian support, and protection services across four countries. Almost all our impact will be delivered in partnership: with Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian and Moldovan civil society organizations through a granting program that matches humanitarian action with capacity strengthening, and with peer international NGOs through a consortium in Ukraine. 

In the initial response to the war in Ukraine, Mercy Corps is focused on the emergency delivery of aid to the affected populations, primarily through Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) and in-kind food and non-food assistance. Mercy Corps will continue this life saving assistance for as long as it is needed but acknowledges that recovery and resilience requires access to steady income alongside functioning markets. Therefore, alongside ongoing emergency activities, Mercy Corps will launch early recovery activities, that will contribute to stabilization of livelihoods and improved resilience for IDPs and conflict-affected individuals. In line with direct investments to support self-employment opportunities, SME and agriculture sectors, this pilot will work as an adaptive response mechanism and will adapt programming according to ongoing analysis of the context and potentially changing needs.

General Position Summary

Senior Agriculture Officer is responsible for supporting implementation of agriculture support component of the project in Poltava, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts of Ukraine. He/She will work with subsistence, small and medium farmers in above-mentioned areas, with the purpose to restore/expand agriculture activities, thus increasing incomes, improving productivity and competitiveness. Senior Agriculture Officer will participate in selection of the programme participants for agriculture support, disbursement, monitoring and follow-up of agriculture grants, feasibility assessments of the agro-business plans and evaluation of the economic impact of the funded initiatives. He/She at the same time should promote Mercy Corps values through various entry points in the project and preserve staff moral and enthusiasm for the project work.

Essential Responsibilities

• Support smooth implementation of the Agriculture support component of the project;
• Support information dissemination and outreach activities to ensure active participation of the beneficiaries in the programme;
• Participate in the selection process of the agriculture support grants and provide feasibility assessments as required;
• Identify the most appropriate projects by small and medium farmers, that will engage vulnerable households and subsistence farmers in their income generation schemes;
• Identify the training needs of the project participants and engage in needs-based capacity building interventions;
• Support preparation of the grant agreements with the programme participants and partner agro-businesses; Ensure proper monitoring and follow-up of the funds utilization by programme participants;
• Undertake regular monitoring of the funded agriculture initiatives and provide ongoing support to the programme participants;
• Maintain the filing system for the agriculture support component and ensure supporting documentation is in place;
• Maintain good working relations within Mercy Corps and other organizations in the area of responsibility;
• Perform other tasks as requested by the project management.

 Supervisory Responsibility

Project Officers and Assistants

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Agriculture Coordinator

Works Directly With: Resilience Pilot Project implementation team

Works Directly With: Area Manager – Dnipro, Partnerships Manager, SME Support Coordinator, Self-Employment Coordinator.

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

• University degree in agriculture, economics, public/business administration, or other related field;
• Good knowledge of agriculture sector in Ukraine and current needs;
• Proven experience of working with small and medium farmers, supporting value-added agriculture production and interventions to strengthen competitive agriculture value chains;
• At least 5 years of overall working experience, at least 2 years of work experience within an international humanitarian/development organization;
• Good communication, presentation and reporting skills;
• Full working proficiency in both oral and written English, Ukrainian and Russian (equally important);
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs;
• Internationally recognized qualification in project or program management or a commitment to obtain the qualification in the early months of work;
• Budget management qualification will be an advantage;
• Knowledge of Sphere standards and other training in humanitarian response preferred.

  Success Factors

To be successful in this role we expect you to have: a comprehensive understanding of the needs of agriculture sector in Ukraine in the current issues and possible solutions. Practical understanding of the competitive value chains in Ukraine and the ways to strengthen them. Proven experience in agriculture, livelihoods, economic recovery and resilience programming.

Ongoing Learning

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 based on 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 and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. 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 adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

Please APPLY for this position via the link before 25 May 2023