Private Sector Engagement Officer USAID Project Jobs – Mercy Corps

Organization: Mercy Corps
Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda
About US:
Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization which
implements high-quality, analytical development programmes in very difficult
places. Mercy Corps has been operating in Uganda since 2006. It has and
continues to implement programs in Acholi and Karamoja sub regions. Mercy Corps
is taking a community-led, market driven approach to address poverty and food
insecurity needs through interventions that get to the root causes and
contributing factors of economic vulnerability. Donors include the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), DFID, Mastercard
Foundation, WALMART Foundation, Coca Cola Africa Foundation, US Depart of State
(DOS) /PEPFAR, ECHO and Nike Foundation.
About USAID Project:
Mercy Corps is implementing the USAID funded 5-year program on Better
Outcomes for Children and Youth in Eastern and Northern Uganda ending in 2020.
The program goal is to improve the wellbeing of children and youth orphaned by
HIV and other adversities in Uganda. It mainly focuses on orphaned and
vulnerable children, youth and their caregivers to have improved access and
utilization of health, nutrition, education, and psychosocial wellbeing and
reducing abuse, exploitation and neglect.
Job Summary: The Private
Sector Engagement Officer will responsible for the overall management of
private sector partnerships from identification of opportunities, development
of concept notes, development of SOW with private sector input, negotiation of
deals with private sector partners in line with Mercy Corps policies of
procurement and subaward management, development of specific milestones and
deliverables, signing of deals, and monitoring of activities. The Private
Sector Engagement Officer will also support learning around these activities in
partnership with the MEL Officer on the team. The Private Sector Engagement
Officer is expected to have a high level understanding of shared value
partnerships (understanding how meeting the needs of OVCs can improve the
productivity of businesses) as well as experience managing and developing such
partnerships.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Provide leadership and strategic vision of
    implementation, development and management of shared value partnerships
    with private sector partners, in a way that also meets the needs of OVCs
    and the households that support them.
  • Conduct analyses of how to strengthen
    economic opportunities for OVCs and the households that support them,
    understanding what key barriers to market exist.
  • Be able to develop creative shared value
    partnerships of how private sector partners can support/employ or
    otherwise engage OVCs and the households that support them and increase
    their economic stability and resilience.
  • Pitch, negotiate ideas to the private
    sector to encourage them to expand their business models and engage OVCs
    and households that support them.
  • Oversee the identification, selection and
    sub-awarding/procurement of private sector partnerships in line with
    either our subaward or procurement procedures.
  • Develop strong milestones and deliverables
    for the private sector partnerships with corresponding monitoring
    strategies to ensure that the program gets the most of the private sector
    partnerships.
  • Monitor all private sector partners at the
    HQ level as well as in the field to ensure that all milestones and
    deliverables agreed to are implemented.
  • Submit payment requests for any payments
    to private sector partnerships with all required documentation as per the
    contracts and agreements signed with the private sector partners.
  • Build and maintain productive working
    relationships with Local Government officials and line departments,
    soliciting their participation in all activities where appropriate.
  • Make on-site field visits regularly to
    provide technical back stopping and/or design suggestions to private
    sector partners.
  • Ensure proper logistics, administration,
    human resources and transport needs of the program are conducted within
    Mercy Corps /WEI policy and with the maximum benefit to the program.
  • Support other team members to better
    understand private sector partnerships and how they can be integrated into
    the program.
  • Prepare and submit written reports on
    activities to supervisor.
  • Ensure establishment and maintenance of
    relationships with consortium partners, CSOs, communities, village
    councils and local government in target operation areas.



Qualifications, Skills and Experience: 
  • The ideal candidate for the Mercy Corps Private
    Sector Engagement Officer job placement should hold a Bachelor’s Degree in
    agribusiness, development, economic development, business management or a
    closely related field.
  • A minimum of five years of experience
    designing, implementing and managing similar initiatives (private sector
    partnership, economic strengthening, market systems development).
  • Experience in leveraging private sector
    partnerships is a must.
  • Excellent interpersonal, writing and oral
    presentation skills in English are also required.
  • Experience in building and maintaining
    strong/productive relations with implementing and strategic partner
    agencies is required.
  • Strong leadership and proven team building
    experience is a must.
  • Excellent negotiation skills required.
  • Demonstrated attention to detail, ability
    to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and
    cooperatively with team members.
  • Ability to travel (30%) to field
    locations.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their
E-mail applications including a cover letter clearly stating the salary
requirements, updated CV (with three professional referees), and copies of
academic qualifications/certificates addressed to the Senior HR and Legal
Manager, Mercy Corps Uganda to: ug-mcjobs@mercycorps.org
Deadline: 6th March 2018
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