Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, July 09, 2019 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Project/Consultancy Title: AFA In-Country Support Consultant – Zambia
Project Location(s): Lusaka
Proposed Consultant: TBD
From: July 2019
To: October
ABOUT MERCY CORPS
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
GENERAL PROGRAM SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps’ AgriFin Program seeks to address the inclusion gap for smallholder farmers who lack access to affordable, accessible, demand-driven products and services that drive higher productivity and income for farm families. The AgriFin program utilizes a market ecosystem approach, working with carefully selected partners to build sustainable models, where farm and crop management tools and financial services are “bundled” in affordable, unified platforms leveraging digital channels to promote mass uptake commercially. The program involves three interrelated components that seek to address low farmer productivity and capability, and improve institutional ability to deliver appropriate products and build ecosystems to drive scale. We work with farmers, banks, mobile network operators, MFIs, research institutes and other ecosystem players in well-defined partnerships to sustainably bundle services, leveraging the offer and outreach of all partners, while increasing the range of services, access points and value for farmers. The program works with partners to identify, prototype, test and scale successful digitally-enabled services for smallholders, with a key focus on expanding access to financial services, using a rapid iteration approach to product development and client-centric design techniques.
Our project goal is for smallholder farmers to gain full access to impactful, demand-driven, technology-enabled financial products, tools, channels and knowledge that significantly increase farm productivity and family income, delivered by vibrant ecosystems of diverse service providers. Program operations are taking place five countries anchored around a central “Hub” office in Kenya, expanding to serve Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, with potential to expand to other Mercy Corps countries, globally.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The AgriFin Accelerate (AFA) program is closing operations in Zambia at the end of June 2019. However, engagements with partners are still ongoing through to the end of 2019. AFA is seeking to engage a consultant based in Zambia to support with program coordination activities with AFA partners during this period. The Programme Assistant will provide support to help ensure AFA programme implementation in Zambia run smoothly. S/he reports to the assigned Tech Team Lead and will assist in providing general administrative support to the AFA program teams (TT and MEL). The Programme Assistant will be responsible for programme coordination support. He/she will also provide support for administration coordination, including logistics, reporting coordination, working with other team members, and engaging across teams for strong flows of information across the AFA team and AFA partners. .

CONSULTANT ACTIVITIES:
The consultant will work with the AFA team to:
Activity 1: Admin & Logistics
• Management and coordination of staff travel arrangements.
• Event coordination support, particularly for the September AFA Zambia close-out event with partners.
• Finalize any pending activities related to the AFA Zambia office close out, post June.
• Contract tracking and payment processing for ongoing contracts.
• Facilitate procurement and payment processes for program and MEL activities.
Activity 2: Specific Project Support
• Partner relationship management; act as main contact person for AFA Zambia partner requests and channel them to the appropriate AFA team member; working closely with the Task Manager
• Attendance of all relevant partner meetings alongside project support lead to better understand working partnerships and PA support role.
• Weekly presence at partner offices to ensure AFA visibility and relevance for partners as follows;
MON – ZANACO
TUE – ZOONA
WED – CAZ
THU – ZANACO
FRI – BTORs and Admin Support
Tracking of partnership development process:
• Oversee CAZ operations of farmer sensitization, training and onboarding, including filed-level support. Reporting back on progress to project support lead and broader AFA team.
• Working with project support lead, coordinate logistics with ZANACO teams regarding field-level activities that may be relevant for AFA;
• Agency onboarding for Vitalite, iDE, and Alliance Ginnery
• Booster team training for CAZ and other partners
• Track Zoona implementation of Zoona Plus Brand Ambassador and Agrodealers recruitment programme, with up-to-date figures on recruitments and farmer onboarding.
• Provide field-level support, document key developments and lessons learned working closely with project support lead and MEL team.
• Support PRS with field related activities
• Working closely with the task manager, support to program-related contracting post-June; preparation of PRs, SOWs, structuring deliverables, payment processing, completion logs and acceptance certificates for relevant contracts e.g. CAZ farmer onboarding for ZANACO and PRS ongoing evaluation for MEL.
• Support to September AFA Zambia program closure event with partners;
• Work with project support lead to finalize agenda and invite list, coordinate logistics (venue hire, structure for the day, registration, partner goodwill gifts, etc.)
DELIVERABLES:
Final deliverables for this engagement will be:
• Travel documents and email communications for logistics arrangements.
• Weekly BTOR report following partner engagements, including a summary of project status, potential project risks, and any other updates from partner meetings with AFA partners, existing donors, contractors, and other ecosystem members
• Weekly check-ins with the Task Manager – this is outside of the standing TT & MEL meetings
• Field notes from site visits with key partners, particularly CAZ on farmer onboarding to the ZANACO Farmers’ Account.
• Bi-weekly progress reports on ZANACO farmer onboarding and Zoona plus roll-out.
• Final report on activities with partners and future prospects for developments in digital finance with working partners.
• Together with the Zambia project coordinator, and tech team, organize AFA Zambia September close-out event.

Job Skills: Not Specified

Job Qualifications: Not Specified

Job Education Requirements: Not Specified

Job Experience Requirements: Not Specified

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Job application procedure
Paste Application Procedure Here Application Method:
Interested candidates should submit their CVS and Cover letter explaining how they best match our required qualifications before COB on Thursday 11th July 2019 to mnzaumi@mercycorps.org .

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