COORDINATOR – Mercy Corps

Job Summary
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.

Mercy Corps in Zimbabwe has been leading on innovative programming focusing on evidence-based solutions that have lasting impact and build resilience. Resilience building is an agency priority and involves using a systems-based approach that builds on proven solutions, accesses new ideas and information, and integrates multiple sectors and partnerships to strengthen food security and livelihoods, economic development, and climate change adaptation.

Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps is a consortium member implementing the USAID-Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) funded Resilient Food Security Activity (RFSA), Amalima Loko, in the Matabeleland North province of western Zimbabwe. Mercy Corps provides overall technical oversight and leadership on resilience as a guiding principle and approach to reach the program’s overall goal: improve food security through increased food access and sustainable watershed management.

General Position Summary
The Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Coordinator will be responsible for the coordination of youth entrepreneurship trainings and work to ensure their active participation in agri-business, off-farm activities, and other livelihoods initiatives. He/she will work with Field Officers in collaboration with district and community level stakeholders to carry out mapping of youth employment and livelihood opportunities as part of the community visioning process, assess key livelihood activities in specific districts as well as understand market dynamics in and out of their districts. The YEEC will identify youth, build strategic partnerships with training institutions that will provide training on specific technical and life skills. Additionally, the YEEC will coordinate with other technical coordinators at Amalima Loko to ensure the activity is well integrated in the overall program with specific coordination with agricultural, livestock, and nutrition activities. In all this, particular attention will be paid to gender, age and other social dynamics that perpetuate exclusion.

Duties And Responsibilities

TECHNICAL ROLES
Training and technical assistance delivery
• Responsible for youth entrepreneurship skills training
• Facilitate technical assistance to drive skills transfer, customize capacity-building interventions and
provide individual or group mentorship and advisory services to the youth entrepreneurs.
• Spearhead trainings on life skills.
• Support training curriculum review and alignment with market requirements

Market linkages
• Support the business and growth needs of the youth entrepreneurs through business linkages to
ecosystem including financial services, technology, business development services and markets.
• Support field officers and local stakeholders to carry out mapping of youths, context scanning and
understand context specific entrepreneurship opportunities.
• Work to ensure the active participation of youths in agri-business, off farm activities and other
livelihood initiatives.

Partnerships and stakeholder engagement
• Enhance stakeholder engagement with government, private sector, business associations, academic
institutions, financial institutions, and suppliers in project implementation areas.
• Identify and broker a relationship with suitable entrepreneurship skills trainers, including government
or private vocational skills training institutions.
• Identify and engage key district level stakeholders responsible for youth empowerment and grow the
partnership responsible for entrepreneurship skills training and market linkages.
• Establish, coach and mentor a local district youth entrepreneurship taskforce for sustainability.

Monitoring and Evaluation
• Contribute to the M & E framework and flag out key youth entrepreneurship and employment tenets
for tracking and learning purposes.
• Work closely with the MEL team to ensure proper and timely reports of the program.
• Provide regular updates on the progress of the program, highlighting any unique challenges as
required by the technical manager.
• Document, share and disseminate project learning and results.

Qualifications And Experience
Knowledge and Experience
• A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant academic area such as Development Studies, Entrepreneurship,
Agriculture, Economics, Environmental Management, Governance or other relevant field.
• Proven entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and business development experience.
• Experience in engaging vocational training institutions, knowledge institutions and youth hubs.
• Experience in youth related programming, inclusive of life skills training.
• Knowledge of enterprise development, market linkages, business management, marketing plan
development. Business plan writing is highly desirable.
• Five years of field experience at the community level is required and experience working with
marginalized communities especially in Matabeleland North is an added advantage.
• Track record of building strong client and stakeholder relationships with; government ministries,
private sector companies, financial institutions, business associations and academic institutions.
• An in-depth understanding of gender, age, and other locally significant socio-cultural factors
preferably in the context of resilience building programming.
• Skills in participatory learning, action and facilitating collaborative problem solving and demonstrated
capacity to facilitate youth-led processes.
• Demonstrated ability to foster commitment and build capacity among program staff and in-country
actors to ensure youth integration and empowerment.
• Persuasive written and oral communication in English and Ndebele is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work
independently and cooperatively with team members.