Social Business Manager - Liberia

Job Description

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

Mercy Corps is a leading humanitarian and development organization, and has been working in Liberia since 2002 to support the transition from post-conflict recovery to sustainable economic and social development. Mercy Corps’ programs focus on reviving agricultural markets and creating economic and social opportunities for marginalized youth. We seek to create wide-reaching and systemic solutions to address the tough challenges that entrench poverty in Liberia, and to use technology to drive innovation and social change.

Since 2012, Mercy Corps has been implementing Prospects, a portfolio of interventions funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation, which works with a broad demographic of Liberian youth in Montserrado, Grand Bassa and Bong counties. Through direct delivery, as well as efforts to stimulate positive systemic change, Mercy Corps partners with the private sector, government, educational institutions and other service providers to equip young Liberians with the skills, information, and opportunities to find meaningful and sustainable employment or self-employment. The program works through a series of program areas:

• A psychosocial program and approach to youth empowerment with the most vulnerable, taking a process-oriented method which supports self-help groups to implement their own Group Development Plans reaching more 3,900 participants;
• A workforce development and entrepreneurship program delivering a range of services – including trainings, apprenticeships, cash grants, among others – to 8,000 ‘work-ready youth’;
• A social investment platform investing in private sector-led solutions to youth unemployment including information services, job matching, specialized technical trainings, and innovative and catalytic tech solutions;
• A range of funding and capacity building partnerships with NGO- and Government-institutions to implement youth employment interventions; and
• Research, learning, and advocacy on youth employment issues and programming in Liberia.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

The Social Business Manager leads the New Day Innovations for Youth Employment Program, a results-based grant financing mechanism investing in enterprises with the potential to accelerate commercially viable and sustainable solutions to youth unemployment in Liberia. Alongside financing, New Day provides technical assistance spanning business and financial management, and organizational development. New Day works with enterprises to build capacity in developing and refining scalable revenue models, and supports ventures to crowd-in additional funding.

The Social Business Manager leads and manages day-to-day operations of the New Day Component. In this role, s/he builds the capacity of Social Business Coordinators to support enterprises in the overall execution of grant ideas providing strategic business advisory services, mobilizing external assistance when expertise is not available in-house, and overseeing the delivery of administrative, logistical, and other support as needs arise. This role will work closely with a range of business partners from CEOs to mid-management and other business staff, as well as more broadly with private, public and social sector stakeholders as relevant to the proposed grant ideas. To this extent, s/he must exhibit a high level of business acumen; diplomacy and tact; entrepreneurial mindset; influential; strong work ethic and ability to follow through; and demonstrated capacity to effectively interact with partners at all organizational levels. The Social Business Manager will also lead the process of capturing lessons learned from implementation of New Day’s portfolio and supporting the Prospects Program Manager in the design of similar future interventions should they be deemed viable at this phase.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Program Strategy

• Provide overall strategic direction to the New Day pillar and contribute to the design and proposal development for Prospects Phase III focusing on relaying learnings from New Day particularly on the sustainability aspect of New Day’s portfolio.

Grant, Finance and Operational Management

• Monitor and track completion of key milestones/deliverables from private sector awardees as reflected in their respective contractual agreements.
• Liaise with Mercy Corps’ operations and finance teams in ensuring that goods and services and payment of milestones outlined in grantees’ contracts are timely raised and executed in accordance with Mercy Corps’ processes and procedures.
• Continuously support New Day business partners to put in place measures to effectively track transactions and expenditures associated with the grant.

Staff Management and Capacity Building in Enterprise Development/Advisory Services

• Prepare workplans for and manage workloads of Social Business Coordinators’ being mindful of the needs of New Day’s business partners while ensuring that Coordinators are exposed to firms at various growth stages in accordance with their strengths and professional development needs.
• Build the capacity of Social Business Coordinators to effectively identify and deliver business advisory services required by firms to effectively execute proposed solutions.
• Build the capacity of the Social Business Coordinators to provide day-to-day business coaching to firms to develop, execute, and refine sustainable business models and undertake necessary business processes improvements.
• Participate in business advisory services as needed.

Contribution to Ongoing Learning

• Lead the process of monitoring and capturing lessons learned during the implementation of New Day’s portfolio to inform the design and scale-up of future similar interventions in Liberia.
• Support the Social Business Coordinators in systematically tracking the development and refinement of the package of tools (business, financial, organizational development etc.) put in place to support businesses in their implementation.
• Integrate lessons learned into a comprehensive toolkit or other practical guide for development practitioners/entities seeking to undertake similar efforts.

Relationship Management and Private Sector Engagement

• Represent New Day in forums/workshops/conferences/sector coordination meetings to share best practices and findings with private sector, government, and the wider development community, as relevant.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with the local business community and relevant private, public and civil society sectors to further the mission and vision of New Day
• Foster linkages between private sector grantees and relevant private, public, and civil society actors that will assist firms in the achievement of their objective and to scale-up and crowd-in additional investments for solutions to youth unemployment.

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

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries 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.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: Two Social Business Coordinators

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Prospects Program Manager

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Support departments (operations, finance, HR), New Day Investee Companies, Social Business Coordinator, Employment and Entrepreneurship Manager, YES! Coordinator,

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

• Strong preference for private-sector experience, knowledge, or engagement.
• Advanced degree preferred, ideally an MBA or related field, or BA/BS with three or more year’s business experience or ownership.
• Track record of effectiveness in leadership roles, including 3 years of management experience.
• Grant management experience is desirable
• Experience advising enterprises at various stages of growth. Direct management of a business venture is desirable.
• Management excellence with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high performance teams, set and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• Fluent spoken and written English
• Experience working in Africa (including with local private sector) a plus

SUCCESS FACTORS:

• Passion, integrity and a positive attitude
• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial and innovative approach to business planning
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills
• Leadership talent, ability to be self-direct and manage a team
• Willing to learn and adapts well to new environment and changes

LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

The position will be based in Monrovia, and may require minimal travel to other urban centers (less than 10%). Liberia is recovering from 15 years of war and instability, as well as the direct and indirect impacts of the Ebola crisis, but is in a stable situation at present with a growing economy. Monrovia and towns in outlying areas are generally very safe, though come with the same safety considerations as any other African capital. Life in Monrovia is basic but comfortable, with good accommodation, and a busy expatriate scene and supermarkets full of western goods at western prices. This is an accompanied post for partners and children.

Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting. 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.

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About the Organization

Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided over $575 million in assistance to 73 nations. The agency's programs currently reach 5 million people in more than 25 countries, including the United States. Mercy Corps is a nonprofit organization with headquarters offices in Portland (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Washington, DC, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Known for its quick-response, high-impact programs, over 95 percent of the agency's resources are allocated directly to programs that help those in need.