About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps Liberia began operations in 2002 in response to the humanitarian crisis brought about by the two Liberian civil wars that ended in 2003. Mercy Corps’ interventions have evolved based on the context and needs of the Liberian people. With funding from the United States Agency for Development (USAID), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the European Commission, French Development Agency, Irish Aid, and the Embassy of Sweden, among others, Mercy Corps Liberia focuses on Food Security, Peace and Good Governance and Economic Opportunity. Mercy Corps Liberia works closely with the Government of Liberia (especially the Ministries of Youth and Sports, Health, Labor, and Education), the private sector, civil society, international, and local NGOs to implement its programs from its Head Office in Monrovia and two sub-offices in Buchanan and RiverCess. Mercy Corps is one of the foremost development actors in Liberia implementing strategic and systems driven programming in youth employment and entrepreneurship, market systems development, and good governance.

Program / Department Summary
USAID awarded Mercy Corps a grant to implement the Incentivize Learning Activity (ILA). ILA is a five-year Activity, July 2023 – June 2028. This Activity aims to increase enrollment and attendance for vulnerable and underserved school-aged children while contributing to improved learning outcomes and addressing the food insecurity that has become more acute in Liberia. The Activity will achieve this by incentivizing school enrollment and reducing absenteeism via the provision of school meals, targeted financial incentives, community, and parental engagement, and social and behavior change communication.

General Position Summary
Agriculture Advisor will provide assistance and advice to farmers, community members, and students. They consult on several areas, including crop choice and rotation, cultivating, and harvesting, soil and water issues, and animal husbandry and nutrition.

Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGY & VISION
1. Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
2. Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
●Proven ability to think strategically and conduct dialogue on rural agriculture development, natural resource management and agricultural policies, while maintaining a strong sense of realism about in-country conditions and competing demands for resources.
●Ability to communicate ideas effectively, and to write clearly and concisely.
●Conduct meetings and build linkage with various stakeholders and organizations including MoE, and MoA.
●Visit target schools in Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties to gain understanding of current school garden status and issues.
●Collect and review available documents (studies, training manuals, policies, etc.) on school gardens.
●Develop implementation strategy for agriculture component of the project.
●Demonstrated capacity to lead teams and organize tasks to meet tight deadlines within budget.
●Interact with and assist clients and counterpart organizations to ensure effective project preparation and implementation.
●Participate as a team member in analytical, strategic, and policy studies-including (i) assessing project impact and opportunities; (ii) developing new programs and tools; (iii) evaluating existing or proposed policy reforms to improve the quality of the rural sector.
●Provide timely advice and guidance on all matters related to agricultural productivity so that the school gardens are developed and implemented according to the needs of the communities.
●Provide management and project oversight during implementation of school gardens to ensure the work is progressing within the schedule and towards the targets.
●Assist the Senior Management Team and other team members with the management, oversight, coordination and monitoring of all the school garden operation and implementation of activities.
●Educate farmers and community members on understanding and complying with environmental pollution-control laws and regulations.
●Doing paperwork and analyzing data for reporting.
●Communicate on the phone and in meetings with clients, government departments, and the public.
●Other work may be assigned by the supervisor.

TEAM MANAGEMENT
●Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives. Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on one and performance reviews.
●Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
●Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PRACTICES
●Liaise and work with community groups and the schools to ensure accountability and best use of project resources.
●Comply with the requirements of Mercy Corps Protection Policy to ensure maximum protection for children,
●Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and beneficiary accountability standards.

FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
●Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to financial transactions and programming.
INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION
●Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, Program contractors, donors, local governments, and other stakeholders.
●Communicate effectively to ensure overall program targets and donor obligations are met.
SECURITY
●Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
●Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
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 toward 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.
●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.

Supervisory Responsibility: N/A
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Deputy Chief of Party
Works Directly With: ILA program staff as well as those in support functions – Finance, Administration & Logistics team members. Also works with the Chief of Party.
Knowledge and Experience
●Master’s degree in agriculture related field desirable.
●A degree in soil/earth sciences, Agronomy, Agriculture, Horticulture, Crop/plant science or Environmental science and animal science is normally the minimum academic requirement for entry into this position.
●Minimum of 7 years of full-time relevant work experience in or more of the following areas: Agricultural policy, land administration or forestry.
●A mix of work experience in both the public and private sectors would be an advantage.
●Proficiency in Word and Excel.
●Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills.
●Written and verbal fluency in English.
Success Factors
The Agriculture Advisor should pay attention to details, can work in a diverse team, be approachable, supportive, willing to learn and apply new ideas, have time management skills, be able to multitask, set priorities, and be willing to travel to and work in remote areas.