BLOCKCHAIN FOR REFUGEES – PILOT LEAD

  • Contractor
  • Kampala, Uganda
  • TBD USD / Year
  • Mercy Corps profile




  • Job applications may no longer being accepted for this opportunity.


Mercy Corps

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

About Mercy Corps Ventures

Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV) invests in and fuels high-impact enterprises that increase the resilience of people and communities in frontier markets. Founded in 2015 as the impact investing arm venture capital arm of global development agency, Mercy Corps, we’ve supported 30+ early-stage ventures to scale and raise over $125 million in follow-on capital. Our portfolio centers around solutions that build climate resilience and financial resilience, so those living in frontier markets can withstand disruption and plan for the future.

For more information, please refer to our 2020 Annual Impact Report, and MCV Medium Blog.

The Position

The Pilot Lead role is a unique opportunity to lead an innovative set of pilots in Uganda to provide humanitarian aid through blockchain-powered solutions. This will not be your ‘typical’ aid project, as we will be piloting tech solutions at the cutting edge of innovation. Implementation will be fast and agile, and we are committed to building a scalable and sustainable solution that can be applied in similar contexts around the world.

The Pilot Lead will lead the design and implementation of pilots, driving a team to deliver blockchain-enabled solutions for refugees and host communities in Uganda. The Pilot Lead will also be responsible for managing multiple stakeholders including the Government, UNHCR, Mercy Corps Uganda and technology partners to ensure successful product delivery, as well as data sharing and insight generation.

The Pilot Lead will be responsible for ensuring that 35,000 refugees secure a digital ID, and are onboarded to a digital wallet where they will receive cryptocurrency. For many, this will represent their first government-recognized ID and digital wallet, and for all, this will represent their first exposure to cryptocurrency. These pilots will increase financial resilience and inclusion for vulnerable populations, and also advance the frontier of innovation for the entire humanitarian sector.

This project is a partnership between Mercy Corps Ventures, Mercy Corps Uganda and Coinbase Giving, implemented in collaboration with a local partner. The pilots will run from March 2022 until June 2024. The Pilot Lead will be based in Uganda, with regular travel between Kampala and West Nile.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in blockchain technology and humanitarian aid programming (with specific focus on cash and voucher assistance), as well as experience working with refugees in vulnerable communities. They will provide management, administrative and operational leadership and serve as a champion of entrepreneurial solutions.

Essential Responsibilities

PILOT DELIVERY / STRATEGY AND PLANNING

  • Design a comprehensive project plan to achieve key pilot deliverables and learning objectives

  • Develop core workstreams and milestones to track progress of pilot delivery for team members and partners

  • Implement tasks and deliverables as scheduled while responsibly managing and executing on the 2-year, $2.5M budget

TEAM & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

  • Manage a team of 6 to ensure successful delivery according to project timelines

  • Manage relationships with key stakeholders including the Government of Uganda, UNHCR, telco providers and other partners

DELIVERY QUALITY & SAFEGUARDING

  • Collaborate with Mercy Corps Uganda to apply best practices of humanitarian programming

  • Collaborate with technology partner to ensure effective product development and deployment

  • Ensure that pilot implementation is responsive to communities and partners and consistent with Program Management at Mercy Corps and other relevant principles, values, quality standards and strategy.

INSIGHTS & MARKETING

  • Develop insights based on pilot operations and share learnings with key partners to influence policy and decision-making

  • Support internal and external communications and ensure knowledge management systems are up to date and accurate to support communication with other teams, pilot partners, and portfolio companies.

  • Support working groups and research partners in advancing thought leadership.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Pilot Lead will oversee a team of dedicated staff:

  • Pilot Managers (2)

  • Pilot Associates (2)

  • M&E Officers (2)

Reports Directly To: Senior Managing Partner, Mercy Corps Ventures

Works Directly With: MCV team members; MC Uganda field leadership and staff; technology partners; government partners; other external partners

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

  • Domain expertise in fintech, cryptocurrencies and/or blockchain technologies.

  • Direct experience in humanitarian aid projects, including cash & voucher assistance programming, in low-resource settings

  • Deep project management experience, including managing project workplans, budgets, procurement processes, and overseeing implementation teams

  • Entrepreneurial mindset; able to navigate complexity and ambiguity to develop clear, focused, ambitious plans of action.

  • A minimum of 8 years of relevant career experience in a startup, technology company, management consulting, investment banking, investing, international development or similar sectors.

Success Factors

The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to problem-solve, manage complexity, and execute. They possess an entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy testing out, adjusting, and optimizing approaches just as our portfolio ventures and pilot partners do. They are team-oriented, “low-ego,” and able to work collaboratively in a high-performance, dynamic and mission-driven environment. A superb communicator, this person is adept at synthesizing complex concepts and expressing them in approachable ways, developing compelling written show_content and digital media, and comfortable with public speaking. They have a demonstrated passion for harnessing business and technology to solve challenges facing the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Uganda – either in Kampala or northwest Uganda. Travel will be required between the two locations to meet with key stakeholders and support pilot delivery. This position is expected to travel unaccompanied often, which may include some weekends. Constant communication is important where infrastructure allows.

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to 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.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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How to apply

http://app.jobvite.com/m?3znhimwm


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