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.

The Program / Department / Team (Program / Department Summary)

Mercy Corps (MC) Europe has been working in Sudan since 2009 with the goal of supporting the transition to a fair and lasting peace by implementing programs that promote long-term, sustainable development and contribute to secure, productive and just communities. MC Europe is facilitating recovery by addressing economic recovery needs and laying the groundwork for long-term development. MC Europe’s work in Sudan has three major components: Civil Society Development, Economic Recovery and Development, and Humanitarian Assistance, with activities that span many sectors including agriculture, market and livelihoods development, water and sanitation, capacity building, peacebuilding, infrastructure rehabilitation, and emergency assistance. MC Europe is committed to long-term programming in Sudan and faces numerous opportunities for expansion.

Mercy Corps is delivering multi-purpose cash assistance and protection programming in the Darfurs and Kordofans through the Cash Consortium of Sudan (CCS), funded by ECHO and FCDO alongside other humanitarian grants. The programme meets the urgent needs of conflict-affected and displaced people and host communities. It uses an integrated approach that links cash assistance with protection, health, nutrition and other services through a structured referral system, so that vulnerable individuals reach the support they need safely and on time. In addition, under ECHO-funded programming, Mercy Corps is implementing Emergency Business Grants (EBGs) in Kadugli to support **78 vendors** affected by the ongoing crisis, helping sustain local businesses, protect livelihoods, and contribute to the continuity and recovery of local markets.

The Position (General Position Summary)

The Market Support Officer will play a central role in strengthening the functionality, inclusiveness, and resilience of local markets in target areas. The officer will support market systems assessments for priority commodities, strengthen trader groups and local service arrangements, and help build sustainable market linkages for women and youth. The role requires strong field presence, facilitation skills, and practical understanding of how local markets operate in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The officer will work closely with traders, mills, retailers, women and youth groups, VSLAs, artisans, community leaders, private sector actors, and local authorities to ensure market systems interventions are locally owned, commercially viable, and resilient to shocks.

Essential Responsibilities

1. Business and Market Assessment, Analysis, and Planning

• Conduct rapid assessments of businesses and local markets in target locations to understand business needs, market functionality, and recovery priorities.
• Assess potential EBG recipients against agreed eligibility and selection criteria, including business viability, impact of the crisis, capacity to recover, and potential contribution to local market functionality.
• Map key market actors, including suppliers, traders, wholesalers, retailers, service providers, transporters, and other relevant businesses.
• Analyze prices, availability of goods and services, supply constraints, access challenges, market disruptions, and other risks affecting business recovery.
• Identify business recovery needs, including working capital, restocking, equipment, repairs, and other critical inputs required to resume or maintain operations.
• Support the development of practical business recovery and market support plans aligned with project objectives and available resources.
• Maintain updated databases of supported businesses, market actors, and relevant service providers.

2. Vendor Selection, Grant Support, and Business Recovery

• Support transparent identification and selection of eligible businesses in accordance with EBG guidelines, donor requirements, and Mercy Corps procedures.
• Conduct or support business assessments to determine the appropriate level and type of assistance required by selected vendors.
• Support vendors in developing simple and realistic business recovery plans outlining their priority needs, planned use of the grant, and expected business outcomes.
• Provide guidance to vendors on appropriate and responsible use of grant funds in line with approved business plans and grant agreements.
• Support the development, review, and documentation of grant agreements and related business information in coordination with relevant program, finance, grants, and operations teams.
• Follow up with supported businesses to monitor grant utilization, business recovery, and progress against agreed plans.
• Identify implementation challenges and provide practical recommendations to address barriers affecting business recovery.

3. Market Activation and Business Continuity

• Support EBG recipients to restore or maintain business operations following conflict-related disruptions and market shocks.
• Facilitate linkages between supported vendors and relevant suppliers, wholesalers, service providers, transporters, and other market actors.
• Support businesses to identify appropriate sourcing options and alternative suppliers where regular supply chains have been disrupted.
• Promote practical approaches that enable businesses to maintain access to essential goods, services, and customers.
• Monitor changes in vendor operations, stock availability, customer demand, and market conditions following grant support.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen linkages among supported businesses and local market actors while minimizing market distortion.

4. Business Sustainability and Financial Linkages

• Support vendors to identify practical measures for maintaining business operations beyond the initial grant support.
• Provide basic guidance to vendors on business planning, stock management, cash-flow considerations, and responsible use of working capital, within the scope of the EBG programme.
• Facilitate linkages with appropriate local financial and business support mechanisms where relevant and feasible.
• Identify common business service needs, including repairs, maintenance, transportation, restocking, and other services required for business continuity.
• Encourage appropriate collaboration and peer learning among supported vendors where this contributes to business recovery and sustainability.

5. Shock Preparedness and Business Resilience

• Support vendors to identify key risks that could affect their businesses, including insecurity, road closures, supply disruptions, inflation, and changes in market demand.
• Assist supported businesses in identifying alternative suppliers, sourcing routes, and practical contingency options.
• Monitor emerging market and business risks and communicate significant changes to program leadership.
• Support adaptive measures to reduce the impact of market disruptions on supported businesses.
• Contribute to contingency planning and timely program adjustments when significant market or security changes occur.

6. Community Engagement, Inclusion, and Accountability

• Ensure that eligible women, youth, displaced populations, host communities, and other vulnerable business owners have equitable opportunities to participate in the EBG programme, in accordance with agreed selection criteria.
• Promote transparent and participatory engagement with vendors, communities, market actors, and relevant local stakeholders.
• Clearly communicate EBG objectives, eligibility criteria, selection processes, grant conditions, and feedback mechanisms to potential and selected recipients.
• Support safe and accessible channels for vendors to provide feedback, raise concerns, and report complaints.
• Ensure that EBG implementation is conflict-sensitive and does not unnecessarily create tensions, exclusion, or market distortion.

7. Monitoring, Learning, and Reporting

• Track key EBG indicators related to vendor selection, grant disbursement, business recovery, business continuity, stock availability, and market functionality.
• Conduct regular field visits, vendor follow-ups, spot checks, and business monitoring visits in accordance with the programme monitoring plan.
• Work closely with the MEL team to collect, verify, analyze, and report data on EBG implementation and outcomes.
• Monitor compliance with agreed grant conditions and flag any concerns related to grant utilization or implementation.
• Document lessons learned, implementation challenges, good practices, and evidence of business recovery and sustainability.
• Contribute to internal reports, donor updates, success stories, and other reporting requirements related to the EBG programme.

8. Coordination and Representation

• Coordinate closely with Program, MEL, Finance, Grants and Partnerships, Operations, and other relevant teams to ensure effective and compliant delivery of EBG activities.
• Coordinate with relevant local authorities, market actors, business associations, suppliers, service providers, and community representatives as appropriate.
• Maintain effective working relationships with EBG vendors and provide timely follow-up and support throughout the grant implementation cycle.
• Participate in programme planning, review, coordination, and learning meetings.
• Represent Mercy Corps professionally in relevant field-level engagements related to EBG implementation.
• Ensure that all EBG activities are implemented in accordance with Mercy Corps policies, donor requirements, safeguarding standards, and applicable programme procedures.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to market engagement, community participation, and inclusion of women and youth. 
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps, including respect for the dignity and well-being of participants, communities, and team members. 
• Encourages openness and communication and supports use of available reporting mechanisms where concerns arise.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: CVA Manager

Works Directly With: CVA coordinator, Project officers from collaborating projects, enumerators, finance team, operations team and other positions that may be recruited for this project.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability to program participants, community partners, and other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding relief and development work. The Market Support Officer is expected to engage communities and market actors as active partners in design, implementation, monitoring, and learning.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills 

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, agribusiness, business administration, market systems development, international development, or a related field. 
• At least 3–5 years of experience in market systems, livelihoods, private sector engagement, enterprise development, or economic recovery programming. 
• Experience conducting market assessments and supporting local market actors in fragile or humanitarian contexts. 
• Demonstrated experience facilitating relationships among traders, producers, service providers, community groups, and local institutions. 
• Experience supporting commercialization, distribution, business model development, or small enterprise growth. 
• Strong analytical, reporting, and data management skills. 
• Strong facilitation, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills. 
• Ability to work effectively with diverse communities, including women, youth, IDPs, returnees, and host populations. 
• Understanding of conflict sensitivity, social cohesion, and do-no-harm approaches. 
• Knowledge of Arabic and relevant local languages is highly desirable. 
• Previous experience in Darfur or similar fragile contexts is an advantage.

Success Factors 

The successful candidate will be practical, facilitative, and systems-oriented, with a strong ability to work through local actors rather than substitute for them. They will be comfortable navigating fragile environments, identifying commercially realistic solutions, and balancing inclusion, sustainability, and resilience. They will also be proactive in field engagement, strong in relationship management, and able to translate market analysis into practical action.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This position is based in Central Darfur and will require regular travel to target communities and markets, including locations with limited services and fluctuating access. The role may involve travel to insecure areas and will require flexibility, sound judgment, and adherence to security protocols 

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

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness 

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out different 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 e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).