Senior Research Officer
Mercy Corps Jordan
Total years of experience :7 years, 3 Months
Economic Opportunities and Market Systems Development
The project supports different small and medium enterprises that are seeking to improve their businesses model and penetrate new markets. My main responsibilities entail:
•Leading the project’s research and learning agenda focusing on value chain analysis to identify growth and cost reduction opportunities that would provide a competitive advantage for small and medium businesses
•Leading the procurement component both for high-value tenders and medium to small purchases, plus, liaising with suppliers to ensure efficient and timely delivery of goods and services
•Participating in developing the monthly procurement plan for the project, forecasting and estimating the expenses in accordance with the budget and project activities
•Liaising with private sector partners to expand Mercy Corps’ connection and leverage efficient data collection from private sector stakeholders
•Developing scopes of work for the project’s private sector partners while ensuring a comprehensive and clear understanding of deliverables and responsibilities for both parties
• Led a research project to study monitoring and evaluation approaches for 13 market systems development programs across eleven countries
• Analysed monitoring and evaluation practices, and key program documents against DCED and BEAM exchange standards for markets systems development
• Led thirteen interviews with key personnel for each program, to identify methods used to capture systems change and impact of the different projects on end beneficiaries
• Summarised findings in a report that will be used as a base in the future, to provide recommendations and resources to support market systems development programs
Project: Access to Justice and Jobs in Jordan
• Managed a Youth Led Labour Market Assessment that included 40 youth volunteers across two governorates in Jordan. I was the lead trainer for the labour market assessment to the 40 youth. The objective of the training was to teach youth about the triangulation of data collection, introduce objectives of the market assessment, plus train them on data collection tools (FGD, Surveys, KII).
• Led ongoing market research for the olive oil and dairy markets, which included interviewing different market actors within the value chain. The purpose of the market research was to identify gaps within the market chain in order to design project interventions.
• Aided in the project design phase of the programme, the programme took a Market System Development approach. This entailed thinking about working with actors upstream in the value chain of markets, rather than end users. Part of my responsibilities included identifying strategic partners, which included the public, private, and governmental sectors.
• Developed a logistics daily tracking system for the project’s procurement activities. Later went on to train project staff on how to use the tool.
Logistics and procurement department, as part of the Humanitarian Trainee Scheme
•Was the Acting Logistics coordinator under a service contract, for a period of two weeks upon the end of the traineeship
•Created an online tracking system for the daily trip requests, which all 18 projects at Mercy Crops made daily.
•Performed procurement errands, through directly collecting and analysing quotations, plus issuing service contracts and purchase orders.
•Organized stocks at four warehouses in Za’atari and Azraq camps for more than 200 items, in addition to creating stock tracking, according to Mercy Corps Field Logistics policies.
•Provided training to Mercy Corps’ volunteers on stock management in refugee camps.
•Held full responsibility of Mercy Corps fleet and asset management
• Two weeks introduction to the different departments of the company, sales and brand management, warehouse and inventory control, demand planning and logistics, quality control, finance and manpower planning
• Led a workload analysis project to estimate the optimal headcount, for the warehouse and promotions production line. The analysis was based on real-time field data collection.
• Managed to shorten the promotions production time as a result of the workload analysis project, through facility rearrangement.
Two weeks introduction to the different departments of the company, sales and brand management, warehouse and inventory control, demand planning and logistics, quality control, finance and manpower planning
•Led a workload analysis project to estimate the optimal headcount, for the warehouse and promotions production line. The analysis was based on real-time field data collection.
•Managed to shorten the promotions production time as a result of the workload analysis project, through facility rearrangement.
Course focus: Sustainability and Mega Trends, Risk Management and Resilient Supply Chains, Information System and Technology
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