Consultant - Market Systems Development (MSD) Capacity Strengthening - RLP Program Team, Africa

Project / Consultancy Title:Market Systems Development (MSD) Capacity Strengthening through Targeted Coaching and Technical Support for the RLP Program TeamProject Location(s):Remote and Travel to Ethiopia, Kenya and SomaliTimeline & Estimated LOE: Up to 40 days spread out over four (4) monthsEstimated start date March 15, 2026Risk Level: ☐ Level 3 ☐Level 2 ☐Level 1Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)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. Mercy Corps has been implementing market approach-based livestock program in Horn of Africa (HOA) for over a decade.The Program / Department / TeamThe Regional Livestock Programme (RLP) is 12-year programme designed to leverage growing consumer demand for animal source foods (ASF) and the associated rise in livestock production and trade in ASAL economies. RLP aims to increase incomes of agro-pastoralist and pastoralist households and economically empower peri-urban and rural women and youths engaged in the livestock sector across the semi-arid and arid lands (ASALs) of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. The program targets four live animal trade corridors (i.e., Togwajaale, Galkayo, Afmadow and Moyale) and Wajir camel milk trade corridors. The programme is funded the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in three 4-year phases. Phase I (2023-2027) is implemented in a partnership between Mercy Corps with Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) and Helvetas with their partner Welthungerhilfe (WHH).Purpose / Project Description:The Regional Livestock Program (RLP) is designed to implement through a market systems development (MSD), facilitative approach to achieve sustainable and inclusive changes within the livestock sector and relevant sub-sectors. Effective management and successful implementation of this approach requires strong technical capacity within the program team.In particular, the program team must possess solid skills and competencies in market systems development principles, diagnosis of critical systemic constraints, strategic intervention design, facilitation and negotiations skills and the ability to adapt theory into contextual realities. These competencies are essential to address underlying market constraints while leverage market opportunities and stakeholder innovation to catalyze lasting, systemic changes across livestock market systems with specific facilitation methods.Recognizing this need, RLP aims to strengthen the technical expertise of its program team by developing in-house MSD and private-sector development specialists. This will be achieved through the facilitation of targeted capacity building initiatives, including structured training on MSD, guidance in the use of relevant analysis, negotiation, and partnership tools, as well as ongoing coaching. These efforts will equip the team with appropriate analytical skills, facilitation techniques, and adaptive management tactics, enabling them to design, implement, and manage effective MSD interventions that address opportunities and weaknesses within functional roles, informal and formal operating norms and rules to deliver lasting impact.Consultant Objectives:The objective of this consultancy is to strengthen the technical capacity of the Regional Livestock Program (RLP) team in the application of the Market Systems Development (MSD) approach. Specifically, the consultant will support the program team to build a strong, practical understanding of MSD principles, including market systems analysis, identification of systemic constraints, intervention design, and facilitation strategies, with the aim of improving the quality and sustainability of RLP interventions.To achieve this objective, the consultant will provide context specific MSD training and structured coaching support that is directly linked to the program’s ongoing interventions. The consultancy will combine introductory MSD training to establish a shared conceptual foundation with focused, small-group or 1:1 coaching and applied learning that allows team members to apply MSD tools and approaches to real program activities. Capacity strengthening and practical skills development will be anchored in selected interventions from each targeted corridor instead of every intervention across all corridors. This ensures that capacity development is practical, relevant, and responsive to implementation realities specific MSD training and structured coaching support that is directly linked to the program’s ongoing interventions.Through this approach, the consultant will mentor at least eight (8) selected program team members, preferably organized around four priority intervention themes, with one intervention selected from each corridor. By working closely with the team to analyze, refine, and facilitate these interventions, the consultancy will enhance individual and team level competencies, strengthen adaptive management practices, and enable the RLP team to independently design and manage MSD interventions that drive lasting systemic change in livestock market systems.Activities of the ConsultantTo achieve the objective of strengthening the Regional Livestock Program (RLP) team’s technical capacity in Market Systems Development (MSD), the consultant will undertake the following key activities. These activities are designed to be practical, context-specific, and closely aligned with the program’s ongoing interventions across targeted corridors. Much of the coaching and technical support will be conducted remotely. One trip to each corridor is proposed during the first phase of the consultancy.RLP envisions the following activities:Phase I* Portfolio Review and Capacity Needs Assessment – Hybrid/TBDThe consultant will have an initial engagement with the RLP management and program team to develop a clear understanding of the program context, ongoing interventions, targeted corridors, and existing team capacities. This will include reviewing relevant program documents, intervention strategies, and monitoring data, as well as holding consultations with key team members. After the initial document review, the consultant will spend approximately two weeks visiting RLP program teams in each of the target corridors. During this time, the consultant will hold discussions about team meetings related to the programs’ strategies, interventions, and management systems. The visits will have dual focus on providing advisory and coaching support to the team as well as building shared understanding and trust between team members and the consultant. Based on this assessment, the consultant will identify priority capacity gaps and learning needs related to MSD knowledge and practice, which will inform the design of the training and coaching approach.* Develop Team MSD Capacity Building Approach/Strategies - RemoteDrawing on the findings of the initial assessment, the consultant will design a tailored capacity building plan that combines targeted MSD training with focused coaching support. The approach will be adapted to the livestock sector and relevant sub-sectors in the drylands context of NE Kenya, Eastern Ethiopia, and Somalia/Somaliland. The training will be aligned with RLP’s strategic objectives, intervention themes, and corridor-specific realities. The consultant will define learning objectives, training content, coaching modalities, and practical application methods linked to real program interventions oriented, using examples from the livestock sector and from RLP’s own interventions to ensure relevance and applicability.* Selection and Analysis of Targeted Interventions – On-siteIn collaboration with the program team, the consultant will identify specific ongoing interventions from each targeted corridor to be used as learning cases for coaching. Preferably, four intervention themes will be selected, with one intervention drawn from each corridor. The consultant will support the team to adapt and to conduct deeper market systems analysis of these interventions, examining system actors, incentives, relationships, leverage points, and systemic constraints.Phase II* Delivery of Targeted MSD Training - TBDThe consultant will deliver targeted training sessions for the RLP program team to establish a shared understanding of MSD concepts and best practices, aligned with the specific activities and priorities the team faces in implementation. The training will cover topics such as analysis tools and diagnosing sector constraints as well as bottlenecks during implementation, intervention design, facilitation tactics, approaches to address rules/norms, partnership identification and negotiation, partnership mechanisms, results-based agreements, and adaptive management via results chains. Training sessions will be interactive and practice-oriented, using examples from the livestock sector and from RLP’s own interventions to ensure relevance and applicability, and will link to the team’s work streams.Phase III* Provision of Focused Coaching Support - RemoteThe consultant will provide hands-on, structured coaching and individualized support to at least eight targeted program team members. Coaching will be adapted to the individual team members and organized around the selected intervention themes and will focus on improving the design, facilitation, and management of MSD interventions and performance evaluation for individual investments. This will include coaching sessions, joint problem solving, feedback on intervention logic and facilitation and partnership strategies, as well as guidance on adapting interventions based on emerging learning and market responses on structured coaching support to at least eight targeted program team members based on emerging learning and market responses.* Strengthening Facilitation and Adaptive Management Skills - RemoteThrough ongoing coaching, the consultants will support the program team to strengthen their facilitation skills, particularly in engaging market actors, influencing behaviors, and fostering sustainable market functions. The consultant will also guide team members on applying adaptive management principles, including learning from implementation, adjusting intervention strategies, and responding to changes in the market system. The Consultant is expected to maintain a capacity scorecard or performance review tool that provides an objective evaluation of hard and soft skills needed by team members. This tool will be used by the RLP leadership for continued capacity strengthening well after the consultancy is completed.Cross-cutting* Adaptation of Program Processes and Tools - RemoteIn line with the strategic review, and alongside team coaching, the consultant will review and observe team management systems, including processes, ways of working, and management tools. The consultant will provide feedback on ways to strengthen processes and tools, and together with the program leadership, will select any priority guidance or tools that would benefit from updates. After leading a collaborative process to update any selected program tools or guidance, the consultant will meet with team members as part of wider coaching to ensure they understand changes and how these adaptations will support the team to achieve their systemic change goals.Consultant Deliverables:The consultant deliverables will include:* Phase I report (draft for review + final) including: * Summary analysis of reviewed documents, collaborative inputs, and technical review of program documents shared with the consultant. * Technical Competency Framework (draft for review + final) that includes mapped competencies needed for technical leads in MSD, PSD and trade programming, defined proficiency levels (e.g. novice to expert, and a skills matrix * Detailed analysis of team capacity in relation to (draft) competency framework. * Detailed training and coaching plan * Phase II report (draft for review + final) including * Training tools/materials * Summary of training outcomes versus targets * Progress report of trainee/team member performance/capacity * Updated coaching plan aligned with corridor-specific intervention areas. * Recommendations (draft) for improvements to program processes, tools, and guidance documents * Phase III/Final report (draft for review + final) including * Final trainee/team member performance/capacity assessment with recommendations for continued support and monitoring * Report of coaching activities, copies of tools/aids used, what worked well, what did not work well, and lessons learned that can influence future capacity strengthening efforts. * Final recommendations for improvements to program processes, tools, and guidance documents including adapted tools as relevant. * As relevant, other outputs related to technical quality assurance. * Other deliverables tailored to specific program needs and regional priorities will be agreed on an ongoing basis.Safeguarding Responsibilities* Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work. * Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members. * Encourage openness and communication in their team ; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.Timeframe / Schedule:* The consultancy will cover a period of up to 40 days over four months, beginning March 15, 2026The Consultant will report to:* RLP Deputy Director - Technical Lead and with a dotted line to the Director for Markets within Mercy Corps Global Technical, Evidence and Program Quality team (TEQ)The Consultant will work closely with:* RLP leadership and RLP field level team members.Required Experience & Skills:* Demonstrated experience in remote support and coaching early and mid-career team members from diverse backgrounds. This includes * Demonstrated experience diagnosing capacity gaps withing teams and an approach to prioritizing skills building. * Demonstrated experience designing remote training and coaching programs that moves team member beyond theory and into practical and adaptive use of skills and knowledge. * Communicating complex issues in clear, easy to follow ways. * Applying applied learning techniques for adult learnings. * Providing constructive feedback and guidance to im…