Job Description
- Position
Title: Cooperative Project Officer
- Number
of Vacancy: 2
- Duty
Station: Mukalla
- Position
Category: Full-time AND Regular
- Duration
of Assignment: 8.5 months
- Deadline: 06
Aug 2025
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.
Program / Department Summary
Mercy Corps Yemen is continuing its FCDO-funded
Fresh Horizons pilot project, which applies and tests an inclusive,
climate-resilient Market Systems Development (MSD) approach within the
fisheries sector in Yemen’s Aden and Hadramout Governorates. The pilot works
with local market actors to sustainably increase income and food security for
fishing households and communities.
The next phase of Fresh Horizons will build on the pilot’s successes through a
9-month continuation phase focused on strengthening the supply and use of cold
chain equipment. Increased access to cold chain technology will reduce waste,
improve profits, and open new urban markets. This will provide improved
livelihood opportunities for vulnerable households and actors across the
fisheries sector - ultimately increasing food access and improving household
food security.
General Position Summary:
The Cooperative Project Officer will be responsible
for supporting the governance and operational strengthening of fisheries
cooperatives in Hadramout/Aden. The Officer will help cooperatives improve
transparency, financial management, and service delivery to members. This
includes facilitating governance assessments, co-developing capacity
strengthening plans, supporting cooperative-led cold chain uptake, and linking
cooperatives with equipment suppliers, financial service providers, and
training institutions. The Officer will ensure that supported cooperatives are
well-positioned to promote sustainable, inclusive, and locally owned solutions
that extend beyond the life of the project.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Conduct
governance assessments for fisheries cooperatives and help co-develop
tailored capacity strengthening plans.
- Provide
regular coaching to cooperative boards and management teams on
transparency, member engagement, and financial management.
- Facilitate
linkages between cooperatives and equipment suppliers, MFIs, business
development service (BDS) providers, and government departments.
- Support
cooperatives to coordinate group purchases, shared use of cold chain
equipment, and management of shared assets.
- Promote
inclusion of vulnerable members, including women and youth, in cooperative
decision-making and benefit sharing.
- Help
pilot cooperative-led service models such as pooled maintenance support,
fee-for-service training, or input procurement.
- Contribute
to cooperative learning events and exchange visits to promote peer
learning and dissemination of best practices.
- Track
progress against cooperative improvement plans and report on progress,
risks, and emerging needs.
- 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.
- Encourages
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.
- If
relevant, briefing or training any external personnel such as when working
with service contractors or subaward partners.
Supervisory Responsibility: None
Accountability
- Reports
Directly To: Capacity Strengthening Coordinator
- Works
Directly With: MEL Officer, Private Partnership Coordinator, Local
Authorities, Cooperative Boards, and Business Development Service
Providers.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Bachelor’s
degree in cooperative development, business administration, community
development, or related field.
- Minimum
3 years of experience supporting cooperatives or community-based
organisations, preferably in the livelihoods or fisheries sector.
- Demonstrated
understanding of governance principles, financial management, and
cooperative business models.
- Experience
facilitating participatory assessments, training, and coaching.
- Knowledge
of inclusive development practices and experience working with women and
youth.
- Strong
interpersonal, facilitation, and coordination skills.
- Fluency
in Arabic required; working proficiency in English preferred.
Success Factors:
The successful candidate will be a strong
facilitator and coach with a practical understanding of cooperative governance
and rural enterprise strengthening. They will bring a passion for inclusive,
community-driven development and the ability to build trust and accountability
with local groups. A commitment to transparency, local ownership, and long-term
sustainability, combined with adaptive thinking and strong communication
skills, will be key to success in this role.
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. By applying for this role an applicant
confirms that they have not previously violated an employer’s sexual
misconduct, sexual exploitation and abuse, child safeguarding or trafficking
policy. 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).
الصون و الأخلاق
ميرسي كور تلتزم بضمان المعاملة اللائقة واحترام جميع الأفراد اللذين نتواصل معهم
من خلال عملنا, سواء كانوا أعضاء الفريق أو أعضاء المجتمع أو المشاركين في البرامج
أو غيرهم. نحن ملتزمون بالمبادئ الرئيسية المتعلقة بمنع الاستغلال والإساءة
الجنسية التي وضعها الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة واللجنة الدائمة للتنسيق بين
الوكالات الإنسانية (IASC)، وقد وقعنا على نظام
الإفصاح المتبادل بين الجهات الفاعلة في حالة السلوك الغير اللائق. عند التقديم
لهذا الدور، يؤكد المتقدم أنه لم ينتهك في السابق سياسة السلوك الجنسي، والاستغلال
والإساءة جنسية، صون الأطفال، أو الاتجار بالبشر لأي جهة عمل. ميرسي كور لن تتسامح
مع إساءة معاملة الأطفال أو الاستغلال الجنسي أو الإساءة أو التحرش من قبل أو بسبب
أعضاء فريقنا. كجزء من التزامنا تجاه توفير بيئة عمل آمنة وشاملة, من المتوقع أن
يتصرف أعضاء الفريق بطريقة مهنية, تحترم القوانين والعادات المحلية. والالتزام
بسياسات وقيم مدونة قواعد السلوك الخاصة بمنظمة ميرسي كور في جميع الأوقات. كما
يتطلب من جميع أعضاء الفريق إكمال دورات التعليم الإلكتروني الإلزامية لقواعد
السلوك عند التوظيف وذلك بشكل سنوي.
كمتقدم للوظيفة، إذا كنت قد شهدت أو تعرضت لأي نوع من أنواع السلوك الجنسي الغير
لائق خلال عملية التوظيف، يرجى الإبلاغ عن ذلك إلى خط النزاهة في منظمة ميرسي كور
(integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).
Living Conditions
The position is based in Al Mukalla, Hadramout it
may require travel to Aden to support the project implementation.
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.
Accountability To Participants
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all
efforts toward accountability, specifically to our participants and to
international standards guiding international relief and development work,
while actively engaging participant communities as equal partners in the
design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Important Notice:
Mercy Corps never charges candidates any fees at any
stage of the recruitment process. If you are asked to make a payment for a job
opportunity claiming to be from Mercy Corps, it is a scam.
All official communication from Mercy Corps will come from an
example@mercycorps.org email address. We do not contact candidates via Gmail,
Yahoo, WhatsApp, or other unofficial channels.
If you receive a suspicious job offer, please report it to us immediately.
How to Apply
- Those
who have previously applied for the role should not apply again as we
already have their applications.
- Applicants
residing in the same location are strongly encouraged to apply.
- We
highly encourage female candidates to apply.
- Send
their application in English language, filling all required information
and attach a copy of their CV.
- Use
the link below to apply for the position following the right application
process.
- Only
shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Link: