Background:
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.
Agrifin Program Context:
Nearly one and a half billion poor people live on less than US$1.25 a day. One billion of them live in rural areas where agriculture is their main source of livelihood. An estimated 70 million SmallHolder Farmers (SHF) live in Sub Saharan Africa, over half of whom are women. Smallholders, who typically farm two hectares or less, provide over 80% of the food consumed in a large part of the developing world, contributing significantly to poverty reduction and food security. However, increasing fragmentation of landholdings, especially in infrastructure, coupled with reduced investment support, growing competition for land and water, rising input prices and climate change threaten this contribution, leaving many smallholders increasingly vulnerable.
Mobile phones are a powerful tool to access the electronic national retail payments system and enable vast numbers of clients to use a range of financial and informational services at lower cost. In agriculture, progressively more services are being delivered via mobile phone. Applications now deliver direct specific, timely information on agricultural production methods to farmers through their mobile phones. Moving beyond one-to-one communication, there are internet- and SMS-based services that allow farmers to access inputs; access price information on different crops and provide a platform for smallholders to collectively sell crops and buy inputs, thereby lowering costs and accessing new markets. Launched in 2012, Mercy Corps AgriFin’s primary target group is unbanked smallholder farmers living on less than USD 2 per day. Mobilizing a vast network of partners, AgriFin ensures that the needs of farmers inform the design of partner products and services. Our shared global context is challenging – climate variability and population growth present unprecedented challenges. Yet, our experience tells us that farmers are determined to beat the odds.
Sprout and CGIAR Context:
Sprout, a project of Mercy Corps AgriFin, envisions a future where every small-scale farmer in Africa has access to farmer-friendly, expert validated agricultural information and knowledge on best practices and personalized services in the palm of their hands, helping them to make informed decisions, adapt to climate change, improve their productivity, and their livelihoods. Sprout’s approach and software platform leverages the emergence of key agriculture value chain actors - Farmer Facing Organizations (FFOs) and their digital platforms, farmer data and reach - as a scale pathway to enable FFOs to transform their SSFs’ access to decision support information, best practices, and personalized services.
Sprout is a member of EiA’s 2022 Cohort. Excellence in Agronomy (EiA), a program of CGIAR, aims to deliver an increase in productivity and quality per unit of input (agronomic gain) for millions of smallholder farming households in prioritized farming systems by 2030, with an emphasis on women and young farmers, showing a measurable impact on food and nutrition security, income, resource use, soil health, climate resilience and climate change mitigation. Jointly, Sprout and EiA have 7 developed deep content datasets and a new MVP Hyper Local Seasonal Forecast weather service for Nigerian FFOs and SHFs in Q1-3 2023.
The project seeks to address critical gaps in agricultural knowledge dissemination and support services for smallholder farmers in Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. With a focus on enhancing collaboration between Farmer Facing Organizations (FFOs), CGIAR Ukama Ustawi, and government agencies, the project aims to co-create tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of farmers and FFOs. Through structured surveys, platform assessments, and partnership initiatives, the project will gather insights, assess existing platforms, and co-design interventions to improve access to relevant agricultural content and services. By leveraging local expertise and stakeholder engagement, the project aims to empower smallholder farmers with the knowledge and resources needed to enhance productivity, resilience, and sustainability in agriculture.
Purpose / Project Description:
The consultant will lead all communications and marketing efforts related to the Sprout Platform. This consultant will also think creatively about longer-term initiatives, events, and ways to develop the Sprout Platform’s brand among its partners, online, and within the international development community.
Consultant Objectives:
Mercy Corps AgriFin (MCAF) is seeking a Senior Sprout Communications and Marketing Consultant who will be the lead in day-to-day communications and marketing efforts related to the Sprout Platform. This consultancy requires an individual who will also think creatively about longer-term initiatives and ways to develop the Sprout Platform’s brand among its partners, online forums, and within the international development community.
Consultant Activities:
The Consultant will:
In coordination with the AgriFin Communications Lead, publish content on social media and the Sprout & AgriFin website, maintaining continuity of themes, designing layout, streamlining navigation, and increasing online presence to potential partners.
Manage the Sprout Platform mailing lists and internal file storage system through the CRM, ensuring upkeep and organization.
Implement the Sprout Platform’s internal and external communications and social media strategy, draft and publish periodic newsletters, document, socialize, and share major achievements, milestones, and updates.
Support the Sprout Platform in achieving a strong, visible social media presence by developing concepts with viral potential and acting as an advocate for the company in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues, and answering questions where appropriate.
Develop marketing and branding initiatives, conduct research related to targeted audiences and regional competitiveness.
Streamline program reports and deliverables to highlight impact and learning across counties or topics.
Write and edit content to improve overall coverage and presentation of the Sprout Platform. This includes making suggestions for improvements, rewriting and rearranging material, checking for consistency, verifying quotations or illustrations, creating lists of acronyms and tables of contents, and providing guidelines for the indexer when applicable.
Proofread to ensure consistency in spelling, style, headings, grammar, font sizes, bullet listings, and spaces. Verify that no text is missing or cut out accidentally during layout, and check numbering, paragraphs, headings, and sub-headings to ensure they correspond to the table of contents.
Manage the design, content, and development of new branded collateral (booklets, infographics, videos, etc.).
Develop, prepare, and distribute marketing materials, social media campaigns.
Ensure proper use of Sprout, Mercy Corps AgriFin, and donor graphics and branding.
Work with the Sprout and Mercy Corps AgriFin on communication and learning opportunities: including events/workshops/visits. Prepare relevant communications for learning products such as briefs, op-eds, case studies, short videos etc. for dissemination.
Work with the content team to create and continuously improve the content intake process for content creation and design
Monitor and manage the Content Development Process to support the Zambia Government Content Development Project, promote partnerships including with the Zambia Government, and promote and market final and uploaded content on the Sprout Platform.
Lead marketing of FFO Market Research to Sprout FFOs and non-Sprout FFOs via LinkedIn and email campaigns, support research survey instrument development, and share survey learnings through marketing channels
Engage in other communications-related activities,and support project management as and when required.
Consultant Deliverables:
The consultant will work to produce updates showing the achievement of the deliverables listed below, alongside regular progress reports and activity time logs, in close collaboration with the DCSA Director and Sprout Platform Lead:
In coordination with the AgriFin Communications Lead, publish content on social media and the Sprout & AgriFin website, maintaining continuity of themes, designing layout, streamlining navigation, and increasing online presence to potential partners.
Manage the Sprout Platform mailing lists and internal file storage system through the CRM, ensuring upkeep and organization.
Implement the Sprout Platform’s internal and external communications and social media strategy, draft and publish periodic newsletters, document, socialize, and share major achievements, milestones, and updates.
Support the Sprout Platform in achieving a strong, visible social media presence by developing concepts with viral potential and acting as an advocate for the company in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues, and answering questions where appropriate.
Develop marketing and branding initiatives, conduct research related to targeted audiences and regional competitiveness.
Streamline program reports and deliverables to highlight impact and learning across counties or topics.
Write and edit content to improve overall coverage and presentation of the Sprout Platform. This includes making suggestions for improvements, rewriting and rearranging material, checking for consistency, verifying quotations or illustrations, creating lists of acronyms and tables of contents, and providing guidelines for the indexer when applicable.
Proofread to ensure consistency in spelling, style, headings, grammar, font sizes, bullet listings, and spaces. Verify that no text is missing or cut out accidentally during layout, and check numbering, paragraphs, headings, and sub-headings to ensure they correspond to the table of contents.
Manage the design, content, and development of new branded collateral (booklets, infographics, videos, etc.).
Develop, prepare, and distribute marketing materials, social media campaigns.
Ensure proper use of Sprout, Mercy Corps AgriFin, and donor graphics and branding.
Work with the Sprout and Mercy Corps AgriFin on communication and learning opportunities: including events/workshops/visits. Prepare relevant communications for learning products such as briefs, op-eds, case studies, short videos etc. for dissemination.
Work with the content team to create and continuously improve the content intake process for content creation and design
Monitor and manage the Content Development Process to support the Zambia Government Content Development Project, promote partnerships including with the Zambia Government, and promote and market final and uploaded content on the Sprout Platform.
Lead marketing of FFO Market Research to Sprout FFOs and non-Sprout FFOs via LinkedIn and email campaigns, support research survey instrument development, and share survey learnings through marketing channels
Engage in other communications-related activities,and support project management as and when required.
Timeframe / Schedule:
The Timeframe will be between August 2, 2024 to October 31, 2024.
The Consultant will report to:
Task Manager is the DCSA and Sprout Lead.
The Consultant will work closely with:
The Agrifin technical team and Sprout consultants.
Required Experience & Skills:
The individual consultant must demonstrate significant experience and expertise in:
Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences or Development Studies, Communications, Social Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Micro-finance, Business Administration, Communications and Marketing, ICT4D, Organizational Development, or Banking and Finance;
A minimum of 20 years professional experience ls in leadership, operations, communications, relationship building, strategic planning roles
Experience in marketing in the agricultural sector is a plus.
Demonstrated ability to manage websites and social media
Demonstrated ability to carry out independent data analysis and presentation of results to a wide variety of audiences
Demonstrated ability to multitask, excellent attention to detail and ability to take ownership of tasks, being accountable for their completion with minimal supervision.
Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including report development, writing, and editing
Demonstrated ability to work constructively in teams
Demonstrated experience in collaborating with an international organization.
Demonstrated experience in producing public-facing communication and marketing outputs for a professional client.
Understanding and experience in developing communication and marketing products or written material (as applicable) to appeal to both commercial audiences and NGO, government and CSO audiences
Experience working in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria and/or Zambia preferred
Excellent computer, verbal, and written communication skills, including report development, writing and editing.
Demonstrated competence used shared document platforms including GSuite, as well as Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel and Powerpoint). Ability to use flow-chart / decision-tree design software is an advantage.
Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Willingness to travel
Able to manage team and clients remotely
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
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 team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. 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.