Valid unrestricted work authorization in the country in which you will be based is required at the time of application for this position.

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Program/Department/Team

About Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV):

Mercy Corps Ventures invests in and catalyzes venture-led solutions to increase the resilience of underserved individuals and communities. Founded in 2015 as the impact investing arm of global development agency, Mercy Corps, we’ve supported 41 early-stage ventures to scale and raise over $333.9 million in follow-on capital. Our portfolio is 51% female-founded and centers around resilience-building solutions in adaptive agriculture and food systems, frontier fintech, and climate smart systems, so that those living in frontier markets can withstand disruption and plan for the future. Through capital and support, piloting new approaches, action-oriented insights, and rigorously managing impact, we catalyze the ecosystem toward smarter, more impactful investments. As part of our focus on innovative technology, Mercy Corps Ventures works with partners to responsibly pilot test new products and services tailored to un/underbanked and low-income populations.

Learn more at www.mercycorpsventures.vc

Background on Mercy Corps Ventures’ Piloting Work:

The hype of blockchain and Web3 solutions for underbanked populations has not yet been matched by the reality in emerging markets. While some real-world use cases exist, most lack the measurable outcomes to build a business and impact case for these technologies. Our pilots responsibly test, de-risk, and build the evidence base for promising, cutting-edge innovation while doing no harm to participants. These pilots leverage Web3 to explore nascent areas of our thesis, building resilience for underserved individuals and communities. These pilots are crucial for evidencing real world use cases in blockchain, digital assets, and cryptocurrencies, and sits alongside our work as investors, allowing us to understand and prove new innovations that could become investable in the future. Our pilots are:

• leveraging innovative technology (eg. web3) to improve financial and climate resilience.
• run in partnership with startups, who lead the design and implementation of the tech solutions.
• focused on creating impact at scale for underserved users in emerging markets.
• typically, 4-12 months long, and have specific learning objectives and KPIs.

For more on our pilots, please visit: Mercy Corps Ventures' Pilots

The Position

If you’re interested in designing and launching innovative and impactful tech solutions in Africa (and beyond), then this is the role that will let you work closely with the most exciting start-ups on the continent. This is the role for you if: 

• You are passionate about deploying innovative technology as a force for good in emerging markets.
• You are passionate about solutions that support underserved users to build financial resilience and climate resilience.
• You have spent 4+ years working in emerging markets in a strategy, consulting, business development / partnerships, or product design capacity.
• You appreciate the pace and disruption of working at, and with, startups, while leading with rigor and structure to ensure smooth delivery.
• You are an independent project manager, with a strong record of managing complex projects and delivering insights.
• You are just getting started on your crypto journey, or eager to dive deeper into the growing Web3 ecosystem

Application Process
In your cover letter, please address the following in addition to any other relevant information:

• • Why you are interested in this opportunity and why you are a good fit
  • Why you are optimistic / curious about web3
  • 1 web3 project that you are excited about and why

The purpose of this role is to lead pilot implementation with our partner organizations across emerging markets in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. You will work alongside the Mercy Corps Ventures team to develop a pilot strategy and with our pilot partners to develop a pilot plan, project management materials, impact measurement framework and more, for each engagement. You will provide management, administrative and operational support for pilots and be responsible for pilot management, partnership development, impact management, and reporting. You will be a champion of entrepreneurial solutions to the toughest global challenges and be motivated to develop expertise in emerging technologies and business models. Additionally, you will support new pilot design by conducting research on new use cases and speaking with potential partners, while also generating thought leadership on new solutions.