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.

Qualifications

Behaviors

Required

Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well

Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest

Motivations

Required

Financial: Inspired to perform well by monetary reimbursement

Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization