Vacancy Announcement
ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY
Position: Delivery Manager, Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) (Re-advert)
Term of Employment: Fixed term
Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa
Required Number: One
Salary & Benefits: Competitive
Application Deadline: April 22, 2021
BACKGROUND
The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) is a strategy and delivery-oriented government agency created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATA envisions that, by 2025, smallholder farmers are commercialized with greater incomes, inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability, contributing to Ethiopia’s achievement of middle-income country status.
The agency focuses on two primary national approaches to catalyze agricultural transformation. First, we support the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Resources (MoA), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within an Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Second, we support Regional Governments to accelerate development of high-priority commodity value chains in clearly defined geographic clusters, through the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) Initiative.
Our major activities include conducting strategic and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support, coordinating platforms to better integrate partners and projects, and designing and directly leading a number of implementation projects. Our headquarters are in Addis Ababa, and we have regional offices in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, and Tigray regional offices, allowing us to work closely with a wide range of public, private and development sector partners across the country.
Our Culture
We have an exceptional team of highly competent employees with a proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results. Our culture is one where talented, dedicated and adaptable individuals are committed to doing their best and exhibit great team work to achieve excellent results.
At ATA, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in changing the country’s agricultural sector. We offer rewarding work in a young, fast-paced growing organization with passionate, committed, motivated colleagues and excellent career development and training. We recognize our most valuable assets are our staff and are committed to providing our employees with the tools, training and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Delivery Manager leads planning and execution effectiveness; coordination of teams; tracking and monitoring of performance; reporting and escalation; problem solving and capacity building within the Ministry. The Delivery Manager will oversee the Sr. Data and Reporting Officer, and the Sr. Associate, and others as necessary, who will work directly with the Policy and Systemic Intervention teams within the MoA to ensure meaningful planning and implementation; continuous monitoring and tracking of performance; timely and accurate reporting, and rigorous and practical problem solving and capacity building. In addition, the Delivery Manager will lead the provision of analytical support to senior leadership on high priority requests, including trend analysis, strategic planning, and policy analysis.
The Delivery Manager will serve as strategic and innovation thought partner to MoA’s leadership. He/she will work closely with the Minister, State Ministers, and others to coordinate and derive deliveries. The Manager reports to the Head of the Delivery Unit and to the Minister’s Office.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Lead and coordinate strategic priorities of the Ministry based on its approved strategic plan, evaluate progress, and report on it periodically.
- Establish robust annual collaborative plans, set targets, budgets, and identify risk mitigation processes with transformation agenda deliverable owners and implementers.
- Engage with internal and external key stakeholders to discuss opportunities, evaluate, and propose if they fit with the sector’s priorities.
- Meet with internal and external stakeholders to solve problems, build, and maintain sound relationships.
- Develop and introduce performance monitoring metrices after aligning with senior leadership, implementers, initiative owners, and relevant internal and external stakeholders.
- Manage the design and roll out of enhanced planning, project management, reporting tools, processes, and systems to track and report on progress of priority activities.
- Strengthen execution and day-to-day project and activity management capacity of teams and MoA leadership to ensure effective delivery of plans.
- Proactively identify and prioritize key issues and bottlenecks that affect smooth implementation.
- Lead innovative ways of problem solving and solution development with the senior leadership for high priority requests from MoA senior officials.
- Coordinate studies on strategic issues for the delivery of systemic policy interventions in collaboration with relevant teams.
- Manage and provide strategic capacity building support and training on planning, tracking, and monitoring activity management / execution, reporting and problem-solving.
- Manage the production of value-added reports for decision-making through analysis and synthesis of data, and provision of recommendations to asks/challenges: strengthen preparation, quality control and close follow up of activity reporting.
- Support and serve as thought partner to the Minister, State Ministers, Delivery Unit Head, and other senior stake holders at the MoA and its affiliated institutions.
Job Requirements
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in economics (development, agricultural, etc.), business administration, project management, statistics, development studies or related fields. Master’s degree is preferred.
- At least 6 years of experience with a master’s degree, or 8 years with a bachelor’s degree, working in agricultural and agri-businesses, agricultural related project management, strategy, business development, management consulting, or in other relevant field, in either public, private or NGO sectors.
- Experience in both design/strategy and implementation/operations required.
- Excellent coordination, critical thinking, and analytical skills, with experience applying these for both strategy and implementation/operations.
- Strong team player with excellent relationship management, sense of delivery, capacity building, facilitation, training and presentation skills, and a passion for change and delivery
- Experience navigating complex organizations with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Passion and commitment for improving the lives of farmers.
- Self-starter with strong motivation, ownership, and commitment to drive transformation.
- Can act as a champion for change and can effectively support change management efforts.
- Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service.
- Very strong skills in Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access)
- Fluency in English required, with Amharic a plus. Knowledge to another local language is advantageous.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa