Vacancy Announcement
ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY
Position: ICT in Agriculture Program Director
Term of Employment: One year with possibility of extension
Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa
Salary & Benefits: Competitive
Application Deadline: December 21, 2019
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 ATA’s ICT in Agriculture program team develops and supports initiatives that are related to the use of information communication technologies within the Ethiopian agriculture sector. The ICT in Agriculture program team plays a major role in supporting ATA’s program/project teams to determine if and how technology could help to address systemic problems. The ICT in Agriculture program team will focus the majority of its resources supporting other ATA teams, and managing existing ICT related projects.
The ICT in Agriculture Program Director will manage a team of several ICT senior project officers and project leads and will report directly to the Senior Director of Agribusiness & Markets. The ideal candidate should possess a passion for improving the lives of smallholder farmers and a strong interest in developing innovative information communication technologies to transform existing practices in Ethiopia. S/he would likewise possess the entrepreneurial ability to visualize transformation, and the ability to support the ATA to mobilize partners, stakeholders and funding, in order to drive practical change at strategic policy levels and localized project levels. The candidate should have a clear vision for driving strategic change and building new, lasting relationships with key government partners.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Serve as the leader of the ICT in Agriculture Program, assuming overall responsibility for the direction and management of the program; mobilize needed financial, human or organizational resources for program execution
Working with key ICT in Agriculture stakeholders across both public and non-public sectors, lead the development and implementation of diagnostic activities, strategies, and policies for ICT based solutions
- Provide high caliber support for Project Teams under the management of the ICT in Agriculture program (8028 Farmers Hotline (IVR/SMS), Agriculture Investment Map (AIM)) to ensure team alignment, high performance and delivery on priority objectives
- Manage and lead problem solving sessions and diagnostic studies to identify and design additional ICT solutions that can be utilized by Ethiopia’s agriculture sector
- Provide project management support to current/future ATA ICT related projects following industry best practices
- Hire new members of the ICT in Agriculture program, and provide high caliber management, coaching and support to ensure a high-performance team
- Provide high quality, results-focused stakeholder management, and build a genuinely collaborative engagement with key Federal, Regional, Private Sector, Non-Profit and Bilateral partners in delivery of priority sector objectives
- Regularly engage with other ATA teams to ensure that efforts by the ICT in Agriculture Program team are aligned and supportive of other activities undertaken in the agricultural sector, especially in Ethiopia’s Agricultural Commercialization Clusters
- Prepare and manage the ICT in Agriculture program budget; obtain approvals from senior level ATA management and monitor budget utilization against allocation
- Develop criteria for selecting, evaluating, and implementing commercial off-the- shelf (cots), modifiable off-the-shelf (mots), and government off-shelf (gots) tools and applications
- Support projects design and implement intuitive user interfaces that would enable wide range of end users get valuable and actionable information
- Serve as a thought leader to help the creation and delivery of strategies and programs to achieve ATA’s overall goal and mission
- Contribute to the development of an institutionalized knowledge base for the ATA
- Regularly report to the Senior Director of Agribusiness & Markets, and to the CEO on progress, challenges and constraints of the program team activities
Job Requirements
- Master’s degree in Information Communications Technology (ICT), ICT for Development, Computer Science, International Development, Business Administration, Agriculture, Rural Development or other relevant subject providing a deep understanding of the utility of information communication technologies
- More than 10 years of combined experience in either one or more of the following: the ICT sector, strategy and/or management consulting, IT/ICT consulting, business management/administration, technology solutions for business/firms, of which at least 5 years in a leadership or managerial role
- At least 5 years’ experience in designing and/or developing solutions to business problems
- Understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural system, with a broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private and informal actors operate within the system
- Passion and deep understanding of technology innovations (e.g. mobile apps, IVR, SMS, USSD, blockchain, artificial intelligence) and business model innovations (e.g. access to markets, e-learning, innovative finance, crowdsourcing, etc.)
- Proven record of excellence in managing teams consisting of diverse individuals and ICT-related projects using facilitative and collaborative leadership styles
- Experience leading IT or ICT Operations support functions for public and/or private organizations
- Demonstrable track record of success with program design, performance management, learning systems and monitoring & evaluation
- Experience in creating and implementing integrated technology strategies to support multiple units and processes, which includes analysing emerging technologies and translating impact on current and future business processes.
- Experience generating new and original solutions to complex problems
- Practical experience in developing and implementing strategies and initiatives in ICT and agriculture
- Experience designing and/or implementing nation-wide ICT projects a major plus
- Proven record of excellence in facilitating, developing and building relationships between a variety of public, private and other organizations
- Ability to communicate complex ICT-related topics to individuals with limited ICT backgrounds
- Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork, accountability and results
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service
- Fluency in English and Amharic is essential. Fluency in at least one additional Ethiopian language is a plus.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa
