Program Assistant 71 views0 applications

Vacancy Announcement

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY 

Position:                          Program Assistant

Term of Employment:   One year with possibility of extension

Duty Station(s):              Addis Ababa

Required Number:         One

Salary & Benefits:           Competitive

Application Deadline:    September 27, 2020

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 Program Assistant contributes to ensuring the best use of organizational resources to achieve the team’s goals, through coordination and administrative support across the Analytics Team, and taking on selected strategic initiatives. He/she reports to and provides general administrative support to the Director and Principals on the team. In addition, the Program Assistant is also responsible for supporting the broader team administratively and by taking on discrete pieces of work with specific case teams consistent with the Program Assistant’s skills, experience, and development goals.

 ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Undertake a broad variety of administrative tasks to the Director and Principals including: arrange calls and meetings, schedule and coordinate Meetings, produce meeting notes, memorandums and communications, handle print jobs, manage printing of documents, and complete expense forms and other ERP processes

• Provide team management support to the Director and Principals including: support case planning, staffing and budgeting, procurement planning, coordinate case reviews, undertake various quantitative analyses to support team management activities such as quarterly team reviews and annual client surveys, compile reports and presentations, manage and handling other high-priority ad hoc requests.

• Manage and maintain leadership dashboard updated including leave tracker and staffing

• Manage bi-weekly team pulse check

• Support in recruitment of Analysts

• Manage regular reporting process including quarterly budget reconciliation and parliament report

• Regularly meet with finance to collect case budget utilization reports

• Act as contact for visitors and telephone enquiries, internal and external, using appropriate judgment to determine relevant course of action

• Handle other high-priority ad hoc requests from the Director and Principals, and deal appropriately with urgent requests when senior staff are absent or engaged

• Schedule and manage organization of team meetings, and other team events

• Manage the team’s knowledge management, ensure all case close off documents are completed

• Maintain and manage office supplies and facilities: including seating, internet connectivity, printers and other equipment

• Take on discrete pieces of work with specific case teams: Support workshop and field trip planning and management, process finance, travel, logistics and procurement, and printing activities, translate document, support specific pieces of analysis and output generation,

• Proactively identify and take on other areas where he or she can support the Director, Principals and case teams
• Perform other duties as assigned

 REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Diploma or bachelor’s degree, in any field of study, with strong grades.

• At least 2 years for BA Degree and 4 years for Diploma of relevant experience in a corporate or development agency setting as a program, executive, or administrative assistant.  Self-starter with strong motivation, proactivity, ownership, and commitment to produce results.

• Genuine intellectual curiosity and desire to innovate and bring large-scale change.

• Excellent coordination, administrative and project management skills.

• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.

• Collaborative mindset and a team player.

• Effective written and oral communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong desire and humility to learn.

• Proactively seeks and acts on feedback to drive own development.

• Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty, and desire to be of service.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.