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 (MoALR), 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:
Private sector partners are expected to play an increasing role in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. This private sector participation will become even more critical in the years to come, as Ethiopian agriculture strives to move from subsistence based, low-input/low-output farming, to one that is more market-oriented and integrated into the global food system. To effectively engage private investors and corporations in the Ethiopian agriculture sector, the ATA has a Private Sector Development in Agriculture Program area (PSDA), whose main aim is to connect smallholder farmers with commercial, market-focused supply chains to increase incomes and improve livelihoods.
The Project Officer of PSDA will be primarily responsible for identifying and addressing systemic and structural challenges to increased private sector engagement and investment flows to the agriculture sector. The Program will take a highly consultative approach, working with key stakeholders in the government, private, and development sectors. The approach will be to engage early and in a meaningful way with serious investors to understand their interests and concerns and work alongside key government partners to overcome key systemic bottlenecks preventing investment in Ethiopia.
This position will officially report to the Senior Project Officer of Private Sector Development in Agriculture.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Conduct targeted research and analyses around promising agribusiness investment opportunities
- Proactively identify and prospect local and international agribusiness investors, actively attract quality investors and promote Ethiopia as an investment destination for agriculture related investment opportunities
- Support investors navigate through their investment journey to convert greenfield investment opportunities and/or link them with domestic partners for brownfield investment opportunities
- Maintain an up-to-date Investor Relations Management (IRM) tool; establish and build ongoing relationships and track interested investors via the (IRM) tool
- Proactively present ideas and respond to queries clearly and concisely in meetings and interactions with external stakeholders, in particular with local and international investors and with key stakeholders
- Contribute to the identification and disaggregation of problems for detailed analysis and development of appropriate analytical frameworks for problem solving
- Identify and address key systemic and structural challenges to increased private sector engagement and investment flows to Ethiopia’s agricultural sector
- Advocate within government to seek necessary approvals and/or removal of policy obstacles for responsible agricultural investments and support the implementation of priority interventions
- Provide agribusiness investors and partners real-time problem solving support to overcome key challenges in operationalizing investments
- Develop and implement multi-partnership projects that involve large private sector actors, government partners, development partners, and other potential stakeholders
- Develop and maintain collaboration mechanisms and partnerships with government and non-government actors at international, Federal and Regional levels
- Prioritize assigned tasks and support the implementation of workstreams from start to finish, including content and timeline development, tracking and monitoring progress, and delivering discrete outputs
- Deliver high-quality written documents and presentations in English and Amharic
- Prepare and compile regular reports including but not limited to monthly project reports, quarterly and annual reports, and Parliament and Transformation Council reports
- Support the development of deliverables, performance indicators, milestones and targets; regularly report to the Senior Project Officer of Private Sector Development in Agriculture Team and other team members on progress, challenges and constraints of the work
Job Requirements
- Bachelors and/or Masters degree in Business Administration, Agribusiness, Finance, Commerce, Management, Marketing, Agricultural Economics, Development, or other relevant field
- At least 5 years (Bachelors) and 3 years (Masters) of combined experience in either one or more of the following: investment facilitation and/or agribusiness; corporate finance; business development/management/administration, program/project coordination; stakeholder management; strategy
- Fluency in English and Amharic is essential; knowledge of additional Ethiopian languages is a plus
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Deep understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector, with a broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private and informal partners operate within the system
- Deep understanding of the private sector and investor perspectives, as well as ability to ‘speak the language’ of commercial and private sector investors
- Strong skills in project management, political acumen, and extensive private sector networks
- Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high performance, teamwork, accountability, and results
- Highly facilitative and collaborative style
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, leadership, and data gathering skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Amharic
- Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service
- Previous experience in a private-sector consulting firm is an advantage
How to Apply
We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to submit (i) a cover letter, (ii) CV (maximum 5 pages), and (iii) a completed ATA Application Form at http://apply.ata.gov.et.
Women are highly encouraged to apply.
- Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa
