Vacancy Announcement
ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY
Position: Senior Technical Expert I – Inputs, Resources and Financial Products, RDU
Term of Employment: One year with possibility of extension
Duty Station(s): Regional Bureau of Agriculture (Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray)
Required Number: Four
Salary & Benefits: Competitive
Application Deadline: February 21, 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 (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.
ATA is currently in the process of launching a Delivery Unit in the Regional Bureaus of Agriculture to directly support them on their work on the Agriculture Commercialization Cluster (ACC) and the Transformation Agenda Deliverables (TAD). Delivery Units have played a critical role in accelerating execution of development initiatives in many countries, particularly in Africa, East and Southeast Asia, including Ethiopia. ATA has helped the set-up a Delivery Unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. The Delivery Unit will be jointly overseen by the Regional BoA and ATA senior management.
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 Senior Technical Expert (STE) will work closely with the Deputy Heads, the core team, and other colleagues at the Regional BoA and Affiliate institutions to provide technical support to the owners / implementers for interventions under Component 2 – ‘Inputs, Resources and Financial Products’. (detailed below)
Component 2: Increase access to high-quality inputs, resources, and financial products
This component addresses major bottlenecks in the input supply chain and access to finance, including an inadequate supply of improved inputs, inappropriate utilization of natural resources, inadequate input tracking, and limited access to financial products. The core objective of this component is to improve the overall input supply chain by providing site-specific fertilizer recommendations, providing incentives and capacity-building to expand mechanized service provision, expanding seed production and distribution through CBSPs (cooperative-based seed producers), expanding the network of One-Stop-Shops, implementing an ICT-based input tracking system, and proper utilization of natural resources, i.e., water, land, etc.
The STE must have strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, technical expertise and problem-solving experience, as well as initiative design, planning, implementation management and reporting experience. The STE will report directly to the Delivery Unit Head, and have a second, functional reporting line to the responsible Deputy Head(s) of the Regional BoA. This position provides an opportunity to be on the front lines of Ethiopia’s growth and transformation into a middle-income country. The Delivery Unit is part of the respective Regional ATA Office vertical and will be embedded in the Regional Bureau of Agriculture.
The successful candidate for this role will have the technical expertise to effectively drive the interventions within the component, strong analytical and critical thinking skills, experience influencing others in large organizations to simplify, focus and have urgency, and a passion for both results and capacity building. We are applying private sector style rigor to major social issues that can transform Ethiopian society.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
- Coordinate effective annual planning, budgeting and target setting activities for interventions under ACC Program – Component 2 (Increase access to high-quality inputs, resources, and financial products)
- Identify and analyze critical technical issues directly related to design and implementation of prioritized interventions
- Proactively engage with other DU team members, the ATA and external partners to develop solutions and recommendations to address identified technical issues
- Engage with senior staff within the Bureau, the ATA and external partners to align on and implement program adjustments
- Contribute to ToRs, concept notes, studies, workshops, and training materials, directly related to prioritized targets, deliverables or tasks within the program
- Monitor progress reporting through key reporting systems and tools, engaging with relevant activity owners to ensure reporting is timely and accurate
- Identify and escalate challenges around implementation and reporting, as well as solutions and recommendations, to project leaders and the Delivery Unit Head
- Provide capacity building on technical project execution to BoA staff
- Provide other technical advisory and input needed for effective program implementation
Job Requirements
- Minimum MSc (PhD degree preferred) in Agricultural development, and related areas.
- Minimum of 6 years’ experience in a senior role relating to agricultural inputs, extension, plant protection & health and/or agricultural mechanization.
- Deep understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector, with a broad perspective on how public, private and non-government organizations operate in the system.
- Specific experience in planning, prioritizing, sequencing, managing, problem-solving and reporting on implementation of program deliverables including projects.
- Self-starter with strong motivation, ownership and commitment to deliver results.
- Promotes data-driven and evidence-based problem-solving and decision-making.
- Strong team player with excellent relationship building and communication skills.
- Desire to innovate and drive rapid change for Ethiopia’s farmers.
- Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service.
- Fluency in English and Regional working languages required.
More Information
- Job City Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray, Addis Ababa