Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency Senior Project Officer I – Business Development Specialist Jobs

Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency Senior Project Officer I – Business Development Specialist Jobs

Job Id: 212680

Category: Agriculture
Location: Addis Ababa
Career Level: Senior Level (5+ years experience)
Employment Type: Full time
Salary: Competitive

Job Description

Vacancy Announcement

Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency

Position: Senior Project Officer I – Business Development Specialist

Term of Employment: One year with possibility of extension

Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa

Required Number: One

Salary & Benefits: Competitive

Application Deadline: July 15, 2019

Background:

The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopia’s agricultural development.

The Agency does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions that address the systemic bottlenecks.

The Agency reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development and is Secretary to the Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister.

The programmatic focus of the Agency responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development and the Transformation Council.

Within the Agency, issues are divided into four different pillars: Production and Productivity which includes Inputs and Crop Protection, Livestock, Research and Extension, Mechanization and Rural Finance; Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Growth including Sustainable Irrigation and Watershed Management, Sustainable Land Management, Gender and Nutrition, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Targeted Livelihood Support, Biodiversity and (temporarily) Planning and MLE; Agribusiness and Markets including Market Support Services, Commercial Farming, Agro-processing & Market Development, and Cooperatives Development; and Enhanced Implementation Capacity which includes ICT, Private Sector, and Organizational and Human Capacity. In addition, the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters Initiative is another critical focus area for the Agency.

Across the programs, the ATA engages public, private and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models.

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 Mechanization Services Senior Project officer (Business Development Specialist) provides technical support on the overall project planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and follow up of the project.

The SPO provides technical support in engaging key stakeholders such as Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE), MoA, regional bureaus of agriculture, cooperative promotion agencies and machinery suppliers and other governmental and non-governmental organizations.

The SPO gives technical inputs in coordinating trainings, field level observations and also actively supports the capacity building of mechanization service centres.

The SPO also proactively provides technical inputs in identifying challenges and proposes mitigating strategies in the implementation process.

The SPO provides technical support to the project lead in mapping out and strengthening the started efforts of establishing a sustainable business model in the mechanization sector that reaches all segments of smallholder farmers’ technology access and adoption.

The SPO is also expected to give high level technical inputs in designing strategies, in testing and promoting of business models across the regions.

Essential Duties:

Support operational planning and execution of the Mechanization Service Center Pilot Project, working with key internal and external partners.

Support the Project Lead in managing day to day Project activities, including leading execution of major work streams.

Coordinate project activities with stakeholders across the agricultural sector, including responsibility for activities for specific regions.

Ensure effective execution and regular reporting on own work streams and from regional partners, escalation of issues, and identifying, assessing and implementing creative solutions to challenges encountered.

Identify capacity gaps in partner institutions that hinder the effective implementation of the Project and support development of approaches for improving capabilities as required

Identify business related capacity gaps of MSC operators and Service Providers that hinder effective implementation of the project and design capacity building initiatives to fill the gaps

Contribute to identification and documentation of lessons and experiences from the project to refine the project design and implementation.

Others as directed by the supervisor.

Job Requirements

6 years for (MA) and 8 years for (BA) of relevant experience in Agricultural / Agribusiness sector of which at least 5 years in a leadership or managerial role.

Knowledge of the agriculture sector in general and agricultural mechanization sector in particular

Master’s degree in Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Economics or related field

Deep 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

Proven experience in creating partnerships at the regional and national level

Practical experience in piloting, implementing, and scaling up solutions at the local level

Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operational activities

Experience in working with public and private sector partners

Demonstrated track record of success with program design, performance management, learning systems, and monitoring & evaluation

Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork, accountability and results

Ability to build relationships with all kinds of people

Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style

Excellent adaptive problem-solver in a challenging environment

Excellent analytical skills

Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service

How to Apply

Application Instructions

We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to submit (i) a cover letter and (ii) CV (maximum 3 pages) to https://apply.ata.gov.et.

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency Senior Project Officer I – Business Development Specialist Jobs