Agri-Business Coordinator at CESVI, Ethiopia

CESVI has been active in Ethiopia since 2018, implementing programs across multiple regions with a focus on strengthening community resilience and supporting humanitarian response in areas affected by climate-related and socio-economic shocks. Its initiatives promote climate-smart agriculture and agroforestry to improve smallholder productivity and food security. These efforts include introducing resilient crops such as sorghum, promoting moringa and legumes, improving soil health, and facilitating environmentally sustainable farming practices.

CESVI also invests in strengthening local value chains by supporting producer associations especially women and youth groups and linking them with micro-enterprises for processing and market access. By combining technical expertise with community engagement and academic partnerships, CESVI advances inclusive development aligned with global sustainability goals.

A key intervention, “She-F.E.R.A. (Moringa): Economic Chains for Resilience Food in Ethiopia,” financed by AICS Rome, uses a systemic, resilience-oriented approach. The project integrates moringa with sorghum and beans to promote resilient food systems, empower women and youth, and strengthen connections between farmers and local markets. Through improved extension services, resilient crop inputs, and integrated agroforestry systems, the project enhances soil fertility, increases production volumes, diversifies diets, and boosts household incomes ultimately reducing vulnerability to climate shocks.

PROMOSSO builds upon these approaches to deliver comprehensive, sustainable, community-centered resilience solutions.

Job summary:

The Agribusiness Coordinator is responsible for leading and coordinating the field-level implementation of agribusiness, agricultural production, and market access components of CESVI projects. Reporting to the Program Area Manager, the position ensures high-quality delivery of activities related to value chain development, market-oriented production, collective marketing, producer group strengthening, and private sector engagement.

The Agribusiness Coordinator provides technical guidance and supervision to field teams, including Extensionists and Community Facilitators, and works closely with community structures, implementing partners, private sector actors, and local authorities. The role promotes farming as a business, supports income generation and value addition, strengthens farmer organizations and processing units, and ensures that gender, youth inclusion, safeguarding, and environmental sustainability are effectively integrated across all project interventions.

Responsibilities:

Value Chain Development and Market Linkages

• Develop, manage, and strengthen value chains for moringa, legumes, and sorghum in target districts.
• Identify market opportunities, link farmers, processing units, and cooperatives with buyers, agro-processors, and private-sector actors.
• Facilitate contract farming arrangements and coordinate sales agreements to ensure fair pricing and timely delivery of products.
• Support processing units in business planning, market access, and product diversification strategies.

Technical Support to Farmers and Processing Units

• Guide Community Facilitators and extension staff on market-oriented production and post-harvest handling practices.
• Support processing groups on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), food safety, quality standards, and operational management.
• Provide technical advice on production planning, yield optimization, and value addition to maximize income for smallholder farmers.

Business Management and Capacity Building

• Facilitate business skills development for farmers, youth enterprises, and processing units, including financial management, record keeping, entrepreneurship, and contract management.
• Support the development of business plans, feasibility studies, and operational strategies for processing units.
• Train and mentor Community Facilitators on business-oriented approaches for agricultural production and processing.

Monitoring, Reporting, and Analysis

• Collect, analyze, and report data on production, sales, value addition, and market performance.
• Monitor progress toward project goals, track the adoption of market-oriented practices, and identify emerging business challenges.
• Prepare and submit weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports to the Project Officer or Agribusiness Manager.

Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise with local government offices, cooperatives, agribusiness service providers, and private-sector partners.
• Represent the project in market forums, workshops, and coordination meetings.
• Ensure interventions are aligned with national agricultural and market policies, and project objectives.

Other Duties

• Perform any additional tasks related to agribusiness development, value chain management, and project implementation as assigned by the Area program manager.

Safeguarding

CESVI adopts a zero-tolerance approach to any form of harm, abuse, or exploitation of children or vulnerable adults by its staff, associated personnel, or partners.

Our commitment to being a safe and protective organization begins at the recruitment stage. CESVI’s hiring process includes rigorous vetting procedures such as criminal record checks and disclosure of previous convictions to ensure the safeguarding of children and vulnerable individuals and to prevent any form of misconduct. These safeguarding checks form an integral part of the staff selection and performance evaluation process.

For further information regarding CESVI’s safeguarding and protection policies, please refer to the relevant organizational documents or contact the Safeguarding Focal Person.https://www.cesvi.eu/who-we-are/transparency/our-policies/

Essential requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Agribusiness, Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in agribusiness development, agricultural livelihoods, or value chain programming, preferably with INGOs.
• Demonstrated experience working with farmer groups, cooperatives, or producer associations.
• Practical experience in market linkage facilitation and private sector engagement.
• Strong report writing and documentation skills.
• Fluency in spoken and written English and Amharic; knowledge of local project area languages (Konso and Derashe)  is a strong asset.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to remote field locations.
• Experience of working in Derashe and Konso areas

Desirable

• Experience in climate-smart agriculture, agroecology, or nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
• Familiarity with donor-funded project compliance and reporting requirements.
• Experience working in resilience, humanitarian–development nexus, or fragile contexts.
• Experience in moringa value chain development and MSD

Other Skills & Competencies:

• Strong coordination, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks under pressure.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with a practical, field-oriented mindset.
• Commitment to gender equality, inclusion, and safeguarding principles.
• Good computer skills (MS Word, Excel, basic data tools).

Women applicants are highly encouraged