Financial Advisor

Term of Employment:   One year with possibility of extension

Duty Station(s):   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (with travel to Centres and FARM Programme sites as needed)

Required Number:    One

Application Deadline:    August 7, 2026

Job Description

BACKGROUND:

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), formerly known as the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), is a strategy and delivery-oriented government institute created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, which is a key contributor to the country’s GDP, exports, Systems and capacities of the workforces. The ATI’s focuses on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, pastoralists, internally displaced people (IDPs), recovering people affected by conflict and other across the country for improved income, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability.

The ATI works to transform the agriculture and rural development in Ethiopia by conducting analytical studies in the policy and programmatic areas, piloting innovative agricultural technologies and systems , creating jobs to youth and women along the value chain providing technical implementation support, linking actors along the value-chains and attracting foreign direct investment who can work with cluster farmers, implementing problem based, inclusive and sustainable innovative projects and programs and building capacities of diverse players along the transformation continuum.

The Institute joins forces with various stakeholders, like MoA and other affiliate Institutions of the Ministry, policymakers, researchers, farmers, and development partners, to support the implementation of agricultural development programs and initiatives. In addition, the ATI collaborates with national and international partners to facilitate knowledge exchange, learning opportunities and resources mobilization. . The Institute plays a crucial role primarily in supporting agricultural policy and strategies development to drive transformation of agriculture and rural development; facilitate knowledge exchange, generating and disseminating information to support evidence-based policy formulation and decision-making and pilot innovative projects to be scaled nationwide.

Our Culture

ATI brings together highly competent specialists to address some of the toughest challenges in agriculture and rural development and make transformation a practical reality. We work with clear insight and foresight analysis, measurable goals, making use of the unique strengths of our staff. 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 teamwork to achieve excellent results.

At ATI, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution to agricultural and rural transformation leading to structural changes of the sector.  We expand our thinking, strengthen our capabilities, and redefine our roles to cover new settings to the extent possible fitting to national, continental and global dynamics. 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.

The ATI is committed to fostering a safe, respectful, inclusive, and equitable environment for its employees, farmers, partners, and all stakeholders. We maintain zero tolerance for any form of abuse, exploitation, harassment, discrimination, bullying, retaliation, or other harmful conduct. The Institute is dedicated to promoting equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion by ensuring fair and respectful treatment regardless of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, or other protected characteristics. We expect all employees, consultants, and partners to uphold ATI’s Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, and related ethical standards in all interactions with colleagues, farmers, communities, and stakeholders. Successful candidates will be required to demonstrate commitment to these principles and to contribute to a workplace and service environment that protects the dignity, rights, safety, and well-being of all individuals.

There are many reasons to join us, but if you are seeking a dynamic and meaningful career whin a community of talented professionals with diverse expertise-collaborating to create real impact-ATI is the right place for you.

THE FARM PROJECT

The FARM project, co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), contributes to reducing food insecurity in three northern regions of Ethiopia – Amhara, Tigray and Afar – by revitalizing resilient agricultural livelihoods and improving the agricultural productivity through sustainable strengthening of the seed sector and of agro-ecological practices.

POSITION SUMMARY

To ensure effective implementation of project activities, rigorous financial analysis and generating timely, accurate financial reports are essential. The Financial Advisor plays a key role in financial planning, budget formulation, and budget monitoring by coordinating forecasts, tracking expenditures against budgets, and analyzing variances with explanation. The Advisor also ensures compliance with ATI internal policies and donors’ requirements. Furthermore, the Advisor identifies financial risks, recommends mitigation strategies, and supports the strengthening of internal controls to safeguard project resources. Through these efforts, the Financial Advisor enhances transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making, contributing directly to the effective and rational management of FARM Project’s financial resources.

The Financial Advisor is accountable for the specific deliverables of the FARM team, pertaining to analyzing, data management, cash management, treasury/disbursement management, reporting, as well as organization-wide budgeting process of FARM Project.

The Financial Advisor is expected to work closely with and has direct oversight of the activities of the FARM to ensure the fulfillment of responsibilities. The advisor also acts as a liaison between FARM Project & FARM Administration and Finance Manager, FARM Sub grant Officer, FARM Regional Finance Officers, Partnership Team and the rest of the finance and administration team to ensure the smooth functioning of the FARM project operation and interventions.

The Financial Advisor will be required to travel occasionally to Amhara, Tigray and Afar regions to provide on-site financial support, capacity building and oversight to regional partners and subgrantees, ensuring compliance with ATI, AFD and EU financial rules.

The Financial Advisor will report to the ATI Finance Director with technical line and to FARM Project Director with Matrix line.  In this transversal role, he/she works in close collaboration with the FARM finance and administration team, ensuring effective coordination, providing functional supervision and delivering technical support to strengthen financial management and accountability across the project.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial planning and budgeting

• Lead and coordinate the preparation of FARM project financial forecasts and budgets (segmented per region and financing source), in close collaboration with the technical teams
• Prepare disbursement requests in accordance with the financing agreements, and submit to Partnership team for submission to Donor, ensuring that the utilization of previous advances is fully justified and properly documented
• Support the harmonization of financial planning and reporting processes across various ATI departments, technical teams and project partners (subgrantees)
• Support donor-specific budget planning and reporting requirements – including the preparation of timely and accurate budgeted work plans, disbursement requests and
• comprehensive biannual financial reports, ensuring compliance with AFD, EU, and ATI financial policies Financial monitoring, analysis and reporting
• Monitor budget execution by financing source and by region
• Periodically review FARM project budgets to ensure alignment with evolving program priorities and procurement processes
• Track project spending against planned activities and approved budgets; highlight and analyze variances
• Assist in compiling periodic FARM Project BVA and other donor-required financial reports for review
• Review and analyze FARM project transactions with technical teams; ensure timely identification and explanation of budget variances and investigate any irregularities or unusual items; recommend corrective measures as needed to ensure full compliance
• Evaluate financial performance against benchmarks, comparing results to planned activities, and recommend feasible solution to maintain desired track
• Prepare and present high-quality financial reports, segmented per financing source and region, to ATI project management and AFD to facilitate effective budget monitoring, decision-making and support financial planning Financial operations
• Coordinate the reconciliation of financial data between AGRESSO systems, as well as between ATI HQ, Regional Offices and subgrantees; ensure timely resolution of discrepancies
• Oversee monthly reconciliation of all FARM project transactions with financial records, ensuring accuracy and consistency across systems
• Verify that FARM project taxes are correctly deducted and reported according to national legislation
• Review and monitor cash flow forecasts to ensure sufficient liquidity and avoid overruns; oversee the management of cash and bank balances
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timely entry of FARM project financial data into Agresso ERP, with all transactions appropriately coded and supported
• Provide advisory support to FARM project manager on checks and validations on payment requests and vouchers to confirm alignment with approved budgets and thresholds
• Support and ensure the application of strong internal financial controls, review receivables, payables, bank transactions, and cash handling; maintain an updated list of authorized signatories
• Support and ensure secure and documented processes for FARM project financial transaction records, including proper document retention for audit trail purposes
• Support the Finance Director, the project subgrant officer and Regional Finance Officers in applying robust control measures to FARM financial operations and ensure that these are consistently implemented across all financial workflows
• Provide functional supervision and coordinate of Finance Officers involved in FARM project transaction processing to ensure timeliness, accuracy, and compliance.

Stakeholder engagement and capacity building

• Serve as a financial liaison across FARM project team, ATI regional offices, and implementing partners (including subgrantees), building a shared understanding of FARM project financial requirements
• Coordinate and assist regional partners (including subgrantees) to ensure compliance with ATI financial policies, sub granting agreements, financing agreements and donors’ specific requirements
• Provide oversight and quality assurance for subgrantees’ financial planning, monitoring and reporting, ensuring compliance with donor and ATI standards; in particular, review and ensure the accuracy and completeness of subgrantee financial planning, reporting, and disbursement requests before submission to the central Project Management Unit
• Deliver regular support and training to ATI staff and subgrantees in Amhara, Tigray and Afar on financial forecasting, monitoring and reporting

Risk management and assurance

• Assess and monitor financial and operational risks related to budget execution and fund utilization; recommend and track mitigation strategies
• Coordinate efforts to ensure that financial operations at all project levels, including subgrantees, comply with ATI and AFD/EU funding requirements
• Strengthen internal control processes related to financial planning, monitoring and reporting, to enhance financial accountability and performance tracking
• Support internal and external audits by preparing financial documentation, responding to audit queries following up on audit recommendations
• Promote continuous improvement by ensuring lessons learned are integrated into improved processes

Required qualification, Competencies, Skills, Trainings and Experience:

• Minimum Masters’s degree or PhD from recognized University in Accounting or Accounting & Finance.
• Professional Experience: At least 12 years of relevant professional experience for  Master’s degree and at least 6 years of relevant professional experience for PhD. Of the total experience, a minimum of 6 years must be in leadership and managerial positions. And  should have relevant experience as a Financial Advisor in government institutions, donor-funded bilateral and multilateral organizations, international or local NGOs, or other related organizations.
• Membership in one of the five recognized accounting professional bodies is a strong advantage: ACCA, CIPFA, ICAEW; ICAI (or ICAS) and CIMA
• Strong understanding of donor financial management and compliance requirements
• Special Training and proficient computer knowledge in MS Office (especially Excel, Word and PowerPoint)
• Prior knowledge of automated accounting systems like Agresso ERP or Oracle-IFMIS is mandatory
• Knowledge of local laws of the country
• Commitment to ATI and FARM Project values
• Flexibility and ability to stay effective and motivated in a fast-changing environment
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability and willingness to work long hours and work with other staff, including field travels
• Fluency in English and Amharic and/or other Ethiopian languages is highly desired
• Superior attention to details; skills such as analytical ability; critical thinking; problem-solving; multi-tasking abilities are required, in addition to a strong sense of integrity and honesty

HOW TO APPLY

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to submit (i) a cover letter and (ii) a CV (maximum 5 pages) to: https://apply.ati.gov.et.

It is mandatory to mention the position title under the subject line of your cover letter.

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

NB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.