Livestock Business Advisor

DEC is a local CSO established in 2007 and re-registered in May 2019, as per the new Authority for CSO Proclamation by the Ethiopian government, bearing registration number 0009. The organization has five major programs: the Child Well-being and Education Development Program, the Gender and Life Skill Development Program, the Employable Skills Development Program, Advocacy, and the Humanitarian Emergency Program. DEC actively works in six National Regional States and one city administration of Ethiopia, namely Amhara, Afar, Oromia, Tigray, Gambela, Benishangul Gumuz, and Addis Ababa City Administration. DEC would like to recruit for the following positions: 1. Livestock Business Advisor and 2. Gender Equality, Social Inclusion and Safeguarding Advisor

 

Position Summary

The Agribusiness Advisor – Livestock will provide strategic and technical leadership for the design, coordination, and implementation of livestock market systems interventions within the Jimma Cluster Intervention Areas

The Advisor will play a key role in transforming livestock market systems into sustainable employment and business opportunities for rural young women and men by strengthening livestock enterprises, facilitating private sector engagement, improving market competitiveness, promoting business development services, and supporting inclusive economic growth.

The position will work closely with youth-led enterprises, producer groups, cooperatives, unions, financial institutions, TVETs, One Stop Service Centers (OSSCs), government institutions, research centers, private sector actors, and development partners to improve productivity, market participation, enterprise competitiveness, income generation, and employment outcomes.

 

Required no. 1

Duty Station: Jimma

 

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Livestock Market Systems Development

• Lead the implementation of livestock market systems interventions focusing on poultry, dairy, shoat, and other priority livestock value chains.
• Conduct market assessments and value chain analyses to identify opportunities, constraints, and systemic bottlenecks.
• Design and implement market-based solutions that strengthen competitiveness and sustainability.
• Facilitate market system innovations that improve productivity, business performance, and employment creation.
• Promote climate-smart, environmentally sustainable, and resilient livestock production systems.

2. Agribusiness and Enterprise Development

• Support the establishment, growth, and commercialization of youth-led livestock enterprises.
• Provide business advisory services, coaching, and mentoring to youth entrepreneurs, producer groups, and cooperatives.
• Facilitate enterprise diagnostics, business planning, governance improvement, and business formalization.
• Strengthen business competitiveness through productivity improvement, value addition, aggregation, and commercialization.
• Promote innovative business models that generate sustainable employment opportunities.

3. Market Linkages and Private Sector Engagement

• Develop and strengthen sustainable business partnerships between producers, cooperatives, unions, traders, processors, exporters, and other market actors.
• Facilitate business-to-business (B2B) partnerships and commercial relationships.
• Promote market intelligence systems and improve access to market information.
• Strengthen input and output market linkages for livestock enterprises.
• Identify and engage lead firms and private sector investors to expand market opportunities.

4. Financial Inclusion and Business Development Services

• Facilitate access to finance through partnerships with banks, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), SACCOs, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), and other financial service providers.
• Support youth enterprises in developing investment-ready business plans.
• Promote financial literacy, savings culture, responsible borrowing, and sound financial management.
• Strengthen Business Development Services (BDS) for youth enterprises and cooperatives.

5. Capacity Building and Technical Support

• Organize and facilitate practical training, demonstrations, coaching, mentoring, and exposure visits for youth, women entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and local stakeholders.
• Build the capacity of project staff, government extension workers, TVETs, cooperatives, and local partners on livestock production, agribusiness, market systems, entrepreneurship, and business development.
• Promote innovative learning approaches and facilitate the adoption of improved technologies and best practices.

6. Stakeholder Coordination and Partnership Development

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with government offices, research institutions, universities, cooperatives, unions, private sector companies, financial institutions, TVETs, OSSCs, disability organizations, and other development partners.
• Organize and facilitate multi-stakeholder platforms to identify systemic challenges and develop collaborative solutions.
• Represent DEC in relevant technical working groups, coordination platforms, and sector forums.
• Strengthen collaboration between public and private sector actors to improve service delivery and market performance.

7. Gender Equality, Youth Empowerment and Social Inclusion

• Ensure that gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, and youth participation are fully integrated into all livestock interventions.
• Promote women’s leadership and economic empowerment within livestock enterprises.
• Support inclusive business models that increase participation of women, persons with disabilities, and disadvantaged youth.
• Promote safe, equitable, and inclusive programming aligned with DEC’s safeguarding standards.

8. Innovation, Learning and Adaptive Management

• Identify innovative business models, technologies, and market solutions that improve enterprise performance.
• Pilot and document innovative approaches for scaling up.
• Capture lessons learned, success stories, and best practices.
• Contribute to adaptive management by providing evidence-based recommendations for improving project implementation.

9. Monitoring, Reporting and Knowledge Management

• Monitor implementation progress against approved work plans, budgets, and performance indicators.
• Prepare timely, accurate, and high-quality monthly, quarterly, and annual technical reports.
• Ensure quality data collection, documentation, and reporting in collaboration with the MEAL team.
• Support donor field visits, assessments, evaluations, and learning events.

10. Other Responsibilities

• Contribute to annual planning, budgeting, forecasting, and review processes.
• Perform any other duties assigned by the Cluster Coordinator or Program Manager.

 

Required Qualifications, Competencies and Skills

• Minimum of master’s degree in Livestock production, Animal Rangeland, Veterinary Sciences, dairy technology, Poultry, Agribusiness and other related fields.
• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in the areas of livestock production, livestock Agri-business donor-supported projects related to livestock and livestock products value chain development, and other interventions relevant to the position.
• Deep understanding of Ethiopia’s livestock sub-sector, including dairy, poultry, and Shoat , with a broad perspective on how the systems function and how public, private, and non-government organizations operate in the system.
• Deep understanding and practical experience in job creation for youth in livestock agribusiness.
• Expertise in planning, prioritizing, sequencing, managing, problem solving, and reporting on livestock projects.
• Excellent understanding of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), common interest groups and entrepreneurship, and the mechanism of how it functions.
• Good track record of work experience in livestock farming, livestock product processing and development, and livestock product marketing with public and non-governmental organizations, training institutions, and other actors in livestock agribusiness.
• Excellent experience in creating and facilitating public-private partnerships in livestock agribusiness.
• Excellent understanding of Market Systems Development (MSD) and value chain facilitation.
• Commitment to gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, and youth empowerment.
• Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams under minimum supervision.

 

Language Requirements

• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Fluency in Afaan Oromo is required.