PCU Head / Portfolio Director

Employment:            One year with the possibility of extension

Duty Station:             Addis Ababa, Secondment to MoA with travel to project sites and  workshops

Required Number:      One

Application Deadline: March  20, 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, and workforce. The ATI’s work is centred on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers (SHFs) across the country for improved income, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability. The ATI works to transform the agriculture sector in Ethiopia by conducting policy and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support and capacity building, coordinating.  Platforms to better integrate partners and projects and designing and directly leading several innovative/pilot interventions.

The Institute joins forces with various stakeholders, including 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 and learning opportunities. The Institute plays a crucial role in generating and disseminating information to support evidence-based decision-making in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.

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 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 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 PCU Head/Portfolio Director is the senior executive responsible for providing strategic direction, leadership, and oversight across the PCU portfolio. Ensures that all programs, projects, and reforms are coherent, impactful, and aligned with national agricultural transformation agendas. Leads resource management, technical supervision, donor engagement, and institutional learning.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Outcome 1: Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Management (20%)

• Provide overarching leadership and strategic direction for all projects in the PCU portfolio.
• Develop and operationalize long-term portfolio strategies aligned with agricultural transformation and sectoral reform priorities.
• Lead annual planning, budgeting, and multi-year program design in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Ensure all projects are coherent, identify cross-project synergies, and propose strategic adjustments

Outcome 2:  Policy Coordination & Integration (15%)

• Ensure PCU projects incorporate policy priorities and sector reforms.
  Facilitate policy dialogue with ministries, agencies, development partners, and sector platforms.
• Provide evidence-based advice; guide development of policy briefs and knowledge products.

Outcome 3:  Project Oversight, Performance Management & Quality Assurance (20%)

• Oversee project implementation performance, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and results delivery.
• Evaluate feasibility, relevance, and readiness of project concepts; ensure robust M&E use.
• Lead quarterly, biannual, and annual performance reviews and corrective action planning.

Outcome 4:     New Project Development & Commissioning ( 15%)

• Identify emerging needs, sector gaps, and opportunities for new projects.
  Lead concept development, feasibility analysis, and investment case preparation.
• Oversee commissioning and rollout of new programs, pilot interventions, and innovation initiatives.

Outcome 5: Stakeholder Coordination & Partnership Management  (15%)

• Serve as primary PCU representative for MOA, donors, NGOs, and private-sector partners.
• Coordinate sector-wide engagement forums, joint reviews, and multi-stakeholder dialogues.
• Manage donor relationships, ensure alignment with national priorities, and oversee reporting.

Outcome 6: Financial Oversight & Resource Management  (10%)

• Ensure efficient, transparent use of resources; oversee expenditure tracking and portfolio-level budgeting.
• Approve financial plans, forecasts, and project disbursement schedules; ensure compliance.

Outcome 7: Impact Evaluation & Institutional Learning  (5%)

• Oversee portfolio-wide evaluation processes to measure sustainability and impact.
  Ensure lessons learned inform planning, policy, and decision-making; lead knowledge dissemination.

Required Qualification, Competencies, and Experience:

Field of study:

• Masters or PhD Degree in Agriculture, Economics, Public Administration, Development Studies, Management, or related fields.

Experience: 

• Work experience 12 years for Masters and 6 years for PhD relevant work experience out of which 6 years is in leadership and managerial position

Behavioural competencies

Strategic Thinking & Systems Perspective:

• Ability to see the “big picture,” anticipate future trends, and design strategies that address systemic challenges.
• Demonstrates long-term perspective and ability to identify interlinkages across projects.

Decision-Making & Problem-Solving

• Makes evidence-based, timely, and high-impact decisions.
• Handles complex issues with sound judgment and practicality.
• Demonstrates creativity and innovation in addressing constraints and emerging challenges.

Leadership & People Management

• Strong ability to lead, motivate, and mentor across multidisciplinary projects and teams.
• Creates an inclusive, high-performance, and learning-oriented organizational culture.
• Delegates effectively, builds trust, and ensures accountability.

Collaboration & Relationship Management

• Demonstrates professionalism, diplomacy, and emotional intelligence when working with partners and stakeholders.
• Builds strong collaborative networks, resolves conflicts constructively, and fosters cooperation.

Technical competencies

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Ability to lead complex, multi-year transformation agendas and align portfolios with national priorities.
• Demonstrated capacity to translate high-level policies into operational strategies and executable programs.

Policy & Institutional Reform Expertise

• Deep understanding of agricultural development policy, governance structures, sector institutions, and reform pathways.
• Ability to integrate policy priorities into project design and portfolio planning.

Advanced Portfolio & Program Management

• Proven ability to manage large, multi-donor, cross-cutting portfolios.
• Strong command of project cycle management, monitoring systems, results frameworks, and adaptive management.
• Skilled in feasibility assessments, project commissioning, and risk analysis.

Financial Oversight & Resource Optimization

• Ability to interpret budgets, financial analyses, expenditure tracking, and value-for-money assessments.
• Strong understanding of financial compliance, donor reporting, and cost-effectiveness methodologies.

Partnership & Stakeholder Coordination

• Strong skills in negotiating, managing, and maintaining government, donor, private sector, and civil society partnerships.
• Ability to convene multi-stakeholder forums and coordinate complex policy dialogues.

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 in both the subject line of your cover letter and the Outlook email subject line. Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply

NB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Contact Email: recruitment@ati.gov.et.