Program Officer (PO) – Post-Harvest Technology /Agricultural Mechanization _at Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Ethiopia

Duty Station: Addis Ababa (with frequent travel to intervention geographies)

Reports to: Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Technical Coordinator (TC)

Duration: 12 Months (Renewable based on performance/funding)

1. ABOUT SASAKAWA AFRICA ASSOCIATION (SAA)

The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), is an international non-profit non-governmental organization headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with Country Offices in four African Countries Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria and Uganda. SAA is dedicated to catalyzing sustainable agricultural transformation in Africa by supporting smallholder farmers in Africa to enhance food, nutrition, and income security. SAA’s programming is guided by three strategic pillars: Regenerative Agriculture (RA), Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA), and Market-Oriented Agriculture (M-OA), which together aim to enhance productivity, food security, resilience, and market integration for smallholder farming systems. SAA–Ethiopia, established in 1993 and officially registered with the Ethiopian Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO), is committed to advancing food security and sustainable agriculture. As climate change intensifies, reducing post-harvest losses has become a vital priority. To strengthen this effort, SAA-Ethiopia is seeking a Program Officer to support the design and implementation of interventions that minimize food loss.

2. POSITION SUMMARY

Funded by The Nippon Foundation, SAA-Ethiopia implements transformative agri-food system interventions utilizing Climate-Smart Food Loss Reduction (CS-FLR) solutions tailored to the specific context of smallholder farmers. The Program Officer (PO) will facilitate the technical implementation of post-harvest interventions. This role bridges the gap between innovation and accessibility by integrating small-scale, green mechanization with sustainable, market-based financing models to enhance income and resilience.

Core Responsibilities:

• Lead planning and rollout of innovative post-harvest interventions, including solar-powered and conventional technologies (threshers, mills, cold storage, dryers, hermetic bags, silos).
• Promote climate-smart food loss reduction solutions tailored to Ethiopian smallholder farmers, MSMEs, and local communities.
• Provide technical guidance on agro-processing technologies and ensure adoption of energy-efficient models.
• Organize and deliver training for extension agents, farmers, and MSMEs; establish farmer-led service centres; foster partnerships with government, technology suppliers, and financial institutions.
• Mainstream gender and youth participation in mechanization and service center management.
• Design and implement innovative financing schemes by partnering with financial institutions s, build ROI-driven business cases for sustainable technologies, and strengthen community savings models (CSIA) to help farmers self-finance small-scale tools and facilitate market linkages.
• Conduct monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, documenting best practices, success stories, and compliance with safeguards.
• Ensure timely delivery of project inputs, effective stakeholder engagement, and alignment with organizational policies.

Education:

• Master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering, Post-Harvest Technology or a closely related field. (Combination of academic fields and experiences are preferable)

Experience:

• • Minimum of 5 years in agricultural outreach, specifically in post-harvest management or value chain development/ Agribusiness.
  • Proven expertise in small-scale mechanization and the application of renewable energy in agriculture.

Technical Skills:

• • Strong understanding of rural finance, credit systems, and asset-financing models.
  • Proficiency in MS Office, database management, and mobile data collection tools.

Competencies:

• • Strong project management, report writing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • Proven experience with small-scale machinery and renewable energy applications in agriculture.
  • Fluency in written and spoken English.
  • Ability to travel frequently to remote project sites.
  • Understanding of rural finance, credit systems, or business models.
  • Strong background in community mobilization and market linkages.
  • Proficiency in a variety of PC, laptop and smartphone applications, including database, MS Office.