Project Officer – Impact for Sustainability Consulting Service PLC, Ethiopia

About Impact for Sustainability Consulting

Impact for Sustainability Consulting Service PLC (I4S) is legally registered in Ethiopia and based in Addis Ababa. I4S provides tailored and quality advisory services to tackle pressing challenges faced by civil society organizations (CSOs), businesses, and government agencies on business development, market system development, evaluation and knowledge management, management and leadership, and regenerative business. The company strives to find solutions that are lasting and have positive impacts. In order to achieve lasting solutions, the I4S approach is participatory with a strong focus on capacitating and empowering the clients it serves.

Project Description

The objective of the project is supporting an enterprise to create a sustainable supply chain of various agricultural products through the formation of farmers unions and operationalization of a commercial farm. The assignment is sub-contracted by First Consult and it involves creating jobs for 2,000 youth and women, organizing 1,000 youth farmers in to cooperatives, and facilitating apprenticeship for 500 students. Seventy percent of the beneficiaries will be women. The project is being implemented for 20 months until December 31, 2023 in three locations: Meskan, SNNPR; Minjar and Sela Dingay, Amhara; and Gura Ferda, South West Ethiopia Peoples’ Region.

Position Description

The Project Officer will be responsible for supporting the Project Manager in coordinating, planning, implementation and reporting of the project interventions and meet deliverables. S/he will provide technical guidance and ensure high level of deliverables by the Business Advisors based in the regions. S/he will also be responsible for timely and high quality data collection, analyses and reporting based on the project monitoring and as per client requirement.

Job Description

Technical and Financial Management

• Provide technical expertise and coordination in women and youth employment, cooperative business development, market linkage between women and youth groups and a commercial farm enterprise
• Lead preparation of training modules, and facilitation of trainings, workshops and meetings
• Prepare, coordinate reviews, and edit project-related documents, including contractor scopes of work, terms of reference, progress updates, memorandum of understanding, and other documents
• Collaborate with I4S finance team to ensure monthly fund transfers to satellite project office and ensure projects spends stays on track
• Support the Project Manager in ensuring I4S Policies and Procedures, Financial Rules and Regulations are adhered to for efficient project implementation and progress

Project Management and Support

• Co-lead annual and other regular work plans and budgets and submit to the Project Manager
• Provide administrative support and serve as headquarter focal person for field team, including supporting the team with travel logistics, procurement, hiring, and others
• Liaise with field office staff on various operational, technical and program areas as well as project-related personnel issues
• Mentor and coach technical team to enhance their competence in women and youth employment, cooperative business development, and market linkage
• Identify operational, administrative, financial and other bottlenecks that may impede project delivery; recommend solutions; and take appropriate remedial action

Project Monitoring and Reporting

• Serve as the project focal person for monitoring and evaluation
• Update and/or develop new monitoring and evaluation plan, tools and system and execute them to respond to the needs of the project monitoring and as per client requirement
• Ensure timely and high quality reporting as per the internal and client requirements
• Ensure that lessons from monitoring and evaluation exercises are integrating into future project plans
• Maintain records of project files and other supporting documents in hard and soft copy

Relationship Management and Project Representation

• Build and maintain relationship with women and youth groups, cooperatives, commercial farm enterprise, and client
• Ensure that good relationships are maintained between the project and governmental and non-governmental stakeholders
• Participate and represent project at external functions, as required

Project: Creation of a sustainable supply chain of various agricultural products through the formation of farmers unions and operationalization of a commercial farm

Reports to: Project Manager and Lead Agribusiness Consultant

Duration: Starting from July 01, 2022 to December 31, 2023

Travel: 50% to project locations

I4S is looking for an individual who fulfil the requirements below

• BSc degree in Business Administration, Agricultural/Economics, Agribusiness Management, Cooperative, or other business related fields with minimum 2 years of experience
• Experience on women and youth employment, cooperative and SMEs is preferred
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Fluency in Amharic and good knowledge of Oromiffa is an advantage
• Strong communication skills
• Proven data collection, organization and analysis skill
• Report writing skill in English language
• Willingness to travel to project locations and have experience working in rural setting