Senior Officer – HR Relations (Maternity Cover)

Term of Employment:          Six months

Duty Station(s):                     Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Required Number:                one

Application Deadline:           August 14, 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.

Role Purpose:

Senior HR Officer: HR Relations will be generally responsible to execute HR relations activities including Medical and Life Insurance, Pension, Leave management, staff clearance and facilitating support staffs with letters and other issues. The incumbent should be highly disciplined, confidential, and proactive to deal with the life cycle of talent acquisition processes from end to end. Senior HR Officer: HR Relations reports to and works very closely with Senior HR Manager:  Organizational Development and HR Relations . The incumbent works is expected to collaborate with Human Resources Management and Development team members and other stakeholder in the organization.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Outcome 1:  Facilitate HR relations activities to enhance good working conditions across ATI (25%)

• Identify gaps, challenge and propose staff relations strategy and upon approval facilitate the implementation accordingly.
• Conduct surveys to enhance positive working environment across ATI that can ensure staffs are working appropriately to realize the objectives of ATI.
• Enhance conflict resolution mechanisms to ensure that staffs are working effectively.
• Conduct awareness creation, training and other capacity building to staffs to enhance the awareness on positive working conditions and environment.
• Ensure employees understand organizational policies and procedures.
• Monitor compliance with Civil Services Proclamations and procedures, organizational regulations, and codes of conduct.

Outcome 2:   Facilitate Medical Insurance for ATI’s staff  (25%)

• Develop TOR to recruit insurance for the Medical and Life Insurance for ATI staffs Work Closely with Procurement team to identify and select the appropriate Insurance Corporation to provide medical insurance cervices
• Facilitate appropriate budget is set with the required donors
• Support staffs to utilize medical and life insurance as per the agreement
• Compile, document and make avail all data relating to the medical insurance
• Facilitate quarterly meetings with the Insurance corporation to resolve issues raised in connection with insurance services to staffs.
• Identify, facilitate and resolve issues and problems that staffs encounter in the utilization of the medical and life insurance

Outcome 3: Enhance Employee Engagement, motivation, and recognition and reward programs to enhance productivity (15%)

• Facilitate and organize employee engagement activities and events and coordinate with appropriate body within ATI to ensure that staffs are engaged in their activities.
• Coordinate and facilitate employee satisfaction and pulse surveys, analyze and compile survey results, and disseminate findings to respective teams and management to support continuous improvement initiatives and enhance employee engagement and workplace effectiveness
• Develop initiatives and activities that can improve employee morale and productivity across ATI
• Coordinate and support employee recognition and reward programs across ATI, ensuring their effective implementation, promoting a culture of appreciation and high performance, and enhancing employee motivation, engagement, and retention.

Outcome 4: Coordinate, facilitate and enhance Employee Leave (15%)

• Compile and prepare the annual employee leave entitlement schedule, facilitate its review, and secure approval from ATI Leadership to ensure effective leave planning and compliance with organizational policies
  Upon approval of the annual leave entitlement schedule, coordinate and monitor its implementation across all Verticals, ensuring that leave plans are aligned with the approved entitlements and organizational requirements.
• Facilitate staffs utilize annual leave, sick leave, Maternity Leave and other leaves utilization as per the government regulations and ATI procedures.
• Develop, analyse and compile annual leave of staffs notify staff annual leave utilization.
• Support staffs to develop annual leave plan
• Update the system and generate utilization report in the ERP and notify eligible staffs

Outcome 5: Ensure All staffs register for pension and got number and facilitate staffs who retire based on the pension proclamation. (10 %)

• Facilitate that all new joiners register for Pension No.
• Notify those staffs whose probation period remaining a few months
• Facilitate documentation relating to the pension for staffs who will retire.
• Facilitate all documentations, evidence and information for those staffs who retire at the retirement age.

Outcome 6:  Grievance and Disciplinary Case Management (10%)

• Ensure that employee disciplinary and grievance cases are handled upon the prevailing Civil Service law, procedure and ATI HR manual
• Participate in investigations related to HR relations and other issues and recommend appropriate actions.
• Facilitate survey to identify issues that related to staff grievance, complaints and disciplinary cases and recommend solutions.

Required qualifications, competencies, skills, training and experience:

• Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management, Management, or Business Administration.
• Minimum of four years (for Master’s) or six years (for Bachelor’s) of directly related experience in human resource management, recruitment and selection, employee relations in a dynamic, digital system and complex working environment.
• Experience in an international NGO, or big private companies.

Safeguarding Requirements:

Safeguarding Requirements:  The (position holder, specify) must comply with ATI’s Safeguarding Policy and related procedures, promoting a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment and implementing all program/project, activities responsibly to avoid harm to people, communities, and the environment.

Responsibilities

• Promote a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for colleagues, participants, and marginalized groups.

• Remain vigilant to potential risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or harm to people, marginalized groups, and the environment.

• Promptly report safeguarding and /or environmental concerns through established channels

• Cooperate fully with safeguarding and environmental investigations

Ethical Standards

• Uphold professional and ethical behaviour in all (program/project, specify) activities

• Treat colleagues, participants, and stakeholders with respect and dignity

• Maintain confidentiality and share information only on a need-to-know basis

Compliance Requirements

• Comply with ATI’s Safeguarding Policy, other procedures, and codes of conduct

• Participate in mandatory safeguarding inductions, refresher trainings, and capacity-building sessions

• Implement all (program/project, specify) activities responsibly, ensuring no harm to people, communities, or the natural environment.

Behavioural competencies:

Stress management:

This competence is about the ability to work well under pressure or opposition, while maintaining effectiveness and self-control during any one or combination of stressors, including emotional strain, ambiguity, risk to self and fatigue.

Interpersonal communication

This competence is ability to work effectively with different people, acknowledging diverse opinions, addressing relevant concerns, minimizing conflict. Cooperating with others to achieve the group’s objectives.

Organizational skill

This competence is about the ability to identify priorities and recruit effort and time on the critical issues,

Integrity, confidentiality, and honesty

These competences are about the ability of the incumbent to say the truth, do the right things, respect the personality of people, keeping sensitive organizational and people data secured, and is dependable.

Initiative and dedication

These are personal qualities of the incumbent to take ownership of activities, acing by self-motivation without work instruction and the motivation to focusing on goals and objectives

Technical competencies:

• Employee Relation competence: This competence focuses on creating diversified positive working relationship between an organization and employee.
• Communication competence: This competence is the abilities to express ideas and messages through active listening, non-verbal communication, empathy, written communication, and networking skills
• Talent acquisition competence: This competence is about finding and evaluating candidates for open job positions. This includes selecting the right media for vacancy announcement, screening candidate, compiling applicants’ information, communicating candidates, assessing candidate, IT competence  Ms word, Ms excel and MS outlook and ERP to communicate and process data, share information etc
• Law, regulations, and procedural competence: This competence is about the ability of the incumbent to understand and implement respective government and organizational law, regulation, and procedures in the areas of responsibility
• HR Management competence: This competence is about understanding the general HR Management theories and principles (other than talent acquisition) in the areas of responsibility.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS (LANGUAGES, LICENSING OR CERTIFICATIONS)

• Writing, reading, speaking fluently in English and Amharic languages.

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.