Term of Employment: One year with a possibility of extension
Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Required number: One
Application deadline: November 25, 2022
BACKGROUND:
The Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopia’s agricultural development. The Institute does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions that address the systemic bottlenecks.
ATI provides a unique platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in 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 teams with the tools, training and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals.
The programmatic focus of the Institute responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and other sectors along commodity value chains. Across the programs, the ATI engages public, private, and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models. Currently, ATI is tasked to coordinate the revised Agriculture and Rural Development policy agendas of the sector and such sectoral level delegation requires high level expertise in the policy areas and skillsets in coordination and networking with multiple stakeholders.
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 team work 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 in 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:
Working under the supervision of the OSS Project Team Leader, the Senior Project Officer (SPO) serves as a technical lead person in crop, livestock, and business development support for AOSSs owners. It works on all aspects of business management counselling, advisory service in sub-grants management, clear guidance on development and implementation of presentable accounting systems and support the business development initiatives of sub-grantees, technical support for key agricultural inputs. The SPO will provide guidance on Business Plans preparation by candidate AOSSs during grant application processes, self-sponsoring AOSS. The SPO will be a key player in providing guidance to the grant application evaluation team and/or self-sponsoring candidate selections on all aspects of business management capabilities of the candidates through application of extensive business profitability assessment and analysis. Provision of periodic and need based business management skill enhancing trainings; grant utilization, input sourcing, technical support, and reporting in compliance with ATI’s policies to regional offices, AOSS staff and to create market linkage AOSS with Agricultural Input Suppliers are the major responsibilities of the SPO. In collaboration with the regional Project Officers, the incumbent will seek, guide & recommend alternative access to credit financing to the AOSSs. As a multi-faceted position, the SPO will review & monitor clients accounting reports, business performance progress & provide timely technical support wherever necessary. SPO will set standard business management for all AOSSs. She/he will be based in Addis Ababa, with frequent travel to regional project offices.
The SPO-I is responsible to align project implementation with ACC and the Farmers Production Cluster (FPC) Project to improve income of smallholder farmers (SHFs) by helping them to increase agricultural yield and achieve greater commercialization through effective and efficient input supply and distribution. The SPO-I will provide special attention to agricultural inputs such as improved seed, agro-chemicals, fertilizers and other agricultural tools and technology supplies for ATI’s priority commodities. The SPO-I will support value chain alliance and will work hand in hand with the ATI regional AOSS SPOs and other staffs as required. The SPO-I is responsible to compile key agricultural inputs supplied and distributed through AOSS ownerships relevant data.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
The SPO-I OSS is accountable for providing analytical and technical support to the Project Team Leader I-OSS to effectively enable the delivery of key agricultural inputs through private AOSS owners strategically and effectively. The SPO-I is accountable for ensuring the project contributes to increasing level of farmers’ adoption of improved input utilization practices.
The SPO-I is accountable for providing input related analytical and technical support to ensure the agricultural inputs value chain components of the ACC and FPC Project effectively delivered its desired goal and objectives:
- Work with a team in the evaluation of AOSS self-sponsoring/grant applicants, including performance of documentary and in-person due diligence of the applicant’s historical financial records.
- Support the successful AOSS applicants to develop pro-forma financial projections of their projects, including assisting in the design of potential impactful targets related to business performance.
- Support the business operation and sustainability of the three AOSS share companies established
- Develop functional working relationship with agricultural input suppliers, output market networks and the AOSSs.
- Assist AOSS grantees/self-sponsored outlet to access to input and output credit and commercial finance to help meet their matching investment requirements and project implementation.
- Provide capacity building, mentoring and coaching on financial management and business planning to regional business development POs and program beneficiaries over the life of the project;
- Provide training, mentoring and coaching services regarding business development to AOSS staff, technical support to the owners and managers
- Support AOSS in stocking and inventory management
- Set minimum standard for AOSSs business management and follow-up the implementation.
- Facilitate business to business relations between AOSSs and wholesalers and other chain actors
- Follow up the sub-grantee disbursement and on time request from grant team and follow up the transfer of cash to the sub -grant
- Produce timely and quality periodic reports; and other duties as required by the Project Team Leader.
Other duties and responsibilities for the SPO-I AOSS include, but are not limited to:
- Assist the Project Team Leader I-AOSS in managing the AOSS Project team workload to ensure on time completion of deliverables. Activities include:
- Assist the Team Lead in detailed planning, implementation, and resource allocation for AOSS Project
- Ensure effective operational planning of interventions and activities, budgeting, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation
- Ensure effective day-to-day management and execution of relevant ATI-owned interventions implemented by the AOSS Project. Oversight and tracking of relevant ATI-owned interventions implemented by other ATI teams
- Follow up and facilitate ground level AOSS implementation and ensure needs-based input supply through private sector, AOSS and AOSS share companies
- Provide follow-up and higher-level assistances to regional AOSS and share companies
- Review project progress and develop and monitor actions to ensure timely and effective delivery of project outcomes
- Assist the Team Lead in managing stakeholders to get prioritized support from the government agricultural ecosystem, private sector, and other implementers for AOSS and share companies to functioning smoothly and access inputs as required. Activities include:
- Follow-up AOSS, share companies including self-sponsoring outlet implementation and support in resolving strategic and operational problems that arise over the course of the project lifetime
- Liaison the MoA, EAA, EIAR and other key federal stakeholders and partners and perform higher-level preparation of annual AOSS plan and guide regions in collection of AOSS indicator data at agreed time intervals
- Provide technical support and ensure the development and revision of tools and approaches used to expand and strengthen AOSS and share companies
- Work with other project teams and project deliverable owners such as owners, share companies holders, exporters and financial institutions to ensure the provision of focused support for AOSSs
- Conduct assessments, developing, and leading the implementation of solutions to solve technical and operational challenges
- Assist and follow-up the identification of concrete commercial opportunities and market analysis system and approaches for AOSSs and share companies
- Provide problem solving support during the redesign and/or enhancement of AOSS Project, including improvement of support and approaches
- Effectively liaison with regional SPO-AOSS to ensure provision of coordination and guidance and periodic follow up and assessments
- Conduct capacity building activities and follow up support to ensure the creation of human capital capable of executing the AOSS Project activities, improve input access and quality
- Provide technical support in the capacity gap assessments and revision of revision of guideline, provision of services and institutionalization of the project at federal and regional levels that are ultimately converted for grassroots practical implementation and contribute to system change
- Responsible for compiling and submitting data and reports to ensure alignment on project implementation and identify potential risks that could affect the overall performance of the project, and perform any other tasks:
- Prepare and submit regular and periodical reports on own KPIs, Workstreams, Millstones and/or Activities and guide Regional AOS team for similar way of report writing and official submission to federal through the regional ATI working structure Prepare all biweekly, quarterly, and annual performance reports required by the ATI.
- Support the Federal Project Lead for FPC Project in all FPC and end-to-end crops value chain activities both at federal and regional levels
- Responsible for additional tasks assigned by the Project team Lead, Director, SD to meet team’s building, sprit, and functions
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, COMPETENCIES, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:
The SPO-I AOSS is expected to have familiarity with Agricultural policy and regulatory framework in Ethiopia with proven experience in agricultural input, supply, distribution, and utilization systems. This job position holder is required to meet the following requirements:
- Master of Science Degree in Crop Science/Agriculture Science, agricultural economics, agribusiness or other relevant fields with broad level experience in agricultural input systems.
- Minimum of 6 years experience with a good understanding of the agriculture sector. Working in inputs and output marketing and financing business is preferable.
- understanding of the agriculture sector in general and best agricultural practices in agri-input supply, access, financing, distribution, assessment, quality and utilization in the context of Ethiopia
- Understanding and practical experience on agribusiness, domestic and international market, and trade development, input marketing etc
- Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operation activities.
- Experience with program design, performance management, learning systems and monitoring & evaluation
- Knowledge of analytical methods of agricultural statistics.
- Excellent technical/computer skills
- Practical experience in developing linkages between producers/supplier and markets and working across agri-input value chains in Ethiopia.
- Practical experience in testing and scaling up relevant solutions at the local level.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork, accountability, and results.
- Ability to build relationships with all kinds of people.
- Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style.
- Excellent adaptive problem-solver in challenging environment.
- Excellent analytical skills.
- Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty, and desire to be of service.
- Fluency in Amharic and working knowledge of English are essential. Knowledge of additional Ethiopian language is desirable.
- Proven ability to undertake and oversee analytical studies, problem-solving and policy analysis, and willingness to innovate, design and plan catalytic and implementable interventions
- Understanding of private sector, commercial farming, food processing and marketing
- Broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private and informal actors operate within the agricultural system
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.ata.gov.et
It is mandatory to mention the position title under the subject line of your cover letter.
Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.
Women are highly encouraged to apply.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.