About JDC

JDC is the leading global Jewish humanitarian organization, working in 70 countries and in Israel to lift lives and strengthen communities. We rescue Jews in danger, provide aid to vulnerable Jews, develop innovative solutions to Israel’s most complex social challenges, cultivate a Jewish future, and lead the Jewish community’s response to crises.

For over 100 years, our work has put the timeless Jewish value of mutual responsibility into action, making JDC essential to the survival of millions of people and the advancement of Jewish life across the globe. You can learn more about JDC and TOV project at www.jdc.org.JDC, the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, seeks to hire an experienced and energetic Program Specialist for Tikkun Olam Ventures (TOV) Project to support its operations in Ethiopia.

Why work at JDC?

• The People – What we hear most from our team members is that they enjoy working with others who share their passion for doing good; Our staff aim to use their skills to make a positive difference in the lives of others
• A Global Environment – you will have the opportunity to develop a global perspective, working with staff from all over the world

• Tikkun Olam – This Jewish value of “repairing the world” is deeply important to us. Collectively we are dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of others

About TOV Project

TOV addresses the poverty of smallholder farmers in developing countries by increasing their productivity through greater access to Israeli Ag-Tech. TOV uses market solutions to improve smallholder farmers’ livelihoods and their families’ well-being.

KEY POINTS about the project

• TOV addresses one of the major challenges in agricultural development – the obstacles facing smallholder farmers. TOV brings Israeli Ag-Tech and know-how to thousands of farmers.
• The program's pillars are access to finance, access to Ag-Tech, and access to markets.
• The core elements of TOV program are loans to enterprises, and in turn to farmers, alongside a set of supportive technical and business services. The loans will be provided by a $15m dedicated loan fund, managed by an Ethiopian bank, specifically for packages of Israeli Ag-Tech such as hybrid seeds and drip irrigation.
• TOV is a market-oriented international development program that adopts the public-private approach to catalyse sustainable outcomes. In this way, the program significantly leverages philanthropic, private and public funds.
• The program's loan approach involves a high level of risk. This and other risk factors are monitored and are mitigated as possible.
• TOV was designed drawing on knowledge and experience from JDC's Global Response and Innovation Development (GRID) team, Israeli and Ethiopian experts, and has been constructively reviewed by colleagues in the field of market-based value chain programs.
• The philanthropic funding core of TOV Fund will, upon return of loans, be reused for TOV in another location or for a program aligned with TOV’s principles.
• The pilot phase began over 2018-19, with a learning mind-set to adapt the program in process. The pilot will determine the design and scope of the Full Scale phase in 2020-22.  

What will you do as a Program Specialist of TOV Project?

The Program Specialist is responsible for the coordination and efficient operation of Tikkun Olam Ventures project within JDC. He/she is responsible for:

• Supporting the oversight of all project activities in the field of operation, including monitoring of agronomic and Agriculture Technology implementation of TOV
• Supporting the coordination between field partners from Ethiopia and Israel
• Support or lead procurement and tender process from local and Israeli input suppliers
• Support the development of training materials, tools and strategies
• Contribute to design of TOV, provide agronomic insights for TOV team
• Ensure all compliance and reporting requirements of the partners are adhered to
• Support the documentation of TOV learning from agronomic and management perspectives
• Coordinate and attend partner/ stakeholder workshops and meetings
• Prepare and submit field reports in addition to quarter, bi-annual and annual reports. 

Reports to: JDC Country Director      

Start date: Immediate

What qualifications do you need to be our Program Specialist?  

• Project Manager and/or Agronomist with MA level and at least 5 years of experience. Candidates with experience in project management, providing agronomy support services and creating market linkages are preferred.
• Experience with the agriculture sector.
• Proven management experience with private sector, government services, NGOs (order of preference)
• Proven experience in working in an international environment.
• Experience in project management and/or partnership management.
• Experience in procurements processes
• Preference if studied abroad or participated in professional visits abroad
• Good understanding of participatory approaches
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills both in English and Amharic (oral and written). 
• Willingness to travel on a weekly basis to regions in which TOV operates.
• Well organized, analytical and able to prioritize multiple tasks
• Willingness to learn new skills and acquire new knowledge
• Excellent IT skills, MS Office applications