Advisor Economic Development

GIZ- Internal/External Vacancy Announcement #082/2020

GIZ-SURED Project

As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development policy objectives. GIZ promotes reforms and change processes. In Ethiopia, GIZ has been working for more than 50 years in bilateral cooperation on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and on commission of the Ethiopian government and international donors.

The Sustainable Land Management Program (SLMP) is one of the Flagship programs of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the Ethiopian government. It has been designed under the long-term (2009-2023) Ethiopia Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management (ESIF) and the Agricultural Sector Policy and Investment Framework (PIF). Both are designed to strengthen domestic and foreign support as well as planning of investments that contribute to Ethiopia’s agricultural growth and development agenda for addressing issues related to the existing challenges related to land and water resources.

GIZ has been supporting the implementation of SLMP since 2008 in different forms in Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regions. Starting from 2015, GIZ SLM has increased its geographical coverage and included three additional regions, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella and Southern Nations Nationalities Peoples’ Region.

GIZ-SURED (Sustainable Use of Resources Economic Development 2018–2020) will be focusing on the economic development and sustainable utilization of rehabilitated areas. Against this background, GIZ Ethiopia is looking to recruit an Advisor Economic Development for GIZ-SURED as specified:

Responsibilities:

• Introduce, plan and monitor the implementation of economic development measures through value chains, FBS including private sector, farmer producer groups and organized farmers like cooperatives.
• Select and support comparative beneficial value chains of inclusive and climate-smart nature.
• Identify opportunities to ensure maximum employment for utilization of rehabilitated lands
  

Tasks:

• Identify suitable private companies engaged in processing of agricultural products, input supply, capacity development in the region;
• Support the formation of groups in close cooperation with the Advisor Social/Organization;
• Provide training/guidance/support to group formations and private service providers on the elaboration of business plans;
• Provide training/guidance/support to group formations and private service providers on the establishment of value chains and elaboration of business plans in close cooperation with Thematic Advisor Value Chain;
• Facilitate linkages between private service providers and group formations;
• Capacitate relevant zone and woreda experts to guide value chain development and the elaboration of business plans for groups formations on income generating activities according to the PIM and governmental regulations;
• Provide guidance/support to zone and woreda experts on cross cutting issues, screening environmental and social impacts (safeguard standards) of economic development projects;
• Provide guidance/support to watershed user associations, cooperatives and unions on the creation of financing schemes, revolving funds, credit schemes according to the PIM and governmental guidelines;
• Provide guidance/support to relevant zone and woreda staff to supervise financing schemes for group formations;
• Support the introduction and monitoring of extension methodologies for commercialization of small-scale farming systems like Farmer Business School (FBS) into the project and partner systems;
• Assess and monitor all services in terms of rate of return, unit costs, cost efficiency other relevant economic and financial methods and standard agricultural economics;
• Introduce, plan and monitor the implementation of Economic Development measures;
• Perform any other task given by the project management.

Required qualifications, experiences and competences: 

• University degree (in minimum BA) in rural development, natural resource management, economic development or other relevant subjects.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in promoting economic development in rural areas.
• Minimum of 1-year experience in training community-based organizations in the area of business planning, book keeping etc.
• Excellent capabilities as trainer including participatory training methodology, planning and evaluation of training events.
• Good knowledge of the GIZ rules and regulations and of GIZ project cycle management would be an asset.
• Good technical knowledge in the fields related to SLM/SURED and practical experience on business plan development, value chain analysis and environmental & social safeguard issues.
• Experiences in public private partnership relationship would be an asset.
• Proven capacities for systemic and strategic thinking, planning and management.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of SLMP guiding documents (PIM, CBPWD, Exit / Sustainability Strategy, Operational Manual, etc.) would be an asset.
• Excellent skills and experience with relevant sector actors.
• Excellent knowledge of English and regional language, written and spoken.
• Excellent working knowledge of standard computer applications such as MS Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.).
• Experience in developing and building good working relationships with development partners, government organization and with other public and private sectors.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills on different hierarchical levels, including conflict management skills.