Project Background

The European Cooperative for Rural Development (EUCORD) is recruiting a Project Agronomist for the BOOST SECO (Barley Organization Of Supply and Training in South East and Central Oromia) Project, an agricultural development project funded by IFC-World Bank Group, Soufflet Malt Ethiopia & Heineken Brewery S.C. Ethiopia. The responsibilities, duties and qualifications for this position are described in below position description. 

EUCORD is a Brussels-based non-profit organization incorporated under Dutch Cooperative Law since 2003. EUCORD’s mission is to increase farmers’ capacity to sustainably grow quality crops matched to the commercial needs of the agribusiness sector and in doing so, increase food security, develop the private sector and improve the livelihoods of rural communities.

Position Summary

The Senior Agronomist will assist in ensuring the implementation of the project is done in accordance with the strategic directions and objectives of the project that will be implemented in close collaboration with local partners and local authorities; to ensure consistency of implementation of the project with national policies and strategies under the supervision of the project officer. The position requires frequent travel to field location sites within the project area.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support malt barley development in the new expansion areas of the project
• Work on implementing good farming practices in collaboration with communities and partners
• Undertake farmer mobilization and group formation, training and capacity building
• Provide technical support to other Project Agronomists and cluster coordinators both from EUCORD and SME
• Undertake the recruitment of farmers and adequate acreage in the region to deliver targeted quantities of malt barley to meet project targets
• Undertake regular field visits to the project zones to assure project progress towards activity objectives and goals
• Make frequent farm site visits and provide technical advice to farmers, FEs and DAs
• Organize and coordinate lessons learnt from workshops and field days
• Organize demonstration plots with improved farm practices in new expansion project operational area
• Ensure farmers meet targets allocated to them
• Ensure timely availability and distribution of quality malt barley seed
• Advise farmers on the best production techniques and ensure good agronomic practices are applied to produce better yields and quality malt barely
• Carry out assessments to determine malt barley yields to assist management determine adequacy, deficits and storage needs together with other Project Agronomists
• Perform other duties as may be required.

Required #: 1

Reporting responsibility

The Senior Agronomist will report to the Project Manager/Country Representative. S/he will also report to SME’s head of agronomy and Barley Supply Chain. 

Job Requirements

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of a MSc degree in Agriculture, Crop Science, Agronomy, or related field
• Strong agronomical background on the production of malt barley and field management skills
• Minimum of five years’ experience on malt barley and related crops production and protection
• Experience in crop value chain development and working with smallholder farmers
• Good interpersonal and oral and written communication skills in English and local language (Afan Oromo and Amharic)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Word and Excel
• Ability to travel within the project locations
• Flexibility to work both in a team and independently
• Strong team building and networking skills
• Proven ability to meet deadlines and operate effectively in a deadline-driven environment.
• Passionate about working with and for smallholder farmers

How to Apply

Application deadline : Applications submitted after 5 July 2021 are not accepted

Applications should be accompanied by a cover letter, a detailed CV, names of at least three (3) referees.

Interested candidates should also clearly state their current and expected remuneration. Applications shall be submitted to the following e-mail address: infoethiopia@eucord.org

In order to be considered, please make sure to fill out the online questionnaire through the provided link