Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a subcontractor on the RTI-led consortium implementing the USAID-funded Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture (TA) project. The purpose of the USAID/Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture activity is to increase access to healthy diets, particularly for women and children, by improving competitiveness, inclusiveness, and resilience of the Ethiopian food and agriculture system.  This program is the core component of a suite of food and agriculture activities funded by USAID. As such, TA must collaborate intensively with other USAID-funded projects working in the food and agriculture sector.

TA will build on previous USG-funded activities to sustainably improve access to healthy diets for all in the targeted communities using a food systems lens. Acknowledging that economic transformation tends to bring new malnutrition challenges, TA will support transformation of the food systems so that a healthy diet is increasingly easy to access. TA will also support the food and agriculture systems to become more sustainable, resilient, and responsive, increasing its long-term capacity to adapt to change, shocks, and stressors. Finally, TA will facilitate increased public-private partnership and collaboration to spur a more favorable policy environment for private sector investment, sustainable and resilient food systems, and innovation that serves the population’s economic and dietary needs.

Position Summary:

The Food Environment Officer will work directly with the Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture activity team, technical assistance recipients and beneficiaries including enterprises and associations in the animal- and plant-based food sectors, the Government of Ethiopia and other development agents in Ethiopia to plan, develop, and participate in implementation of Feed the Future Transforming Agriculture activities. These activities will build capacity of public and private sector for adoption and effective execution of food safety and quality protocols relevant to the animal source and plant-based food sector. The Food Environment Officer will also be responsible for contributing to the planning, development, and implementation of activities focused on improving the productivity and competitiveness of animal source and plant-based food system actors.

Primary Responsibilities:

Under the direct supervision of the Food Environment Manager, the primary responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Assist with the daily organizational office and project work;

• Assist in Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture activity implementation aiming to build capacity of private sector small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and commercial farms in the animal source and plant-based food sector for adoption and effective implementation of food safety and quality standards, improved productivity, and increased competitiveness;

• Assist the Food Environment Manager to coordinate Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture activity efforts with the Government of Ethiopia policy and institutional reform actions to optimize implementation of improved food safety and quality as it relates to the Ethiopian animal source and plant-based food sector;

• Participate in collaboration with Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture activity technical teams, Ethiopian government agencies, and external partners to develop guidance on food safety and quality improvements to position Ethiopian animal source and plant-based food production for domestic and regional competitiveness and increased production;

• Liaise with the food safety and veterinary departments of the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture to build internal capacity to more effectively assess, develop, and enforce standards that apply to livestock and crop production facilities;

• Assist the Food Environment Manager to promote the use of third-party certification bodies working in the animal source and plant-based food industry;

• Assist the Food Environment Manager in workshops and training sessions conducted for the Government of Ethiopia on achieving goals for national compliance with hygiene rules in accordance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) conceptions for animal source and plant-based food producers;

• Work with all animal source and plant-based food system actors including Ethiopian government agencies, animal source and plant-based food production operators and industry associations to increase farmer, agribusiness, and consumer awareness of food safety and quality issues;

• Assist in the arrangement and facilitation of project workshops, training activities, and missions;

• Assist international consultants in food safety and quality during their missions;

• Write reports and project related documents.

• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as required (assigned by supervisor)

Reporting & Supervision:

The position holder reports to the Regional Manager and will constantly coordinate and team with the Senior Livestock Market Systems Manager.

Project Implementation Partners:

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 5,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI's Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI's experience designing and delivering multi-sectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world.

SG&R’s Global Food Security and Agriculture portfolio is working to strengthen agricultural markets, engage youth and women as critical leaders of the on- and off-farm workforce, and tackle the dual burden of malnutrition around the globe. RTI’s work is helping foster stronger food systems, reduce malnutrition in all its forms, build resilience and engage the next generation of food security leaders. RTI is currently partnering on nearly 30 projects in East Africa, including activities focused on private sector-driven agricultural growth in Rwanda and market systems development in Kenya. 

Land O'Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening agriculture from farm-to-fork, helping businesses grow, and linking farmers to markets. Since our start in 1981, we have been leveraging nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.

Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agriculture for the last 36 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 80 countries.

Job Requirements

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in veterinary studies, animal husbandry, food safety / food technology, agriculture, or related fields;

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience working with public and/or private entities on development and execution of food safety protocols in animal source and plant-based food production (animal nutrition, animal genetic improvement, herd management, herd health management, improved agronomic practices, harvesting, threshing, storage);

• An understanding of Ethiopian and international food safety regulations and requirements as they relate to livestock and crop/animal source and plant-based food production;

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including proven ability to work with a government agency, private enterprises (farms) in animal-source and plant-based food sectors;

• Ability to work as a team member;

• Ability to prioritize tasks and work at times without direct supervision;

• Fluency or professional proficiency in English and Amharic, including strong writing and oral presentation skills.

• Relevant computer software skills, including at a minimum, the Microsoft Office Suite of applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).

• Local language requirements for specific regions are as follows:

  • For Oromia (Jimma): Professional proficiency in Oromiffa.

  • For Dire Dawa: Professional proficiency in Somali.

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• Work experience in livestock and crop/animal source and crop-based food production;

• Experience developing partnerships with government, local and international private sector actors;

• Experience working on a foreign donor funded development program;

• Ability to travel extensively in rural Ethiopia.

  • For Dire Dawa: Professional language proficiency in Oromiffa.

  • For Sidama (Hawassa): Professional language proficiency in Sidama.

How to Apply

Register using the following LINK