The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), formerly known as the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), is a strategy and delivery-oriented government institute created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, which is a key contributor to the country’s GDP, exports, and workforce. The ATI’s work is cantered on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers (SHFs) across the country for improved income, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability. 

The ATI works to transform the agriculture sector in Ethiopia by conducting policy and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support and capacity building, coordinating. 

platforms to better integrate partners and projects and designing and directly leading several innovative/pilot interventions. The Institute joins forces with various stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, farmers, and development partners, to support the implementation of agricultural development programs and initiatives. In addition, the ATI collaborates with national and international partners to facilitate knowledge exchange and learning opportunities. The Institute plays a crucial role in generating and disseminating information to support evidence-based decision-making in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.

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. 

Program and position summary 

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) has launched the Energizing Women and Youth in Agri-Food System (EWAS) project to tackle unemployment and promote green energy in the agricultural value chain, focusing on young women. ATI integrates youth employment, gender equality, climate-smart practices, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture across its programs to create sustainable job opportunities and build resilience. ATI currently works with over 3 million smallholder farmers, including 540,300 women and youths, through its Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) and digital agriculture programs. Additionally, the ADEY program also creates jobs for women and youths in ACC regions and Somali by improving access to markets and strengthening MSMEs. Leveraging ATI's experience, EWAS project aims to create over 4,100 jobs for young women by establishing enterprises in three value chains namely grain milling, horticulture collection centers, and honey processing, supporting through capacity-building, skills development, and provision of essential equipment.

The Senior Technical Expert II (STE-II) will be responsible to oversee planning, implementation and monitoring of the project activities, and advising the project manager, while also supporting the regions in the establishment of young women-owned grain milling enterprises. Reporting directly to the project team leader at the head office, the Expert will collaborate with all ACC project leaders and ADEY’s senior project officers and primarily work with regional senior project officers under the direction of the project team leader, ACC's director, and the regional senior director.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist the project manager with project management, annual planning, budgeting, and ensuring that the project's implementation and budget utilization align with planned activities.

• Actively engage in supervision, monitoring and technical backstopping, review, and frequent reporting to ensure proper implementation as per the projects annual plan.

• Support the development of selection criteria for beneficiaries in the grain value chain for the regions. 

• Critically support the establishment and monitoring of young women-led enterprises, ensuring progress follows key principles and proper implementation of value chain activities.

• Ensure that grain milling activities and outputs are achieved in line with the agreed project deliverables across regions.

• Closely work with ADEY and other ACC teams to ensure synergies and collaborations. .

• Assist the regional crop team in identifying and prioritizing the knowledge and skill gaps of targeted youth (especially women) throughout the value chain.

• Map the crop development infrastructures established by federal and regional partners across project regions and connect them with targeted youth group.

• Assist implementation and provide support in resolving strategic and operational problems that arise over the course of the project lifetime.

• Provide technical advisory services and capacity-building support on matters related to the grain value chain to the project execution team and stakeholders.

• Prepare training documents, facilitate trainings and follow up on key value chain activities to ensure backward and forward linkages for the enterprises. 

• Provide technical support during the procurement, installation and calibration of grain milling related machineries and equipment

• Develop grain product standard and guidelines for effective control of product quality, food safety and hygiene, and ensure its adherence.

• Support the implementation of crop production, aggregation, storage and value addition in grain milling, packaging labelling and marketing.

• Identify the need and prepare all necessary Terms of Reference (ToRs) for procuring goods and services.

• Prepare specifications for all machinery and equipment needed for grain milling enterprises, in consultation with the electromechanical engineer and project team members, according to the project's scope outlined in the document.

• Support and supervise hired consultants in the development of training manuals and the execution of beneficiary training sessions.

• Produce, update, and assist in disseminating capacity development materials to enhance project partners' skills and promote technical expertise and business entrepreneurship within grain value chains.

• Organize and facilitate workshops and ToT trainings on prioritized activities to stakeholders

• Coach and mentor ToT trainers and project beneficiaries on effectively cascading training and implementation.

• Assess technical gaps of the regional program staff, implementing partners and beneficiaries, and design and implement capacity building trainings.

• Identify potential risks that could affect the overall performance of the project

• Proactively engage with other team members of the ATI and external partners to develop solutions and recommendations to address identified technical issues

• Liaise with project manager and provide advisory service and capacity building to partners based on the identified gap

• Facilitate public-private partnership, experience sharing and technology transfer among grain milling enterprises.

• Prepare, and submit quality reports (quarter, semi-annual and annual) to the project manager timely.

•  Ensure effective regular communication and reporting with various stakeholders 

• Undertake any other duties as assigned by the Federal Project Coordinator

Job Requirements

Required Qualification, Competencies and Experience

• Minimum master’s degree in Agricultural Science, Agronomy, Plant/Crop Science, or related fields. 

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in designing, providing technical support, and implementing youth and women-focused initiatives in agricultural value chains.

• Experience in providing project management skills and technical oversight

• Extensive experience in implementing and managing donor-funded projects focused on the establishment of youth and women-based enterprises

• Experience in dissemination of best practices and lessons using different platform

• Experience leading multi-dimensional teams and complex work programs.

• Training or demonstrated experience of Ethiopian agricultural economy.

• Good experience in grain value chains and agribusiness with strong skills in supporting enterprise development

• Very good experience in multistakeholder process and partnership management. 

• ​Experience in green energy project is a plus  

• Desire of improving the lives youths and smallholder farmers

• Strong capacity to facilitate teamwork.

• Willingness to undertake frequent field visits.

• Strong Communication skills (writing, speaking, composing, presenting, etc).

• Proficiency in oral and written English and Amharic. But mandatory to know the respective regional language. 

• Proficient in using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

Safeguarding risk level

•  The role holder will have frequent or intensive contact with program participants as he/she will be responsible for implementing and monitoring program activities.

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 THIS LINK It is mandatory to mention the position title in both the subject line of your cover letter and the Outlook email subject line. Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply 

NB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.