Vacancy Announcement
ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY
Position: Director, Private Sector in Agriculture (PSA)
Term of Employment: One year renewable
Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa
Required Number: 1
Salary & Benefits: Competitive
Application Deadline: October 24, 2018
BACKGROUND
The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) is a strategy and delivery oriented government agency created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATA envisions that, by 2025, smallholder farmers are commercialized with greater incomes, inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability, contributing to Ethiopia’s achievement of middle-income country status.
The agency focuses on two primary national approaches to catalyze agricultural transformation. First, we support the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Resources (MoALR), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within an Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Second, we support Regional Governments to accelerate development of high-priority commodity value chains in clearly defined geographic clusters, through the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) Initiative.
Our major activities include conducting strategic and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support, coordinating platforms to better integrate partners and projects, and designing and directly leading a number of implementation projects. Our headquarters are in Addis Ababa, and we have regional offices in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, and Tigray regional offices, allowing us to work closely with a wide range of public, private and development sector partners across the country.
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 ATA, 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.
POSITION SUMMARY:
Private sector partners are expected to play an increasing role in accelerating the structural transformation of Ethiopia’s agriculture. This private sector participation will become even more critical in the years to come, as Ethiopian agriculture strives to move from subsistence based, low-input/low-output farming, to one that is more market-oriented and integrated into the global food system. To effectively engage private investors and agribusinesses in the Ethiopian agriculture sector, the ATA has established a Private Sector Development in Agriculture team whose main aim is to connect smallholder farmers with commercial, market-focused supply chains to increase incomes and improve livelihoods.
The Director of the Private Sector Development in Agriculture Team will be responsible for identifying and implementing with relevant partners high priority interventions that will address systemic and structural challenges to converting agribusiness investment interests, and converting opportunities into tangible, operationalized investments on the ground. The Director will take a highly consultative approach, working with key stakeholders in the government, private, and development sectors. The approach will be to engage early and in a meaningful way with serious investors to understand their interests and concerns, work alongside these organizations to identify promising opportunities for investment, clarify the nature of these opportunities (for example, expected requirements, financial and social returns), and help to navigate the local agriculture sector environment.
This position will directly report to the Senior Director of Agribusiness & Markets.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES: