Position: Program Manager, Regional ACC Secretariat Term of Employment: Project-based - 1 Year Term with Possible Extension Duty Station(s): Amhara (Bahir Dar), Oromia (Addis Ababa) & Tigray (Mekelle) Regions Required Number: 1 for each Duty Station Salary & Benefits: Competitive Application Deadline: January 12, 2015
BACKGROUND:
The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopia’s agricultural development and transformation. The Agency does this through problem-solving, project implementation and support, and coordination and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation. The National Framework for Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) is being introduced in Ethiopia by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency, the Synergos Institute, and partners at the Federal and Regional levels, and from the development and private sectors. ACCs apply a geographically-focused approach for rapidly enhancing priority agricultural commodity value chains throughout the country. The implementation of this National Framework will support agricultural sector transformation by enhancing and supporting existing structures to address systemic as well as commodity- and geography-specific bottlenecks across priority commodities value chains. This Framework builds on previous federal and regional efforts for value chain development and advocates for a more focused and market-driven solution with significant coordination between diverse public, private and development sector actors. To support implementation of this National Framework for ACCs, Regional ACC Secretariats are being established by Regional Governments with the following main responsibilities:
Provide effective upward reporting to the Regional President and the Regional ACC Board, chaired by the Regional President and the Head of the Bureau of Agriculture, as well as to the National ACC Coordination and Capacity-building Unit
Act as Secretary of the Regional ACC Board, including organizing and supporting Board meetings, following up on actions agreed, and other related responsibilities
Support effective stakeholder coordination and problem-solving of issues at the Regional level, including alignment with other national and regional policies, strategies and programs
Support effective escalation of issues which cannot be addressed at the Regional level to the National ACC Coordination and Capacity-building Unit for resolution
Oversee stakeholder coordination, planning, reporting, problem solving and implementation support activities by ACC Support Teams in clusters across the Region
Provide capacity building and training to ACC Support Teams
Facilitation of private sector investments by ensuring timely and efficient investment support (e.g. registration, certification) and ongoing problem-solving support
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Regional ACC Secretariat will consist of a Secretariat Lead, Program Manager and several additional professional staff. The Program Manager reports to and supports the Secretariat Lead, focusing on managing day-to-day operations of the Secretariat to ensuring effective and efficient execution of the its responsibilities. The ideal candidate will therefore possess very strong knowledge and experience with large program and project management approaches, including experience managing teams and working with diverse stakeholders across public and private sectors. He/she should have experience working in strategically and analytical focused roles with public, private or development sector organizations, and ideally also knowledge and experience of agricultural commercialization, agri-business / agro-industry promotion, or industrial development initiatives in Ethiopia and abroad, with a particular emphasis on implementation modalities (e.g. governance and operational structures, strategic and operational planning, program management, financing, human resourcing, MLE). Finally, the candidate will demonstrate a passion for transforming agriculture and improving the lives of small-holder farmers.
Job Requirement
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Support Regional Secretariat Lead in day-to-day stakeholder, program and team management, and other areas as required
Ensure standard target-setting, planning, program management and reporting processes and tools are effectively applied at Regional and local levels in day-to-day activities
Ensure use of best practice analytical and problem-solving tools and approaches within the Secretariat
Provide capacity building and training to Regional and local teams
Provide content direction and input to other members of the team
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor’s or Master's Degree in Agribusiness, Business / Management, Operations, Agricultural Economics, Economics or other relevant fields
At least 5 years professional experience leading planning and execution of large-scale programs involving public and private sectors, preferably including agro-processing and agribusiness focused initiatives
Excellent stakeholder management skills including thorough knowledge and understanding of various regional level and federal level institutions; extensive experience in facilitating dialogue with relevant public and private stakeholders
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with highly collaborative working style
Experience in working within multi-cultural teams preferred
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
Fluency in English and duty station language (Amharic, Tigrigna or Oromifa) required; fluency in other regional languages preferred
Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service
Ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment, with an emphasis on high performance, teamwork, accountability and results