Vacancy Announcement (re-advert)
ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY
Position: SPO-Senior Investment Promotion and Facilitation Expert
Term of Employment: One year with possibility of extension
Duty Station(s): Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), Addis Ababa
Required Number: One
Salary & Benefits: Competitive
Application Deadline: November 05, 2017
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. The Agency does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions that address the systemic bottlenecks. The Agency reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development and is Secretary to the Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister.
The Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) is an autonomous federal government institution established under Proclamation No.769/2012 cum Council of Ministers Regulation No.313/2014 to carry out an efficient investment administration system and to encourage foreign and domestic investments in Ethiopia through promotional, support and aftercare schemes. Functionally, the EIC operates under the direct supervision of the Ethiopian Investment Board (EIB), chaired by the Prime Minister and composed of various government stakeholders including the Ministry of Trade and the National Bank of Ethiopia.
The programmatic focus of the EIC responds to a core set of national investment needs and objectives identified under the establishment laws and further developed in EIC’s organizational structure document (2015). The EIC’s functions are implemented through the agency’s three major divisions: Investment Operations - which focuses on the provision of investment licensing, registration and renewal services; the grant of investment incentives, pre-investment facilitation, post-investment after care and various permits; and the coordination of one-stop shop services; Industrial Parks - focusing on the regulation of industrial parks; the recruitment of foreign and domestic enterprises for spaces availed in government owned industrial parks; overseeing the implementation of industrial parks’ operational manuals; ensuring compliance of industrial park functions with appropriate environmental standards, infrastructure use codes, labor ordinances etc; and coordinating the provision of one-stop services to companies operating within industrial parks; Policy Research and Reform- focusing on the design and implementation of a competitive national promotions strategy; investigating and developing appropriate investment laws, regulations and directives; instituting/updating EIC’s information technology infrastructure; initiating studies on various themes of interest to investment promotion and support; and commissioning studies that facilitate foreign export trade.
Culture
The ATA has an exceptional team of employees with a proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results. Its culture is one where talented individuals are committed to doing their best and work together to achieve excellent results.
The EIC has an exceptional team of employees and management team that recognizes individual talent and promotes a deeper sense of public service that delivers results, with a proven track record of success in managing complex investments and achieving transformational results. The EIC strives to provide a rewarding work environment in a young, fast-paced organization and is committed to extend employees the opportunities and tools required to achieve individual career objectives.
POSITION SUMMARY:
This position is a secondement position to the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC).
Over the years, the EIC has pursued a series of policy, legal and institutional measures with the goal of effectively realizing national investment plans and targets proposed under Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plans. Clearer strategies have been put in place and a fairly enabling environment has been instituted, positioning the country to strengthen the competitive edge of its private sector, to attract foreign direct investment and to develop labor intensive industries and an export–oriented manufacturing sector.
Yet, the transformation of the national economy continues to be hampered by organizational and operational limitations availed within the EIC; particular problems include an overstretched capacity of senior personnel, the non-existence of active outreach system targeting potential investors, lack of relevant and pre-packaged information needed to attract quality investments, a nascent One-Stop-Shop service and the absence of an adequate number of qualified and purpose–driven human resources pool.
To address these limitations, the EIC, together with the ATA, has developed the ‘Strengthening Investor Engagement, Advisory Roles and Regulatory Powers of the Ethiopian Investment Commission’ Program. The main objectives of the Program during the GTP II are to carry out strategic development of EIC’s institutional infrastructure and human resources portfolio and thereby augment its capacity to attract quality investment, to better support private sector stakeholders and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services rendered to investors.
The SPO-Senior Investment Promotion and Facilitation Expert will be part of the Investment Promotion and Marketing Directorate and embedded within the team. The expert will carry a collective responsibility of supporting the entire team in its various investment promotion activities including planning, preparation and execution of the Directorates action plans.
The SPO-Senior Investment Promotion and Facilitation Expert is expected to support the Directorate overall activities, including but not limited to; providing support in developing investment promotion strategies, executing investment promotion strategies, supporting the directorate staffs in conducting targeted investment approaches including identification, analysis and prioritization of targeted countries and investors in priority sectors for engagement and conversion, preparation of promotional materials, management of engaged investors for conversion and also providing support in various other day-to-day activities of the directorate.
The SPO-Senior Investment Promotion and Facilitation Expert will directly report to the Investment Promotion and Marketing Directorate Director of the Ethiopian Investment Commission.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
· Support the design and implementation of investment promotion strategies and respective implementation roadmap;
· Undertake and oversee diagnostics on target countries and priority sectors to identify investors for a targeted investment approach;
· Undertake and oversee diagnostics on potential investment promotion platforms (events) in priority sectors to promote Ethiopia’s investment opportunities;
· Support and conduct approaching investors that have been targeted for promotion;
· Facilitating investors visit to Ethiopia and consistently following up for conversion and investment;
· Support in the planning and execution of promotional platforms (events) both locally and abroad representing the investment opportunities in Ethiopia’s priority sectors;
· Assist in developing flexible and efficient procedures in approaching and communicating with investors for conversion and facilitation;
· Assist in developing relevant and tailored promotional materials (presentations, videos, brochures, flyers, banners, etc) to be shared with investors and at various promotional events;
· Assist and support in building the capacity of the staff in the directorate in analytics, presentation, written, investor management skills;
Performs other duties as assigned· Minimum of Master’s degree in International Finance, Trade, Economics, Marketing, Development Studies, Business Law, or other relevant disciplines
· At least 8 years of combined professional work experience in either one of more of the following:
o Private sector related work experience and consultancy work related
o Transaction advisory services on business development, market assessment, strategy development, etc
o Investment promotion and facilitation;
o Team leadership, program/project coordination/support type roles;
o Institutional capacity building roles, business and/or public administration roles
· Fluency in English and Amharic is essential.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
· Strong analytical skills in investment, economic and social dimensions of development;
· Profound understanding of Ethiopia’s economic policies and investment system, with broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private and informal actors operate within the system;
· Experience in prioritizing and sequencing programmatic and operational activities;
· Experience in creating partnerships at the national level and (preferably) at international level;
· Proven and demonstrable experience in creating and/or managing the production of written publications (articles, press releases, etc), developing strategies and relations, preparing promotional materials
· Demonstrable track record of success with program design, performance management, learning systems and monitoring and evaluation;
· Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork, accountability and results;
· Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style;
· Excellent computer (ICT) skills, analytical and data gathering skills;
· Excellent oral and written communication skills;
· Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service;