Senior Project Officer I – Cooperative Based Seed Production (CBSP)

Job Description

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE

Terms of reference 

 BACKGROUND:

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) is a strategy and delivery-oriented government Institute created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATI envisions to be the leading center of innovative solutions for the transformation of Ethiopian Agriculture by 2030.

The Institute focuses on two primary national approaches to catalyze agricultural transformation. First, we support the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within an Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Second, we support Regional Governments to accelerate the 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, Sidama, South-West, 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 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.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The overarching goal of the Cooperative Based Seed Production (CBSP) project is to contribute to the transformation of the cooperative based seed sector in the major agricultural regions. The aim of CBSP is to significantly increase the quality and volume of improved seeds produced and marketed through the cooperative seed sector, resulting in narrowing the mismatch between seed demand and supply. This will be achieved through building model seed unions that can produce, aggregate, process and sell seed by themselves. The project will also support primary seed producer cooperatives within each union, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their seed businesses.

Regional Project Officer (SPO I) is part of the Cooperative Based Seed Production (CBSP) Project Team. The role of the regional SPO I is to lead the cooperative based seed production deliverables in the region. The incumbent will lead assessments to identify potentials and coordinate the establishment of new seed unions in the region. Also, build the capacity of existing seed unions to enable them to reach more geographies through scaling up production and marketing capacity.  The SPO I will also liaise the CBSPs with governmental institutions, the private sector, and other cooperatives to ease access to early generation seed (EGS), finance, and technical support and market.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

The CBSP Regional Senior Project Officer is accountable for providing input on project design, technical support on project implementation, and report on project progress and analytical support to ensure the Team Lead effectively delivers the CBSP project in the region. The SPO I is accountable for ensuring that CBSP project contributes to improved SHF access to improved seeds and improved CBSPs’ institutional capacity through effective delivery of the following KPIs:

• Map out geographies that have the potential to set up seed unions
• Sustainable seed unions that can significantly contribute to the regional seed supply are established.
• Existing seed unions are strengthened and able to reach more SMF and cover more geographies.
• Cooperative governance, leadership, seed business planning and management capacity of seed unions improved.
• Effective linkage and partnership created between seed unions, regional implementing partners and financial institutions.
• Women and youth engagement in agriculture improved

 RESPONSIBILITIES:

 The responsibilities of the CBSP Regional Senior Project Officer include, but are not limited to:

Assist the regional ACC Program Director and the CBSP Project Lead in project planning and timely accomplishment of project deliverables. Activities include:

• Support the CBSP Project Team Lead in project design and preparation of operational plan for the project life.
• Assist the regional ACC Program Director and the CBSP Project Team Lead in the preparation of detailed region-specific implementation plan and budget.
• Provide analytical and technical support to the regional ACC Program Director and the CBSP Project Lead.
• Liaise the regional ACC Program Director and the CBSP Team Lead with regional stakeholders.

 Lead and manage effective institutional set up of CBSP and ensure strong collaboration of partners. Activities include:

• Establish and coordinate regional working groups composed of implementing partners and the regional ATI Office.
• Lead regional working groups to identify CBSP potentials, opportunities, and challenges through a rigorous assessment.
• Ensure assessment results are endorsed by regional stakeholders.
• Facilitate processes and launching of seed unions in the region

Lead identification of project partners and provide technical support in implantation of activities. Activities include:

• Ensure competent sub-grantees are identified and implementation of activities meet required quality standards.
• Support seed unions in business plan development and management.
• Asist seed unions to establish strong and accountable cooperative governance system
• Provide technical support to seed unions in construction of seed facilities.
• Facilitate training to union staffs, primary cooperative management and committee members, and seed producers (farmers).
• Provide technical support to seed unions in seed aggregation, processing, and distribution.

Ensure seed unions created strong partnership and trust with key stakeholders.

Activities include:

• Ensure seed unions have adequate access to early generation seeds (EGSs) from a variety of sources.
• Support seed unions in preparation of loan proposals and make sure they have adequate access to output financing.
• Provide technical support to seed unions to help them meet national quality standards and ensure they have timely seed regulatory service.
• Negotiate with regional stakeholders and make sure seed unions have access to land for construction of seed facilities and production of early generation seed.

Compile and submit data and reports to ensure alignment on project implementation and identify potential risks that could affect the overall performance of the project. Activities include:

• Prepare regular reports on own workstreams and guide other project staff in the utilization of reporting tools
• Support the CBSP project Team Lead and regional ACC Program Director in the preparation of all biweekly, quarterly, and annual performance reports

Other

• The regional Project Officer is responsible for additional tasks assigned by the CBSP Project Team Lead and regional ACC Program Director to meet the team’s functions 

Job Requirement

Required qualifications, competencies, and experience:

The regional Project Officer is expected to have a deep Knowledge of Ethiopia’s agricultural system in general and agricultural input supply value chain, and specifically the seed value chain. Required qualifications, competencies, skills, trainings, and experience include:

• MSc degree in fields such as Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Extension, Agricultural Business Management, Development Economics or Cooperatives, Rural Development, Crop Production, other closely related fields.
• A minimum of 6 years of work experience in areas related to on-the-ground community seed initiatives, e.g., working alongside farmer’s cooperative unions, in community seed banks, small and medium enterprise (SME) development, cooperative development, value-chain development, and other related disciplines
• Understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural system with a broad perspective on interactions between public, private and informal actors in the seed system
• Deep knowledge of different community-based seed production modalities, e.g., farmers’ unions, primary cooperatives, organized out-growers, farmer entrepreneurs, etc. and associated regulatory issues
• Expertise in seed value chain in cereal crops like wheat and teff, as well as in other focus crops, i.e., pulses, oilseeds, and tubers
• Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operational activities
• Experience in program design, performance management, stakeholder management, contract management, and Monitoring Learning and Evaluation (MLE) systems
• Knowledge of analytical methods such as different statistical tools
• Practical experience in developing and maintaining linkages between producers and markets
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork and accountability
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty, and desire to be of service
• Fluency in Amharic and the regional language and proficiency in English are essential