ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY

Position: Senior Resource Allocation and Grants Management Officer

Term of Employment:  One year with possibility of extension

Duty Station(s):  Addis Ababa

Required Number:   One

Salary & Benefits:  Competitive

Application Deadline: April 30, 2021

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 (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 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:

The Resource Allocation and Grant Management Senior Officer will work to create, maintain, and facilitate effective grant management system within the organization. The Senior Officer is responsible to ensure both ATA and GoE policies and procedures on grant management are implemented. In addition, the SO is responsible to maintain the organization grant systems to ensure integrity of grants and deliver timely and coherent grant information and present to all concerned parties to support management decisions. The SO will work closely with focal point in respective Development Partners and MoF to provide and maintain financial requirement of the grants and budget from GoE.

Performance will be evaluated primarily on the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the grant management system that is satisfactory to internal management and external stakeholders.

The position reports to the Director of Partnerships and Resource Mobilization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

The specific duties include the following:

Grant Management 

• Manage and proactively work to improvement the grant management systems of ATA.
• Ensure that all grant agreements are consistent with ATA financial system management and the Government financial procedures, rules and regulation.
• Ensure all grant files are adequately and regularly updated in the ERP. Make sure that all financial codes of grants are developed and managed well in the ERP for effective and efficient tracking and management of grants.
• Work closely with finance team and ensure systems are in place and work efficiently in the ERP to monitor financial recording and balance of grants on a monthly basis.
• Manage the budget proposal development, liaise closely with budget-holders to develop, and compile the budget requests going to the donors.
• Facilities and coordinate grant-budget proposal and amendments /revisions.
• Propose the appropriate allocation of all resources, both secured and on progress, to the proposed Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWP&B) of ATA teams as per the allowable and allocable grant components and budget line of respective development partners and Government Budget.
• Indicate possible funding gaps and surplus of teams’ budget to the Director of Partnership and Resource Mobilization.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders for assurance of new secured grants insertion on the AWP and master budget.
• Work closely with all responsible teams and ensure grant agreements are getting adequate attention and focus from commencement to close-out.

 Grant Implementation

• Make sure that grants are allocated to allowable and allocable program/project components and activities and respective donor and government budget lines during planning and budget preparation.
• Participate and work jointly with Budget Holders in facilitating periodic grant update meetings, and ensure that the action points arising from these meetings on grant are followed and implemented.
• Provide monthly financial management information on grants to respective Budget Holders and senior management.
• Ensuring adherence and Donor Compliance requirements both at the ATA and implementing partners in respect of financial and budget management.
• Ensure that all grants are complete and accurate from a financial perspective in advance of grant closure. Actively participate in grant closure activities.

Grant Reporting

• Make sure all grants financial reports are in line with donor requirements in terms of timeline, template, approved component/activity, and budget line.
• Work closely with respective budget holders and implementing partners for ensuring a quality justification for under/over utilization of donor approved budget lines.
• Work closely with partnership/resource mobilization manager to ensure the consolidation of financial reports with respective narrative reports before final submission to the donor.

Audit Function

• Ensure required grants are audited and as per the donor rules and regulations and key learning points are addressed.
• In close collaboration with the relevant operations and technical staff plan, appoint and assist auditors as required in a timely manner and agree management reports before sign-off by the CEO.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s Degree is preferable) in Accounting, Business Administration or related field.
• At least six (6) years for master’s degree holder or eight (8) years for BA degree holder; of which 3 years’ experience working in grant management and experience in senior position is a plus;
• Experience in international development, including working in resource mobilization from multilateral and bilateral agencies, as well as sub-grant management to implementing partners is highly considered; experience within agricultural sector is a plus;
• Professional certification in advanced training related to financial software (preferably in Agresso) and other donors’ procedures;
• Excellent partnerships & grants management skill and ability to build relationships;
• Demonstrates ability to work effectively in diverse multicultural environments and to work and deliver under pressure;
• Demonstrates analytical and organizational skills with excellent attention to detail and high degree of personal initiative;
• Reasonable knowledge of relevant government laws and regulations in the country;
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching;
• Good skills in Microsoft Office Suite specifically in excel;
• Fluency in English and Amharic is essential; fluency in at least one additional Ethiopian language is a plus;
• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload;
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks as well as work with teams.
• Willingness to respect and adhere to ATA values Commitment to ATA values. 

How to Apply

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to submit (i) a cover letter and (ii) CV (maximum 5 pages) click here

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.