Vacancy Announcement

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY

 Position: Policy Analysis Expert

Term of Employment: Fixed-term

Duty Station(s): Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), Addis Ababa

Required Number: Two

Salary & Benefits:  Competitive

Application Deadline:   August 29, 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 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, and Tigray regional offices, allowing us to work closely with a wide range of public, private and development sectors 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 teamwork 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:

This position is a secondment 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 to attract foreign direct investment and to develop labor-intensive industries and an export-oriented manufacturing sector. Yet, the transformation of the economy is hampered by organizational and operational limitations; particular problems include an overstretched capacity of senior personnel, a limited active outreach system targeting potential investors, limited availability of pre-packaged information needed to attract quality investments, and the limited number of qualified 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’s Program. The main objectives of the Program 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 Policy Analysis Expert will sit under the Policy Research and Investment Climate Reform Directorate and is expected to support EIC on a broad range of issues, including but not limited to:

• Examining the efficacy of existing policies and laying out the groundwork for new programs and legislations to meet goals and objectives.
• Reviewing and amending policy draft, propose suggestions to improve the effects of existing policies, working closely with stakeholders to determine the goals and objectives of policies.
• Proactively conducting and managing studies to promote investment and guide policy decisions.
• Identifying global market linkages and investment opportunities.
• Developing and updating information on investment opportunities and existing project profiles.
• Hiring qualified consultants to support quality research development.
• Providing appropriate insights to relevant stakeholders on research findings, policy directions, and/or relevant investment publications.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Prepare proposals to achieve investment objectives and seek financial support.

• Gather, organize, analyze, and report on information related to EIC’s investment objectives.
• Gather and organize important information on investment, industrial parks, export issues, and competition.
• Gather, record, and distribute investment opportunities’ information, studies, and project profiles from local and foreign institutions to investors and other relevant stakeholders.

Conduct research to promote investment, industrial parks, and export.

• Conduct market analyses to identify potential markets, strengthen market diversification, and propose improvements.
• Conduct up-to-date surveys to indicate policy directions and provide better services.
• Identify global market linkages and investment brands and make recommendations.
• Conduct research on the benefits of investment and social responsibility and draw on the experience of other investments and make improvement recommendations.
• Conduct research on harmful technology transfer related to the environment and make recommendations on how to avoid them as needed.
• Conduct research on implementation gaps of investment and industrial park incentives and generate policy improvement proposals.
• Identify shortcomings in legal frameworks and make recommendations to increase investment and export competitiveness, develop market linkages.

Provide training to stakeholders on investment, industrial parks, and export policies to support awareness creation.

• Gather information on domestic and foreign institutions for policy training on investment and industrial parks.
• Provide articles and organize awareness-raising forums on investment support projects.
• Collect, analyze, select, maintain, and share publications on various investment and industrial parks to create awareness of the investment system.

Monitor, evaluate, and support the implementation of recommendations from studies conducted by consultants and other projects.

• Oversee and evaluate studies conducted by consultants on investment and industrial parks.
• Collect, evaluate, sequence, and analyze the results of various studies.
• Coordinate the bidding process, and monitor, evaluate, and receive the work upon completion.
• Monitor, evaluate, and provide advisory services on the implementation of investment policy and strategic issues.
• Coordinate the implementation of revised investment laws, regulations, and strategies identified in studies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of master’s degree in Law, Economics, Public Policy, International Relations, Management, or any related field.
• At least 6 years of proven work experience in conducting research and/or policy analyses.
• Demonstrated knowledge of assessment of existing policies and policy frameworks
• Excellent critical thinking and analytical skills
• Strong interest in investment and economic development in Ethiopia
• Genuine intellectual curiosity and desire to innovate and bring large-scale change
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Professional command of written and spoken English and Amharic language

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Basic understanding of Ethiopia’s investment system.
• Basic understanding of legal systems and investment policies.
• Familiarity with drafting new policies or amendments to policies.
• Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style
• Excellent computer skills, analytical and data gathering skills
• A strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty, and desire to be of service

How to Apply

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

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

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application. Women are highly encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.