Position: Legal Consultant – Local Independent Contractor

Term of Employment: Short term (Six months)

Duty Station(s):  Addis Ababa

Required Number: Two

Salary & Benefits Competitive

Application Deadline: February 14, 2022

BACKGROUND:

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) is a strategy and delivery-oriented government agency created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATI 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 (MoA), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within the Agriculture Sector. 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 regions, 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 teamwork 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:

ATI is supporting the Ministry of Agriculture in drafting all relevant policy instruments and amendments to existing instruments for two broad topics – 1) Pluralistic extension and advisory services, and

2) Effective participation of the private sector in agriculture.

The purpose of hiring independent legal consultants is to support the ATI in

1) reviewing gaps in the legal and regulatory framework for the above-mentioned topics, and then

2) drafting various policy instruments (proclamations, regulations, directives, guidelines, etc.), including amendments to existing policy instruments, to fill the gaps.

The legal experts will be working in coordination with the ATI’s Policy Unit, an Analytics case team, and a task force of sector-wide experts being set up for this project. The specific objectives of this assignment for the legal experts include the following:

1. Assessing gaps in the current Ethiopian legal and regulatory framework for the above-mentioned topics
2. Extracting any relevant lessons from other countries’ legal and regulatory frameworks
3. Drafting all relevant policy instruments (regulations, proclamations, directives, guidelines) and articulating amendments to existing policy instruments in a manner acceptable by the Ministry of Agriculture and finally by the Ministry of Justice

 Broadly, the two topics mentioned above will be further disaggregated into more targeted topics. The current sub-topics, though not exhaustive, include:

Effective participation of the private sector in agriculture

1. Commercialization of smallholder farmers and pastoralists
2. Legalization of ATI’s farmer production clusters
3. Ease of doing business for private actors
4. Responsible agricultural investment framework
5. Institutional framework for effective private sector participation

Pluralistic extension and advisory services:

1. Road map to guide and support pluralistic extension and advisory service
2. Registration, licensing and quality assurance of private extension and advisory service providers
3. Accountability, cost -recovery & competitiveness framework for the public extension and advisory service.
4. Institutional framework for pluralistic extension and advisory services in the country

 The consultant will report primarily to the Policy Project Coordinator and work with the relevant Analytics case team, and other relevant task forces. The Policy Project Coordinator is expected to facilitate the evaluation and endorse the quality of services provided and the deliverables reported by the consultants.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

The scope of work for the legal experts includes the following:

1. Understanding existing Ethiopian legal and regulatory framework for the above-mentioned topics
2. Work with the ATI’s Strategic Services’ Senior Director, Policy Project Coordinator, Analytics case team, and the external task force to ensure a well-coordinated and fully aligned understanding of policy-level challenges and solutions for the above-mentioned topics
3. Work with the ATI’s Strategic Services’ Senior Director, Policy Project Coordinator, Analytics case team, and the external task force to convert their ideas into policy instruments in Amharic & English languages and to revise existing policy instruments.
4. Work together as a team with the Policy Project Coordinator, Analytics case team, and the external task force. Consultants will be expected to support each other, on different topics, as the need may be to deliver fully and as per overall project timelines.
5. Fully own the articulation of policy instruments in a time-bound manner.
6. Fully and unconditionally commit to the property right of all data collected, summarized, and analyzed in whatever form to ATI; the legal experts shall not in any way transfer any data to a third party without a written and referenced letter of consent from ATI.

The following deliverables are expected from the legal experts to be submitted to ATI:

• New policy instruments which convert the ideas of the leadership and the task force into implementable legal and regulatory frameworks (proclamations, regulations, directives, guidelines) for the areas listed under the objectives section above
• Amended policy instruments (proclamations, regulations, directives, guidelines) as needed given the prevailing relevant policy instruments for the areas listed under the objectives section above
• Legal and regulatory framework to convert ATI’s farmer production clusters (FPCs) into legal entities
• Institutional frameworks for pluralistic extension and effective private sector participation

Job Requirements

• Relevant education qualification with at least a Master’s in Law (LL.M.), or related fields.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in developing policy instruments, preferably on agricultural topics in Ethiopia.
• Experience in Ethiopian policy-making as part of academic institutions or working in legal departments in Ethiopian government offices.
• Expertise in understanding and drafting Ethiopian law and policy instruments.
• Basic understanding of Ethiopia’s business laws, with a special focus on commercial law, commercial registration and business licensing laws, the law of public enterprises and cooperatives, etc. Relevant experience in providing legal advice related to setting up businesses in different forms
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex tasks involving multiple stakeholders
• Ability to work effectively in a diverse, multicultural environment and to ability to work and deliver under pressure
• Exceptional analytical and organizational skills with excellent attention to detail and a high degree of personal initiative
• Superior communication skills, both verbal and written, and fluency in English and Amharic

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) to CLICK HERE

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