Position: Master Trainer for Livestock & Fisheries Farmers’ Field School (L&FFFS)

Term of Employment: Short term (Five month)

Duty Station(s):  Addis Ababa

Required Number:   Two

Salary & Benefits: Competitive

Application Deadline: March 16, 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:

The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) has decided to scale up its investment and institutional support to the livestock and fisheries sector through a new flagship Project: The Livestock and Fisheries Sector Development Project (LFSDP) which aims at supporting the government’s strategy for livestock growth and transformation. The development objective of this project is to increase productivity and commercialization of producers and processors in selected value chains (dairy, red meat, poultry and fisheries), strengthen service delivery systems in the livestock and fisheries sectors, and respond promptly and effectively to an Eligible Crisis or Emergency.

The program is structured through a transformation pathway where beneficiaries graduate through basic, intermediate and advanced sub-projects per their sophistication in terms of production, productivity and commercialization. As part of the memorandum of understanding entered between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATI), the ATI will hold responsibilities for agreed activities of the LFSDP. One of the activities is the establishment and implementation of specialized adult training through the Livestock and Fisheries Farmers’ Field School (L&FFFS) approach. The L&FFFS approach brings together a group of livestock producers to engage in a process of hands-on farm-based learning over a season/production cycle as a time-bound activity, with a beginning and an end. To support the implementation of this activity two certified master trainers to prepare guidelines and train master trainers in L&FFFS approach are required. The training will be provided to selected trainees from the eight LFSDP implementing regions (Amhara, Oromia, SNNPRS, Sidama, Southwest, Tigray, Benishangul Gumuz and Gambella).

Overall, the trainers will be employed for five months. The trainers will report to the Livestock Director (ATI) and contribute to the team's activities by supporting the training. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Lead the identification of master trainers from LFSDP regions and plan overall training activities.
• Prepare standard operating procedures/guidelines for Master trainers and training tools to be used for the training of master trainers
• Validate the training guidelines and training tools with the ATI Livestock Team and stakeholders.
• Develop a timeline for the provision of training in consultation with the ATI Livestock Team.
• Facilitate the training of master trainers across the LFSDP regions to enable the training of L&FFFS facilitators and to help the implementation of FFS at farmers level.
• Organize and deliver practical sessions on FFS for master trainers
• Prepare guidelines and training tools for the training of L&FFFS facilitators
• Coach/mentor regional level training activities of the L&FFFS facilitators
• Provide advisory services on the implementation of FFS to Federal and regional PCUs and Livestock and Fisheries Offices.
• Support the establishment of pilot L&FFFS in selected regions
• Provide monthly report on the milestones covered and challenges encountered to livestock Director
• Compile lessons learned from the training and provided a final report including issues that require attention.
• Perform other related activities as required and requested by the Livestock Director (ATI).

Job Requirements

• Minimum of BSc degree in Agri-extension, Livestock extension, Agri-economics, Agriculture, or other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum of 12 years experience for B.sc (10 years for MSc) in the agricultural extension system, with at least 3 years experience in the implementation of Farmers Field School/Farmers Business School.
• The applicant must be a certified master trainer on farmers field school and/or farmers business school (certificate shall be attached with the application).
• Experience in training extension staff and managing extension programs/activities (government, NGO or commercial).
• Understanding of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, with a broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private, and informal actors operate within the system.
• Knowledge of the agricultural and/or the livestock extension system of Ethiopia, and livestock development issues in Ethiopia.
• Excellent skills and experience in the use of computers and common office applications.
• Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style.
• Ability to build relationships with all kinds of people.
• Excellent adaptive problem-solver in challenging work environments.
• Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service.
• Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operational activities; and
• Good command of English and Amharic are essential. Knowledge of additional Ethiopian languages would be an advantage

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

Previous applicants do not need to re-submit a second time; all new and prior applicants will be considered. 

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.