ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE

Job Description and Job Specification Job Title: Senior Project Officer I –  Integrated Shallow Groundwater Irrigation Development (ISGWID)Term of Employment:  One year with a possibility of extension Duty Station(s):Addis Ababa Required number: One Application deadline: February 20, 2023

 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 ISGWID project was initiated to scale up ATI's SGW mapping pilot across the country and to integrate the mapping with irrigation development projects and best practices across the country. The overarching objective of the project is to promote sustainable and efficient irrigation development using the unutilized shallow groundwater resources of the country. The project has five components, namely scaling up Shallow Groundwater (SGW) mapping and regulating SGW use sustainability, promotion of business groups around SGW development, promotion of high value crop production and marketing and promotion of Energy Efficient water lifting and Water Saving Technology (EE&WST). The last component is enhancing the project management, coordination, and evaluation.

The major outcome of ISGWID project includes enhancing sustainable utilization of SGW resources and enhancing access to irrigation technologies through PBGs and creation of job among youth. It also includes increase in irrigated area, market driven HVC production and value chain development and marketing and enhancing adoption of EE&WST among SHFs. It is implemented to enhance access of SHFs to SGW irrigation practices, promote better irrigation technologies, and increase in income through increasing production and marketing of HVCs across four major regions.

The ISGWID project SPO will implement the Irrigation and Drainage Program in working with Integrated Shallow Groundwater Irrigation Development (ISGWID) Project lead to implement national priority initiatives within the household irrigation sub sector. The SPO will be responsible for coordination and execution of high impact initiatives across the entire value chain, as well as systemic activities in ISGWID Project. The SPO reports to the ISGWID project Team lead. The SPO is responsible for promoting of business groups around Irrigation technologies and well drilling service provision supply chain promotion of business groups around SGW development and facilitating capacity-building activities to business group.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

The Senior Project Officer is accountable to strengthen the supply chain for irrigation technologies and services, increase the adoption of technologies, increase well-drilling service availability by identifying viable well drilling technologies and providing training to SMEs.  He is accountable to ensure that farmers in ATI regions access to shallow ground water. He is also responsible for testing various water saving technologies for pilot phase and further scale up these technologies at national level. This is achieved through effective delivery of the following KPIs: 

• Scale-up selected well drilling technology in 4 regions (Oromia, Amhara, SNNP, and Tigray)

• Identify, assess, select, and demonstrate additional new viable well drilling technologies

• Conduct demonstration using different water application technologies (drip and sprinkler irrigation system)

• Ensure availability of spare parts and after-sales service by strengthening the linkage and access

• Provide capacity building in solar powered drip irrigation in 4 ATI regions

 RESPONSIBILITIES:

 Responsibilities of SPO I in ISGWID project include, but not limited to:

Capacitated woredas and well drilling groups to increase farmers’ access to SGW across the ATI 4 regions. Activities include:

• Facilitate demonstration on manual well drilling to boost farmer awareness

• Support the formation of business groups and provision of training on well drilling and entrepreneurship and business skill

• Develop technical specifications and bill of quantity for well drilling equipment

• Support the Team Lead in managing well drilling related day to day activities, including leading the execution of major workstreams

• Support the team lead in the initiation and processing of procurement and sub-grants

• Provide technical support and guidance to the regional project officers in issues related to well drilling

Identify, assess, select, and promote well viable drilling technologies. Activities include:

• Asses various new well drilling technologies ranging from manual well drilling technology to simple low cost well drilling machine

• Select well drilling technology best suited to the smallholder farmers in terms of accessibility, affordability, and efficiency in the rural setting

• Pilot the selected well drilling technology

• Assess the performance and recommend scale-up based on the result of the evaluation

vConduct demonstrations on various water saving technology and increase awareness to the farmers in sustainable utilization of water. Activities include:

• Select a site suitable for the demonstration of water saving technology including drip and sprinkler irrigation system

• Prepare specifications, bill of quantity, and initiate the procurement of material/equipment

• Conduct a demonstration of water saving irrigation technology

• Organize field day to create awareness for SHF, DAs and experts

• Follow up and evaluate and recommend for scale-up based on the result obtained in the demonstration

Compile and submit data and reports in order to ensure alignment on project implementation. Activities include:

• Prepare regular reports on own workstreams and guide regional POs in the utilization of reporting tools

• Support the Team Lead in the preparation of all biweekly, quarterly, and annual performance reports

Other

• Support shallow ground water mapping component of ISGWID in estimation of crop water requirement and irrigable area and reviewing the shallow ground mapping study report,

• Support the regional project office to ensure the availability of spare parts and after-sales service by strengthening the linkage and access

• Support the MoA in issues related to irrigation development including the preparation National package for small scale irrigation technologies, preparation of National specifications for micro and small-scale irrigation technologies

• The SPO I is also responsible for additional tasks assigned by the ISGWID Project Team Lead to meet the team’s functions

Job Requirements

• M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering, Irrigation Engineering, water resource engineering and other related fields of study.

• A minimum of 6 years experience in the irrigation and drainage sector

• Familiarity with policy and regulatory framework of irrigation, drainage, and water resource management in Ethiopia

• Understanding of Ethiopian’s irrigation and drainage sector with a broad perspective and knowledge of irrigation, drainage, and water resource management challenges 

• Broad perspective on policy, and strategies related to irrigation development and tackle systematic bottleneck of irrigation development  

• Deep understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural system, with a broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private, NGO and informal actors operate within the system

• Experience in piloting and scaling up relevant solutions at both national and local levels, while building productive partnerships across sectors

• Practical experience in piloting, implementing, and scaling up of well drilling tec, water saving and other irrigation technologies

• Demonstrated ability in the preparation of specification, bill of quantity and procurement of irrigation technologies

• Strong in-country network in Ethiopia in the agricultural sector, both at the national and the regional levels

• Oral and written fluency in English and Amharic.  Fluency in at least one additional Ethiopian language is a plus

• Highly facilitative and collaborative style with the ability to build relationships across diverse cultures and organizations

• Passion for participation in cultivating and developing high-performance peer teams while incorporating cooperation, open communication, and social relationship

• Excellent adaptive problem-solver in a challenging environment, with the ability to think strategically and prioritize program activities under dynamic conditions

• Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty, and desire to be of service

• Excellent stakeholder management skills including thorough extensive experience with government institutions, development partners, private sector stakeholders, and farmer groups

• Demonstrated team player with good people management skills

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

It is mandatory to mention the position title under the subject line of your cover letter.

Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

NB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.