About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to natural and man-made disasters affecting Ethiopia's most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS' disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought and flood-prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food aid in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance. CRS's humanitarian work in Ethiopia also provides livelihoods support to farmers and entrepreneurs, promotes equality and inclusion, and mitigates the impact of COVID-19.

As part of CRS family, you will join the more than 5000 strong and vibrant individuals working globally to accomplish the mission of CRS. CRS/Ethiopia invites you, the qualified candidate, to apply for the following position.

Job Title:                        Technical Advisor II – Animal Feed and Nutrition

Band:                              X

Required number:        One

Department:                 Programs

Employment Term:      Definite term (i.e., up to September 30, 2028 )

Reports To:                  Program Manager II - Senior Market System Specialist

Country/Location:        CRS Ethiopia/Addis Abba

Application Deadline:   August 29, 2023

Job Summary:  

You will provide technical advice, guidance, and support in the area of forage seed systems and feed reserve activities. You will be part of the technical team implementing the USAID Feed-the-Future funded Ethiopia Seed Activity (ESA) project. You will apply Catholic Relief Services (CRS) program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. The technical focus of the activity will be on strengthening forage seed systems, considerate of inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth and strengthened resilience among people and systems in Ethiopia. The Animal Feed and Nutrition TA will lead forage seed system and feed reserve related activity implementation, data collection and reporting tasks.  

 Roles and Key Responsibilities: 

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the ESA strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in forage seed systems and feed reserve that effectively engage partners, donors and government. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.

• Provide cost benefit analyses of different animal feed scenarios and possibilities of combining cultivated forages into sustainable animal feed production and processing that enhances livestock productivity.

• Supervise and lead implementation of feed preservation technologies on the ground in the target regions in collaboration with private and public partners.

• Foster public-private partnerships to ensure viability and sustainability of the business models implemented on the ground in the target regions.

• Lead the development of scaling pathways of the models using cost-benefit analyses as well as sustainable partnerships.

• Assess, recommend, and facilitate policy changes at the national and local levels that bridge gaps between forage seed systems and animal feed practices using cultivated forages.

• Lead capacity strengthening initiatives in animal feed systems and feed reserve programming for staff and partner through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and mentoring and coaching to country program and partner staff.

• Contribute to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.

• Establish and maintain relationships with key national partners engaged in forage sector and animal feed industry.

• Participate in forums in forage seed systems and feed reserve to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.

• Represent program initiative in national platforms, such as the Ethiopia forage seed consortium.

Job Requirements

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• MSc/BSc degree in agriculture, seed science and technology, crop science, breeding, and any relevant field preferably with working experience in the forage seed sector

• Minimum of five years relevant working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with a private sector entity, with minimum of three years working for programming interventions in animal feed and nutrition sector and feed reserve

• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in animal feed and nutrition and feed reserve. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.

• Experience in business development, project design and proposal development in forage seed systems and feed reserve, including technical writing.

• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation and training applying adult learning principles and practices.

• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.

• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

 Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.

• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills

• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented

 Required Languages - Amharic and English. Other Ethiopian languages, like Afaan Oromo, a plus.

 Travel - Must be willing and able to travel domestically up to 30%. 

 Key Working Relationships:  

Internal: : ESA Chief of Party and project technical staff; Regional Technical Advisors in Agriculture, Youth, Gender and Market Systems, CRS Ethiopia program and operations staff, CRS Ethiopia gender and youth technical advisors.

External: Alliance for Bioversity and CIAT forage experts, National and international partners, public and private sector entities, other partners.

 Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)  

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.

• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.

• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.

• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.

• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.

• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.

• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

  Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.  

How to Apply

You should fill the application form through this link: CLIK HERE and attach your up-to-date CV on / before the application deadline August 29, 2023. You will be contacted only if selected for written exam/interview. Phone solicitations will not be accepted. These job opportunities are open to Ethiopian nationals only.

CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. 

** Qualified women & persons with disability are highly encouraged to apply**

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer