Position:                               Project Team Lead I - DREAM Irrigation

Term of Employment:         One year with a possibility of extension 

Duty Station(s):                   Addis Ababa 

Required Number:              One 

Application Deadline:        August 17,2024

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 centre of innovative solutions for the transformation of the Ethiopian Agriculture by 2030. 

The Institute focuses on two primary national approaches to catalyse agricultural transformation. First, we support the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), and its federal and regional affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within sector’s development plan. Second, we support Regional Governments to accelerate development of high-priority commodity value chains in clearly defined geographic clusters, through the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) Program.

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, with regional office representations in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, Sidama, Southwest, 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 Distributed Renewable Energy-Agriculture Modalities (DREAM) Irrigation project is a three-year pilot project at the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), funded by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). The project consists of two distinct units: the Energy component, managed by SNV, and the Irrigation component, managed by ATI. While GEAPP funds both the Energy and Irrigation components, the Irrigation component is exclusively supported by GEAPP.

The DREAM Irrigation project works with multiple external stakeholders to expand and enhance small scale irrigation system powered by solar mini-grids in nine isolated and off-grid pilot sites spread across the four regions of Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, and Sidama to eventually spur private investments and expand the mini-grid.  

The solar Mini- grid will be installed at each pilot site to provide dependable and renewable energy for agricultural, residential, and commercial use. The project will make available to farmers reliable irrigation water, improved field irrigation water management, and ATI’s Agricultural Commercialization cluster programs packages for horticultural crops to achieve greater productivity, increased revenue, and improved living conditions. DREAM will follow a commercial operating model, with farmers paying for both the energy they use to pump water and the operations and maintenance of the irrigation schemes. The nine pilot sites will provide the proof for commercial viability of mini-grid irrigation and attract private sector investment to scale up mini-grid powered irrigation schemes across 100 horticulture potential sites in Ethiopia.

The DREAM Irrigation and the mini-grid Pilot will be implemented under ATI with the partnership of the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), ministry of Agriculture (MoA), SNV and Veritas Consultancy.

The Team Lead will assist the DREAM Director in planning, designing, and implementing the ATI’s delivery on the DREAM Irrigation through piloting Mini grids, coordinating and supporting the DREAM Irrigation and ACC Staff to achieve DREAM Irrigation goals. He/she will also actively identify and pursue innovative solutions to expand access to power to DREAM ACC farmers.

The role requires supporting the successful implementation of the DREAM Irrigation project through effective stakeholder engagement, robust project management, and practical problem-solving. The position reports to the Natural Resources and Climate Director.

The ideal candidate is expected to have strong project management and communication skills, a track record in agricultural water management and solar electricity access projects, and proven experience working with diverse stakeholders in both public and private sectors. Additionally, the candidate should demonstrate a high level of focus, urgency, and ownership in their work.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

We are seeking an experienced and motivated water resources, irrigation or agricultural Engineer with specialization in study, design, construction supervision and contract administration of irrigation projects. The candidate should have experiences in applying different technologies and software for design, supervision and contract administration of irrigation projects.  As a specialist, He/she will be responsible for integrating Irrigation/ agricultural engineering principles and different technologies to design, implement, and manage solar-powered irrigation systems. The project aims to implement sustainable and efficient irrigation systems powered by solar energy to improve agricultural productivity and water management in rural areas. The expertise in agricultural water management (Irrigation engineering that include agronomy) systems in GIS environment and fieldwork will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the project by optimizing water usage, enhancing agricultural productivity, and improving livelihoods in rural communities.

Responsibilities for the DREAM Irrigation Team Lead are the implementation of DREAM Irrigation initiatives in the ATI, including the rollout of the Mini-grid pilot through effective project and stakeholder management.

 DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist DREAM Irrigation Director in project management, including annual planning, development, budgeting, prioritization of workstreams and activities and, oversee implementation, and monitoring.

• Supervise DREAM Regional Officers and Extension staff, track performance of staff in implementing the irrigation and Mini Grid components of the project and identify the challenges and roll out solutions. 

• Work closely with MoWE, MoA, MILLS, SNV and other implementing partners on the design, planning of the irrigation system, rollout of the Mini-grids pilot and best infrastructural arrangements at each pilot site.

• Work closely with ATI’s teams, particularly with the ACC teams both at the federal and regional levels and ensure that the project is aligned with the vision of the ACC program.

• Conduct and/or coordinate studies on feasibility and business model of electrification opportunities and access to smallholder farmers including assessing the feasibility of additional ACC mini-grids sites for the up-scaling stage of the DREAM project to more than 100 sites.

• Conduct and/or coordinate studies on feasibility and business model of Private irrigation service provider (ISPs) and long-term DREAM Irrigation system ownership, operation, maintenance, and power billing mechanisms opportunities that best serves small farmers including assessing the feasibility of additional ACC mini-grids sites for the up-scaling stage of the DREAM project to more than 100 sites.

• Prepare Term of references (ToR) for different activities in the DREAM projects.

• Prepare concept Notes for new irrigation and water management projects.

• Conduct irrigation agronomy study, Design irrigation infrastructure, considering local water resources, soil conditions, and environmental factors.

• Prepare bill of quantities (BoQ), specifications and working drawings for the irrigation infrastructures.

• Prepare contract documents for services, works and goods following the PPA and Donor specific instructions.

• Prepare bid documents, evaluate bidders, and resolve issues in the bidding process.

• Coordinate data collection and analysis on soil, ground water source, horticulture water demands, and other relevant data necessary as needed to successfully implement the pilot project.

• Utilize GIS and other technologies to collect ground and remote sensing relevant data, analyse and map relevant geographic data, including crop, soil, water sources, and land use patterns, weather, and climate forecast data.

• Provide technical expertise in the selection, installation, and maintenance of solar-powered pumps, surface and drip irrigation systems, and other irrigation components.

• Conduct field surveys and data collection to gather digital information on soil characteristics, crop, weather, water resources and land use. 

• Collect and analyse data on weather patterns, climate variables, and evapotranspiration rates.

• Develop comprehensive irrigation schedules and water management plans, considering seasonal variations and crop water requirements.

• Monitor water availability and usage patterns to optimize irrigation scheduling and water management strategies.

• Collaborate with local stakeholders, farmers, and community members to understand their needs and incorporate their input into project planning and implementation.

• Ensure compliance with environmental and sustainability standards throughout the project implementation.

• Conduct training sessions and capacity-building activities for local farmers and project staff on the operation and maintenance of irrigation systems.

• Stay updated on emerging trends and innovations in agricultural engineering and GIS technologies and provide recommendations for continuous improvement of the project.

• Outstanding analytical, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate, coordinate and manage engagements with senior stakeholders in the ATI and other organizations.

Job Requirements

Required qualifications, competencies, skills, training, and experience:

• Minimum master’s degree required in Irrigation/ Agricultural/ water resources Engineering with a strong background in Irrigation agronomy study, infrastructure design, construction supervision and contract administration work.

• At least 10 years of overall experience, including a minimum of 7 years in managerial roles within public, private, development sector organizations and irrigation/water resources projects.

• Strong project management skills, stakeholder engagement, problem-solving ability, and with proven experience in delivering complex, impactful projects.

• Proven experience working with Auto CAD Civil 3D, CROPWAT, GEOSTUDIO, GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS) and workable knowledge in computer programming in Phyton/R or Visual Basic for applications.

• Proven experience in conducting study and design of groundwater and surface water-based irrigation projects.

• Proven experience in construction supervision of groundwater and surface water irrigation infrastructures.

• Knowledge of preparing design and specification of submersible and surface pumps for irrigation and water supply use.

• Knowledge of preparing design and specification of solar powered submersible and surface pumps for irrigation and water supply use.

• Knowledge of and experience of assessing the potential of alternative energy sources like solar energy. 

• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with multiple departments and stakeholders across different organizations.

• Outstanding analytical, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate, coordinate and manage engagements with senior stakeholders in the ATI and other organizations.

• Strong core values of integrity and professionalism.

• Fluency in English and Knowledge of Amharic and other local languages is advantageous.

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 THIS LINK

It is mandatory to mention the position title under the subject line of your application email.  Please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application.  

Women are highly encouraged to apply. 

NB. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.