ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE

Position:                                  Advisor:  Agriculture and Horticulture Development Sector     

Term of Employment:             One year with a possibility of extension

Duty Station:                           Addis Ababa, Secondment to MoA 

Required Number:                  One

Application Deadline:            January 23, 2025

BACKGROUND

The Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) was established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify systemic bottlenecks, conduct studies, and provide recommendations, provide implementation support, manage projects, create linkages and coordination among activities and agricultural development programs. The Institute 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 that, to be the leading centre of innovative solutions to catalyse and contribute to the transformation of Ethiopian Agriculture by 2030 where smallholder farmers are commercialized with greater incomes, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability.

ATI provides a unique 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 teams with the tools, training, and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals.

The programmatic focus of the Institute responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and other sectors along commodity value chains. Across the programs, the ATI engages public, private, and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models. Currently, ATI is tasked to coordinate the revised Agriculture and Rural Development policy agendas of the sector and such sectoral level delegation requires high level expertise in the policy areas and skillsets in coordination and networking with multiple stakeholders.

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.

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Advisor of the state minister for agriculture and horticulture (hereafter the “Advisor”) is specifically expected to have profound knowledge, strong skills and proven experience in postharvest management, horticulture husbandry, horticulture value chain, project management, stakeholder management and coordination, desire for improving the lives of smallholder farmers, and a deep familiarity to Ethiopia’s agricultural research and development system with particular emphasis to increase the production, productivity, post-harvest management, marketing, processing and value addition of horticultural commodities prioritized by the sector. It is fundamental that the Advisor should support the sector in Value Chain Analysis and Development to identify key leverage points of interventions that can contribute to and propel the overall agricultural transformation process. Capitalizing on the achievements gained from the implementation of Agricultural Commercialization Cluster (ACC) and Farmers Production Cluster (FPC) in grains crops, the advisor provides technical support to the horticulture initiatives in increasing the level of farmers' aggregation, adoption of improved production practices and improvement of institutional capacity through effective delivery of farmer clustering, assessment and transition through effective support/capacity building ultimately contributing to the evolution of the Horticulture Farmers Production Clusters (HFPCs) from (pre) basic to production company. The Advisor will report to the State Minister of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Sector and work closely with the state minister and the subtending lead executive officers, other government agencies, farmers, NGOs, and other stakeholders to promote the adoption of and develop sustainable farming systems.

The Advisor also conducts strategic planning, reporting, analysis, and problem-solving on the priority agendas identified by the state minister and different lead executives of sector to ensure meaningful planning and target setting, timely and accurate reporting, and rigorous and practical problem-solving. In addition, he/she will provide analytical or problem-solving support to senior leadership on high priority requests, including trend analysis, strategic planning and/or policy analysis. The person in this role will also work to strengthen the project management and analytical capacity of the priority agenda and strongly align with the overall agriculture sector plan. Furthermore, he/she will perform other duties as assigned by the state minister for Agriculture and Horticulture Development Sector.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES

The roles and responsibilities of the advisor for Agricultural and Horticulture development sector of the federal Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) are as follows:

Assessment and Analysis

• Undertake a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the horticulture industry and postharvest practices identifying strengths, opportunities and gaps for improvement, leading to the implementation of solutions to solve technical and operational challenges of the sector.

• Proactively identify gaps in Horticulture value chain and perform diagnostics of Horticulture projects, interventions' and propose workable solutions

• Conduct regular trend analysis of crop and horticulture production vividly comparing the local, regional and global scenarios and provide a thoughtfully technically crafted advice with well-articulated action plan to be implemented.

• In view of the emerging scenarios such as climate change, swift shift in living standards, purchasing power of consumers and demographic changes, the advisor will provide regular feedback to the state minister of agriculture and horticulture sector on how to proactively shape the national horticulture industry and agriculture at large.

Problem Solving, Strategic Thinking and Strategy Development

• Critically scan and analyse existing policies, regulations, and institutional frameworks related to agriculture and identify gaps and opportunities for the improvement the agriculture and horticulture sector and overall agricultural transformation.

• Actively engage in the preparation of the implementation plan for the horticulture strategy and other national development programs.

• Thoroughly analyse the new Agriculture and Rural development policy and support the development of new strategies, programs, proclamations, directives and other legal frameworks through active engagement of relevant stakeholders.

• In consultation with Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), provide support in the development Strategy for Horticulture Farmers Production Cluster (HFPC) detailed implementation plan. 

• Provide high level technical/expertise support to the horticulture value chain activities through providing strategic and professional guidance at different level.

• Fully understand the high-level national horticulture strategy and effectively translate it into projects & interventions with technical support the effective rollout process and heighten collaborations between potential partners such as Bureaus of Agriculture, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional Agricultural Research Institutions, Non-Government Organizations, community-based organizations, cooperative societies, and the private sector and ensure effective and timely implementation of interventions through the engagement of the various lead executives.

• Support the implementation of flagship programs such as Enset Development Flagship Program (NEtDFP), and national development programs on avocado (NADP), onion (NODP) and tomato (NTDP) through the engagement of relevant stakeholders.

• Properly visualize and find the best fit of the agriculture and horticulture development sector within the different components of the Ethiopian food system and design the right packages of interventions to ensure the national agenda of ensuring sustainable food and nutrition security, export promotion/import substitution, job creation and supply of raw materials to the agroindustry.

• Analyse and comprehend the status and gaps of the existing formal and informal seed system and facilitate the development of a comprehensive horticulture seed roadmap in alignment with the national seed strategy.

• Actively engage in the implementation of sector-level strategies such as the National Postharvest Management Strategy (NPHMS) and National Food Safety & Quality Strategy (NFSWS) as outlined in the Ten-in-Ten program of the Ministry of Agriculture.

• Design mechanisms of strengthening the postharvest management platform and the Ethiopian Society of Postharvest Management to leverage the effort of the MoA in reducing postharvest losses of horticultural and grain crops. 

• Provide technical support on the practical implementation and promotion of comprehensive technologies with major emphasis on pre- and post-harvest technologies that enhance production and productivity grain and horticultural crops as well as reduce postharvest loses. 

• Provide technical support for the establishment of model seed/seedlings multiplication centre and FTCs to ensure that certified planting materials are produced from standard nurseries.

• Render technical advice on the establishment of clonal gardens of fruit crops in different cluster areas to supply clean planting materials for nurseries and improvement programs.

• In consultation with the plant protection Lead Executive, the national Agricultural Authority and other relevant stakeholders, facilitate the safe movement of planting materials in the country with real-time tracking system.

Mentoring and Capacity Building

• Conduct capacity-building activities and follow-up support to ensure the creation of human capital capable of executing the Horticulture value chain. 

• Develop concept notes, training materials, manuals, and resources to support capacity-building efforts of the agriculture and horticulture development cluster.

• Support the design and implementation of training programs, panel discussions, workshops, or knowledge-sharing sessions to enhance the capacity of stakeholders in horticulture and postharvest management. 

• Promoting the necessary technical support on the use of innovative technologies and practices to enhance efficiency while ensuring sustainability.

• Provide technical expertise and guidance on sustainable production and postharvest management of horticultural crops.

• Facilitate knowledge exchange and learning platforms to promote the adoption of policies, strategies, and programs.

• Mentor experts in the agriculture and horticulture development sector on issues pertaining to value chain analysis and development, grant proposal writing, presentation skills, gender sensitive and inclusive approaches 

Results-focused stakeholder management Stakeholder Engagement

• Support the practical implementation of the horticulture strategy through harnessing regional capacity and delivery system vis-a-vis engaging the private sectors, farmers’ cooperative unions, and NGOs who can provide both technical and financial support on the development of the horticulture industry nationwide.

• Collaborating with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, and private sector actors, to foster partnerships and resource mobilization.

• Advocating for the interests of the horticultural sector at various national and international forums and ensure that horticulture sector gains deserved focus and support from relevant stakeholders.

• Facilitate multi-stakeholder platforms and partnerships to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration, and coordination among value-chain actors.

• Prepare reports, presentations, and other communication materials to disseminate best practices and lessons learned in sustainable horticulture sector development and postharvest loss reduction. 

• Facilitate interactions with private sector actors, cooperatives, horticulture market associations, affiliate institutions of the MoA, etc.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• In alignment with the SDG, CAADP and the Ethiopian Food Systems, establishing indicators for assessing the impact of implemented strategies.

• Responsible for compiling and submitting data and reports to ensure alignment on project implementation and identify potential risks that could affect the overall performance of the projects assigned to.

• Providing regular reports and recommendations to the state minister for agriculture and horticulture development sector on progress and areas for improvement.

Other Technical Support 

• In addition to the duties specified above, the Advisor is expected to provide other technical advisory, capacity building and input as requested by state minister of agriculture and horticulture development sector

Job Requirements

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

• Minimum MSc or Ph.D. degree in horticulture, postharvest, agricultural science and related fields.

• A minimum of 12 years for MSc or 6 years for PhD with directly related experience. 

• Good experience in a senior role in regional, national, or international higher learning or research organizations, and in areas relevant to Horticulture, postharvest management, and related areas.

• Good experience in market-led value chain development and upgrading activities 

• Extensive experience in facilitating dialogue with relevant public and private stakeholders.

• Specific experience in advisory service at high level, strategic planning, prioritizing, sequencing, managing, problem-solving and reporting on implementation of both programmatic and operational activities of the horticulture and postharvest. 

• Deep understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector in general and the agricultural and horticulture sector in particular, with a wider perspective on how the entire horticulture industry operates and how public, private and non-government organization operate in the system. 

• Fluency in major computer applications, the internet and presentation skills.

• Self-starter with strong motivation, ownership, and commitment to deliver results and drive agricultural transformation.

• Exhibits an innovative and high-performance mindset and culture and can perform at a high level under pressure and in challenging environments.

• Promotes data-driven and evidence-based problem-solving, and timely, effective decision-making.

• Demonstrates leadership, vision, and ability to motivate and strengthen accountability of others. 

• Can act as a champion for change and can effectively support change management efforts.

• Strong team player with excellent relationship building and management skill, ability to promote dialogue and communicate clearly and confidently, and a network of professional contacts.

• Proactively seeks and acts on feedback to drive own development and contributes to others’ development through active coaching and sharing knowledge and best practices.

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

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) using 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.