The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) is a strategy and delivery oriented government agency created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATA 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 and Livestock Resources (MoALR), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within an Agricultural Transformation Agenda. 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) 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 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 ATA, 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) approved the Livestock Master Plan (LMP) which aims at transforming traditional family farms into improved market-oriented systems, to improve household incomes, food security, livestock product consumption and nutrition, and to contribute to national economic growth.  In addition, the GoE has decided to scale up its investment and institutional support to the livestock and fisheries sector by launching 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 as articulated in the GTPII and LMP, and focuses particularly on the subsistence level and smallholder farmers, where the maximum benefits can be obtained for both the sector and its participants.   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.    As part of the memorandum of understanding entered between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Resources and the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), the ATA will hold responsibilities for agreed activities as an implementing agency of the LFSDP which includes hiring and seconding two highly qualified technical experts to the MoALR dedicated to support the Ministry in the implementation of the project.

 ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

·         Support the implementation of Livestock and Fisheries Sector Development Project (LFSDP) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Resources of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

·         Support the project coordination unit at Federal, Regional and Woreda levels for successful implementation of the project,

·         Support assessment and identification of subsistence livestock producers and improved livestock farmers cooperatives in the project target areas

·         Develop guidelines for assessing Good Animal Practices (GAP)  in the project area

·         Identify specialized livestock cooperatives, unions and processors and assess and identify their operational and value chain related challenges

·         Assess and identify gaps of livestock and fisheries value chains (focus on dairy, small ruminant, poultry and fish) in the project target areas in collaboration with regional project coordination units

·         Assess and identify gaps of livestock cooperatives/union, specialized cooperatives, processors and municipalities

·         Support and facilitate public information campaign to create awareness/sensitization on livestock investment opportunities

·         Support and facilitate regional and woreda cluster value chain platforms

·         Support basic sub-project profile preparation and appraisal (development of business plan, guidelines, provision of training)

·         Support the implementation of sub-projects  in collaboration with beneficiary regions and woreda’s

·         Engage stakeholders including Federal and Regional Bureaus of Agriculture and Livestock Resources, Federal & Regional Cooperative Promotion Agencies, Private Sector partners, Bilateral partners and Non-Governmental Organizations, to collaboratively and effectively implement the project

·         Liaise with LFSDP implementing institutions and agencies for effective implementation of the project

·         Provide other technical content support that helps identify gaps and recommend ways to develop the Livestock value chains.

·         Implement other related activities as and when requested by the state minister whom s/he reports to.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

·         PhD/ Master’s degree in livestock value chain development, agri-business, or other relevant disciplines.

·         At least 4 years of experience for PhD and 6 years for MSc degree in livestock value chains development and analysis, agricultural business development and planning, and related areas with focus on smallholder farming in mixed crop livestock system.

·         Knowledge of current agricultural marketing systems, value chains and livestock development issues in Ethiopia;

·         Experience with project design, performance management, learning systems and monitoring & evaluation;

·         Practical experience in business planning, developing business linkages between producers and markets and working across livestock value chains  in Ethiopia;

·         Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operational activities;

·         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;

·         Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style;

·         Good data management and  analytical skills;

·         Excellent skills and experience in use of computers and common office applications;

·         Practical experience in testing and scaling up relevant solutions at the local level;

·         Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork, accountability and results;

·         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; and

·         Fluency in Amharic and working knowledge of English are essential. Knowledge of additional Ethiopian languages would be an advantage.