In Ethiopia, GIZ has been working for more than 40 years in bilateral cooperation on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and on commission of the Ethiopian Government and International Donors.

The Agricultural Mechanisation for Smallholders (AMS) project is financed by the German Development Cooperation and implemented by GIZ. The main objective of the project is improving small-scale farmers’ productivity & incomes through mechanization and technology. AMS is working in introducing improved agricultural mechanisation on small scale farms in the Arsi zone and will soon expand to Bale (Oromija) and West-Gojam (Amhara).

To achieve its objectives, GIZ-mechanisation project is looking a qualified candidate as per the below details.

Position:                        Mechanisation Expert

Remuneration:               As per the GIZ scale

Application deadline:    October 05, 2018

Place of Work:               Addis Ababa

Responsibilities:

The incumbent is responsible for

• Provision of technical support in all matters related to agricultural mechanisation, including project implementation, the institutional landscape and legal framework governing the agriculture mechanisation sector.

• Facilitating, conducting and supporting training on agricultural machinery operation and maintenance.
• Work closely with stakeholders from the Ethiopian government (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Resources, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Regional and Zonal Bureaus of Agriculture as well as, farmers’ cooperative unions and private sector partners) in a variety of manners geared at improving access to quality agricultural mechanization services for smallholder farmers.

Tasks:

• Support and advise the project management, field coordinators and other project staff in all technical matters related with agricultural mechanisation technologies.
• Provide technical support to project partners, such as (but not limited to) regional and zonal agriculture mechanisation experts and mechanisation service providers, mechanisation equipment dealers and mechanisation training centres.
• Support planning, coordination and implementation of on-farm demonstration activities of the project.
• Monitor and ensure functionality and safety of the project machinery used for training and on-farm demonstrations.
• Design, plan and execute/support hands-on training on the proper use, maintenance and repair of farm machinery and implements.
• Contribute to the overall project strategy development, operational and implementation plans.
• Liaise with project stakeholders and partners on an on-going basis.
• Represent the project in meetings, conferences and forums.
• Contribute to project reporting and public relations activities

Other Duties/Additional Tasks

• Consult routinely with the programme management regarding all kinds of activities
• Provide support in organisational and management questions

Qualifications and Experience

• BSc/MSc in Farm Mechanization, Agricultural Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
• At least 5 years of professional working experience in the field of agricultural mechanisation, including advisory or managerial responsibilities
• Experience in developing and building relationships between the public and private sector
• Good working knowledge of common computer programs (MS Office)
• Very good command of English and fluency in Amharic; additional Ethiopian languages are a plus