Job Profile
Senior Adviser (N1)
Greening Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia Programme
Ethiopia
Reference number: DK-53453-2014/ETI.01-W
1.
Preliminary
1.1. Short background:
With the aim of sustainably increase small holder farmers’ income in Amhara,
Oromia, SNNP and Tigray region, the Embassy of Denmark in Addis Ababa
started implementing a three years thematic programme entitled Greening
Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia (GATE) with a total budget of 177.5 million
DKK. Under the GATE programme there are two development engagements:
support to the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and support to the
Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Facility.
The Embassy of Denmark in Addis Ababa aims to support the ATA to carry out its
mandates in a climate smart and environmentally sustainable way through building
capacity and implementation of selected ‘green’ deliverables under the
Transformation Agenda. A placement of long term senior advisor at the CEO office
of the ATA is part of this agreed support. The senior advisor is expected to build
capacity for addressing the development and implementation of needed policies,
procedures and strategies to successfully implement GATE and ATA’s plans to
significantly extend its activities with donors, implementation partners (including
NGOs), MoA/public sector partners, and the private sector.
1.2. Purpose of memo:
This memo describes the main tasks involved in the position and the qualifications
requested from candidates to the job.
1.3. Expected composition of recruitment committee:
Applicants for the position will be selected for interview by the Danish embassy
following consultation with the local authorities, who will also be represented at the
job interview. Mercuri Urval will participate in the process of appointment by
conducting personality tests and test interviews with the selected candidates, as
well as taking part in the final interview. The final interview panel consists of the
sector coordinator from the Embassy, a representative from the local authorities,
and the consultant from Mercuri Urval A/S in charge of the recruitment process.
2.
The Programme
2.1. The programme in brief:
The Embassy of Denmark in Addis Ababa is starting the implementation of a new
programme entitled Greening Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia (GATE)
Programme 2014 – 2017, with the development objective of sustainably increasing
rural incomes. The support to ATA to Greening Agricultural Transformation is one
of the two development engagements planned to be supported under the GATE
Programme. The total funding for the ATA development engagement is DKK 150
million.
The objective of the ATA engagement is to implement the Agricultural
Transformation Agenda in a climate smart manner. The engagement has four
outcomes:
Outcome 1.1.
Outcome 1.2.
Outcome 1.3.
Outcome 1.4.
Climate smart farming technologies and practices are developed
and promoted within smallholder farmer production through key
agricultural systems
Technologies and practices relating to sustainable on-farm Natural
Resources Management and Water Resources Development are
promoted through key agricultural systems and gradually adopted
by smallholder farmers
Value chain actors understand and start adopting climate smart
technologies and practices along selected value chains
Human and institutional capacity for climate mainstreaming and
donor coordination is increased within ATA and for climate
mainstreaming also within its key implementation partners
The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), an agency within the Government
of Ethiopia, began operations in August 2011 with the mission to catalyse the
transformation of the agricultural sector in Ethiopia and thereby enable the country
to achieve middle income status by 2025. It reports to the Transformation Council,
which is chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Minister of Agriculture as the
Deputy Chairperson.
ATA secures funds from the Government of Ethiopia and from development
partners, and since its inception, has secured over $50 million USD. ATA adjusts
its budgets annually and semi-annually to meet the requests of the Transformation
Council and to take advantage of successful programmatic opportunities that are
poised for quick scale-up with the potential to rapidly achieve high impact on a
large number of farmers including women and youth.
ATA currently has 220 staff and works with its implementing partners in 251
woredas (districts with an average population size of 100,000) in four regions. As
the demands for ATA’s involvement in the agricultural sector have grown, so has
its organizational structure and staff size. ATA expects organisational growth to
slow dramatically in the coming years.
The ATA’s engagements take place across a targeted set of issues and
geographies and are organized through four types of Program Teams.
•
Value chains: ATA’s value chain programs address the production and
marketing needs of specific crops that have the greatest potential to impact
smallholder farmers.
•
Systems: These programs are the key building blocks to address the main
systemic bottlenecks in all value chains so that increased crop production and
income generation can become sustainable.
•
Crosscutting Initiatives and Analytics: These programs focus on issues
that cut across multiple programs and seek to address specific areas that are
important to the long-term viability and sustainability of the value chain and
systems programs.
•
Special Projects: This area contains projects where there is no public
sector partner and ATA has taken the role of lead agency.
All of the ATA’s work takes place through partnerships with multiple stakeholders.
These include the MoA and Regional Bureaus who own and drive the agriculture
agenda at the federal and regional levels; development partners who provide
critical thought partnership and financial support; the private sector, NGOs and
civil society organizations who are often implementing many of the initiatives within
the agriculture sector; and public sector and farmer organizations at the woreda
and kebele (the lowest level administrative unit of the government with 10,000
population on average) level who are often on the front line of engaging and
supporting Ethiopia’s smallholder farmers.
ATA uses a hybrid staffing model consisting of both national and international staff
in order to rapidly establish ATA and achieve results. Over time, ATA will gradually
replace all contract employees who are not long-term, local recruits (see below) so
that the institution is fully a nationally-run organization. There are three types of
employees at ATA: Long Term Local Recruits; International Seconded Employees;
and Consultants (International and Local).
The ATA is a focused organization that is working to secure the transformation of
Ethiopian agriculture through new approaches to solving major problems facing
the sector. Thus, challenges past practices that have limited effectiveness. This
and the lack of clarity on the role of the ATA and the Ministry of Agriculture created
sensitivity and challenge to establish smooth relationship. ATA is a young and
dynamic organization and that needs to deliver more long term results to be fully
accepted in sector.
2.2. Requirements and expectations from stakeholders:
The key responsibilities/outputs of this role will include, but not limited to, the
transferring of skills and supporting of capacity development of ATA staff and
programs, from the ATA Office of the CEO, in the following areas:
•
•
•
•
•
3.
Policies and procedures necessary for robust deliverable management
throughout the program lifecycle, including stakeholder alignment, deliverable
setting, budgeting, milestone setting and tracking, implementation and
reporting
The development/updating/management of internal programming guidelines,
including guidance and capacity building for successful integration of
programming needs/procedures throughout ATA program verticals (Systems,
Value Chains, Cross Cutting Initiatives)
Provide support in setting up joint-programming policies and procedures for
ATA, including harmonization and reporting on donor support to the
Transformation Agenda
Establish detailed policies and procedures, as well as provide strategic
support to key ATA staff in establishing and managing sub-granting processes
for private sector partners
The potential establishment of an ATA unit with the responsibility of external
global reporting to key stakeholders, including donors and Government
partners.
The Position
3.1. Title: International Senior Adviser (N1)
3.2. Place of service: The Agricultural Transformation Agency, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
3.3. The Conditions of employment:
The conditions will be managed according to the “Staff Regulations for Advisors
and Long term Advisors October 2014” The contract period is three years.
Attractive salary based on qualifications and family status.
3.4. Special conditions relating to the post:
The position will be long term advisor and for three years, ending December 2017.
The Embassy will authorise the advisor to rent suitable accommodation directly on
the private market with in an estimated average price range and subject to
Embassy endorsement of the standard and the security aspects of the intended
residence.
3.5. Area of responsibility/tasks:
Short term (Inception Phase)
•
Provide support in setting up joint-programming policies and procedures for
ATA, including harmonization and reporting on donor support to the
Transformation Agenda
•
Establish detailed policies and procedures, as well as provide strategic
support to key ATA staff in establishing and managing sub-granting
processes for private sector partners
•
Facilitating the implementation of the road map for enhancing ATA’s climate
Mainstreaming efforts
•
Taking part in the development and revision of policies, procedures and
guidelines
Long term:
•
Policies and procedures necessary for robust deliverable management
throughout the program lifecycle, including stakeholder alignment, deliverable
setting, budgeting, milestone setting and tracking, implementation and
reporting
•
The development/updating/management of internal programming guidelines,
including guidance and capacity building for successful integration of
programming needs/procedures throughout ATA program verticals (Systems,
Value Chains, Cross Cutting Initiatives)
•
The potential establishment of an ATA unit with the responsibility of external
global reporting to key stakeholders, including donors and Government
partners
3.6. Success criteria:
Short term
•
Donor coordination system (joint programming and reporting) in place
•
Sub-granting management unit in place and procedures and guidelines in
place especially to sub-grant to private sector and fund disbursed and
managed accordingly
•
Implementation of the road map for enhancing ATA’s climate Mainstreaming
efforts started
Long term
•
Improved necessary policies and procedures for robust deliverable
management, including stakeholder alignment, deliverable setting, budgeting,
milestone setting and tracking, implementation and reporting
•
Developed/ updated management of internal programming guidelines,
including guidance and capacity building for successful integration of
programming needs/procedures throughout ATA program verticals (Systems,
Value Chains, Cross Cutting Initiatives)
4.
Demand profile/qualifications
4.1 Requirements and expectations concerning the candidates’ formal qualifications:
•
•
Educational background: M.Sc. or above in the field of development
management and/or planning, development economics or related areas
Work experience and Developing Country experience:
o Extensive demonstrated international experience in high level
programming and donor management within international development
and public policy in relevant countries
•
•
•
o Specific international development experience within agricultural
development highly desirable
o Specific experience in management/strategy consulting highly desirable
o Knowledge of green growth and climate change programming and
implementation issues would be a distinct advantage
experience of development assistance (e.g. technical implementation,
capacity development, planning, supervision),
experience of specific assistance activities (e.g. familiarity with Danida
procedures, financial control and reporting, cooperation with other donors),
language skills, English is the working language of The ATA
4.2 Requirements and expectations concerning the personal qualifications of the
candidates:
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5.
Ability to work in a team in a multi stakeholder environment
Flexibility, patience and ability to adjust
Strong analytical and strategic skills
Ability to get and keep the overview of things and get to the point
The candidate must also have good communication skills as well as a strong
motivation for sharing knowledge and build capacity at all levels.
Recruitment Procedure
5.1 How do you apply
Information about the mandatory application procedure can be found at:
www.danidajob.um.dk. Reference number DK-53453-2014/ETI.01-W should be
stated in the application.
5.2 Deadline for applications: January 29 2015 at 12 noon (CET).
5.3 Preliminary interviews and personal evaluation: week 9/2015. Mercuri Urval will
conduct a personal evaluation of selected candidates.
5.4 Language test: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided that all candidates
called in for interview - except for those to whom the relevant language is mother
tongue - shall be language tested in Denmark in the working languages of the duty
station (i.e. English).
5.5 Presentation to the appointments committee: February 25 2015
5.6 Decision: A decision is expected during week 9
5.7 Expected commencement: As soon as possible