Capacity Building and Workforce Development Specialist Full Time NEW

Position: Capacity Building and Workforce Development Specialist

Description

Heifer International is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with some form of disability.

The Organization

Since 1944, Heifer International has empowered over 46 million smallholder farmer families globally to overcome hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. Our new goal is to close the Sustainable Living Income gap for 10 million more households by 2030.

Heifer Ethiopia’s contribution to the Global 10 million households target is to help 1,000,000 of Heifer Africa’s 6.745 million households achieve sustainable living income by 2030. Heifer Ethiopia’s maiden Signature Program, focusing on dairy, poultry, small ruminants and horticulture, will set the pace.

FUNCTION:

The Capacity Building and Workforce Development Specialist reports to the Project Team Leader and is responsible for leading, coordinating, and overseeing all capacity building, skills development, and workforce strengthening interventions under the Bridging the Skills Gaps in Horticulture to Enhance the Sector Growth, and Food and Nutrition Security in Ethiopia (BSH4GFNS) Project. The post holder ensures youth, smallholder farmers, commercial enterprises, and service providers engaged in the horticulture value chains are equipped with relevant technical, business, and employability skills aligned with market demand in the sector.

He/she is responsible for the design and implementation of demand-driven capacity building strategies, including training needs assessments, skills gap analyses, institutional capacity assessments, and design and implementation of the market-based skills in the horticulture sector. The Specialist ensures that capacity development interventions are practical, inclusive, and sustainability-oriented, directly contributing to improved productivity, quality, market access, employment creation, and institutional performance across the horticulture sector.

The position holder works closely with the Ministries and Bureaus of Agriculture, Labor and Skills, Education, TVET institutions, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to strengthen local training systems and institutionalize learning mechanisms beyond the life of the project. He/she also supports the Project Team Leader and MEL function in monitoring learning outcomes, documenting best practices, and contributing to high-quality donor and internal reporting. The position is contingent upon confirmed funding and donor approval.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES:

Capacity Building and Workforce Development Management (50%)

Day-to-day leadership and coordination of capacity building and workforce development activities to ensure achievement of project objectives, outputs, and outcomes, including but not limited to:

• Lead comprehensive training needs, skills gap, and institutional capacity assessments for youth, smallholder farmers, commercial enterprises, and other service providers (extension staff, etc.).
• Design, coordinate, and oversee delivery of training programs on horticulture production, post-harvest handling, food safety, quality standards, climate-smart agriculture, agribusiness management, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
• Support strengthening of governance, leadership, accountability, and business management capacities of cooperatives and producer organizations to enable them to function as commercially viable and sustainable market actors.
• Facilitate development of workforce pathways for youth, including apprenticeships, internships, and on-the-job learning opportunities with horticulture enterprises and service providers.
• Promote women’s participation, leadership, and decision-making through targeted capacity building, mentoring, and gender-responsive training approaches.
• Strengthen the capacity of local trainers, extension agents, and service providers to deliver quality, market-relevant services in a sustainable manner beyond the project lifecycle.

Project Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting (30%)

• Collaborate with other project team to develop annual and quarterly capacity building and workforce development plans aligned with the overall project work plan and budget.
• Monitor implementation of capacity building activities and assess learning outcomes, behavioral change, and application of skills by trainees and institutions.
• Ensure systematic documentation of capacity building results, success stories, lessons learned, and good practices for internal learning and donor reporting.
• Contribute high-quality technical input to monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual project reports in line with donor and Heifer International requirements.

Coordination and Stakeholder Management (15%)

• Work closely with the relevant miniseries, TVET institutions, private sector actors, NGOs and development partners to align capacity building interventions and avoid duplication.
• Facilitate learning exchanges, exposure visits, and multi-stakeholder learning platforms to promote coordination, knowledge sharing, and sector-wide learning.
• Support integration of project capacity building approaches into existing government and private sector systems to enhance sustainability and scale.

Any Other Assigned Functions (5%)

• Perform any other job-related tasks assigned by the Project Team Leader that are consistent with the objectives and scope of the project.

Minimum Requirements:

• Master’s degree in agriculture, Horticulture, Education, Human Resource Development, Rural Development, or other relevant disciplines, with a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in capacity building, workforce development, or agricultural training programs.

Most Critical Proficiencies:

• Strong facilitation, coaching, and adult learning skills.
• Ability to design and implement demand-driven, market-relevant training programs.
• Solid understanding of horticulture value chains and rural extension systems in Ethiopia.
• Strong documentation and reporting skills.
• Effective communication skills in English and relevant local languages.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands:

• Ability to facilitate training and workshops in rural and semi-urban settings.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet strict deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to handle sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.

Travel Requirements: The position holder should allocate up to 50% of his/her time to travel to project regions to support regional, district, and community-level activities.