Senior Project Officer II – Agribusiness in Crops Full Time NEW

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE

Position: Senior Project Officer II – Agribusiness in Crops

Employment: One year with the possibility of extension

Duty Station: Hawassa, Sidama Region

Required Number: One

Application Deadline: February 18/2026

BACKGROUND:

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), formerly known as the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), is a strategy and delivery-oriented government institute created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, which is a key contributor to the country’s GDP, exports, and workforce. The ATI’s work is centred on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers (SHFs) across the country for improved income, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability. The ATI works to transform the agriculture sector in Ethiopia by conducting policy and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support and capacity building, coordinating. Platforms to better integrate partners and projects and designing and directly leading several innovative/pilot interventions.

The Institute joins forces with various stakeholders, including policymakers, researchers, farmers, and development partners, to support the implementation of agricultural development programs and initiatives. In addition, the ATI collaborates with national and international partners to facilitate knowledge exchange and learning opportunities. The Institute plays a crucial role in generating and disseminating information to support evidence-based decision-making in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.

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 to 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 regional senior Project Officer II Agribusiness in Crops, FPACs and Value Chain, will provide crop and soil related analytical and technical support for inclusive and sustainable agriculture value chain development as well as capacity building across all implementing partners/stakeholders including farmers to increase production and productivity and ensure commercialization through establishing and strengthening Farmers Production and Agribusiness Companies.

He/she is accountable for ensuring the project contributes to increasing crop production and productivity and level of farmers aggregation, adoption of improved production practices new technologies and transition of farmers production cluster (FPC) to production company. He/she coordinates and provides technical support for the Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural Value Chain Development for all priority commodities.

He/she reports to regional ACC director and coordinators of their respective regions.

KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Outcome 1: Ensure Effective FPC/FPAC Project Management

• Support in the establishment of FPACs, new FPCs and work on strengthening of existing clusters to implement full package and increase production and productivity.
• Support and follow up the implementation of demonstrations on new technologies, improved practices and full packages.
• He/she collects, analyse the data, and interpret the result for the diffusion and/or adoption of the technologies.
• Follow up and ensure special supports provided to FPACs (Facilities construction, machineries and equipment supply, materials/mechanization provision, and others) to realize and speed up the functioning of the company.
• Conduct effective operational planning of interventions and activities, budgeting, reporting, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning on ACC/FPAC interventions in the priority crop value chains to drive impact on small holder farmers’ livelihood.
• Follow up and facilitate the Input supply system to ensure needs-based input supply as per the full package recommendation,
• Support FPCs to improve mechanization access, crop production and protection activities, soil health and fertility management and post-harvest handling activities in collaboration with regional bureau.
• Work on with centre team and ensure FPAC legalization issues to realize the establishment and functioning the company.
• Fostering introduction and adoption of new technologies and farming system (CSA inclusive), participatory planning of production and marketing activities,
• Identify systemic and operational issues affecting the priority crop value chains from regional to cluster levels.
• Actively engage to increase participation of and benefit to women and youth along the cluster value chain.
• Support the implementation of Full Package by smallholder farmers and provide extension advisory services through digital system (in collaboration with digital team)
• Lead and organize a regular FPAC/FPC assessment to ensure the FPC registration as Shareholder of FPAC
• Play active role in regional annual planning, crops package revision and other crop production and productivity enhancement activities of the region.
• Ensure CCI (Gender, CSA, nutrition sensitive agriculture) are properly mainstreamed in the project
• Support regional ACC director/Regional Coordinator in day today stakeholders and program management in respect to FPACs and crop value chain development in the region and other areas as required.
• Facilitate periodic experience sharing and learning sessions, on ACC/FPC activities and results with the representatives of the producer organizations, Value chain actors, other responsible stakeholders, and partners.
• Prepare standardized different technical training manuals, Model FPCs governance, technology utilization and handling, and demonstration guidelines for ACC/FPC zones and woredas.

Outcome 2: Ensure Effective Linkage, Coordination, and stakeholder management

• Organize alignment meetings with regional key stakeholders, field visits, travel workshops, field days, cluster performance evaluation workshops,
• Support the establishment and strengthening of a Value Chain platform which involves value chain actors and promote an integrated and inclusive model of the value chain (in collaboration with agri-business team).
• Foster backward and forward market linkages between value chain actors, and Strengthen private sector involvement in the value chain.
• Work with other project teams in the centre and ACC/FPC team in HO to ensure the provision of focused special support for FPCs/ACCs.
• Support effective cross-sector and public-private stakeholders’ coordination and problem-solving issues at the regional level

Outcome 3: Conduct capacity building activities, backstopping and implementation follow up

• Facilitate and provide ToT training for regional, Zonal and Woreda experts (together with regional bureau) on FPC principles and guidelines, crop full packages and crop protection and soil health and fertility management, crop protection, new technologies and CSA to effectively execute the Cluster Development Project activities in the region.
• Build the capacity and ensure coordination among key stakeholders in the priority crop value chains
• Conduct awareness creation on FPC interventions and governance for implementors such as Regional, Zonal and Woreda experts, DAs and farmers
• Provide guidance to Cluster Coordinators, Zonal, and Woreda focal persons and other implementation partners in the implementation of project activities
• Involve in the capacity gap assessments of zone to kebele level experts and provide capacity building training based on the assessment results and conduct technical backstopping at grass root level.
• Monitor and evaluate the progress on ACC/FPC interventions in the priority crops value chain across the entire Value chains from inputs and production to aggregation and marketing

Outcome 4: Ensure Effective Communication and cooperation within and outside the team

• Prepare and submit high standard aggregated weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, annual and on demand based performance reports to ACC Director.
• Collect, compile, and submit high standard data and information from different stakeholders and partners which is important for ACC II project implementation and result.
• Cooperate with other ATI teams to Achieve the ATI organizational Goal and Objectives
• Ensure alignment on the plan for the FPACs, effective coordination of relevant stakeholders to address critical issues along the value chain, and monitor progress on agreed actions owned by VCA members (in collaboration with private sector team)
• Provide timely and updated information related to his/her project to staffs to ensure smooth internal communication and transparency.
• Work closely with the RBoA and other responsible partners to strengthen Farmers Production and Agribusiness Company/FPCs
• Ensure effective and timely reporting, monitoring, evaluation, and learning on FPAC/ACC interventions in the priority crop value chains to drive impact on small farm holders.

Required Qualification, Experience and Competencies

Qualification and experience

• Minimum master’s degree in Plant science, crop Science, agronomy, plant breeding, seed technology, Crop Value Chain development, Plant protection and other relevant fields.
• At least 8 years professional experience directly related areas of Agricultural Value chain development.
• Practical experience in crop production post-harvest, processing/value addition and linking farmers’ groups with potential markets.
• Experiences in market-led value chain development and upgrading activities (preferably including project management of large-scale agricultural development, Agro-processing, and/or agribusiness-focused initiatives).

Behavioral competencies:

• Result oriented – Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operational activities
• Collaborative and team building – Highly facilitative and collaborative leadership style; Ability to build relationships with all kinds of people
• Energetic and passionate in transforming livestock commercialization -–
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork, accountability and results
• Problem-solving – Practical experience in testing and scaling up relevant solutions at the local level; Excellent adaptive problem-solver in challenging work environment
• Act with Integrity – Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service
• Networking – Creating a network in his /her functions with all actors in the program and beyond
• Time management – Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operation activities

Technical competencies:

• Planning, implementing, and monitoring: Planning, implementation and monitoring of crop Commercialization Program tasks and efficient resource management.
• Knowledge and experience on Value Chain Management: Market-led value chain development and value chain principles, analysis, upgrading chains, with strong skills in supporting commercialization.
• Agricultural system – 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
• Agribusiness development & Management – Practical experience in business planning, linkages between producers and markets and working across crop value chains in Ethiopia;
• Project Management Cycle – Experience with project design, performance management, learning systems and monitoring & evaluation
• Data management and analyses – Good data management and analytical skills

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Competent in utilizing essential computer applications.
• Proficiency in oral and written English and Amharic language for the position
• Proficiency in Sidama language is an asset