Senior Project Officer II- Horticulture Value Chain Development Expert Full Time NEW

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE

Position: Senior Project Officer II- Horticulture Value Chain Development Expert

Employment: One year with the possibility of extension

Duty Station: Tigray (Based at Mekelle)

Required Number: One

Application Deadline: November 23/2025

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 center 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 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 horticulture subcomponent is intended to enhance surplus production and quality of horticulture priority commodity by improving the current production and productivity levels through cluster farming. The subcomponent mainly focuses on consolidating the Farmers’ Production Clusters into a legalized horticulture Farmers Production and Agribusiness Companies. The project will support the companies across the value chain by enhancing production, productivity, and resource mobilization, while also promoting the adoption of improved farming practices. The sanitary and phytosanitary compliance in the horticulture sector will also be addressed through promoting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The smallholder farmers will be supported through capacity building and in getting Global GAP certificate to meet sanitary and phytosanitary compliance. Support for laboratory accreditation for maximum Residue Level (MRL) assessment is also one of the intervention areas of the subcomponent to address sanitary and phytosanitary compliance in horticulture sector. Hence, the key objectives include supporting Farmers Production and Agribusiness Companies across the value chain by establishing basic collection facilities and cold chains, promoting quality standards to minimize product loss, promoting key agronomic practices and GAP, and ensuring access to inputs, extension services, and mechanization.

The regional Horticulture Value Chain Development technical expert 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 strengthening horticulture farmer production and agribusiness companies.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES:

Ensure Effective FPC grain Project Management

• Support the establishment of cluster-based Farmer Production and Agribusiness Companies through the provision of well-organized financial, technical, and human resource support,
• Support in establishing/strengthening new and existing cluster-based grain Farmer Production Clusters (FPCs) to enhance production and productivity for sustainability.
• Support research institutes in generating technologies (hybrid tomato and onion varieties) and multiplication of horticultural crop planting materials through tissue culture.
• Support in establishing/upgrading horticulture planting materials producing structures (nurseries greenhouse/polyhouse, propagators, seed orchards, rootstocks, scions, and clonal gardens).
• Support the establishment of youth and women groups in the production of horticultural crops seeds/seedlings.
• Ensure access to full package extension and technologies to Farmer Production Clusters.
• Support Farmer Production and Agribusiness Companies in getting Global Good Agriculture Practice (Global GAP) certification for export commodities.
• Establish/set up standardized facilities and infrastructures to create diversified business opportunities (input-output market) for cluster-based Farmer Production and Agribusiness Companies and construct[1]/establish aggregation centers and market sheds in major horticultural crop producing ACC woredas.
• Promote pre- and post-harvest management of horticultural crops (quality meter, packaging material, processing machine, crates) for cluster-based Farmer Production and Agribusiness Companies and FPCs.
• Support private/public sector laboratories for accreditation and certification.
• Capacitate sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS), Risk assessment and management capacity of research and regulatory institution.
• Organize sanitary and phytosanitary platforms and annual surveillance of major crops
• Collect, analyse the data, and interpret the result for the diffusion and/or adoption of the technologies.
• Follow up and ensure special supports provided to seed producing and others model FPCs (warehouse construction, metal silos, materials/mechanization provision, and others) to realize and speed up transition to production company.
• Conduct effective operational planning of interventions and activities, budgeting, reporting, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning on ACC/FPC 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.
• 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 HO and ensure FPC legalization issues to realize the step-by-step progression/advancement to production company of FPCs.
• 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.
• Identify systemic and operational issues affecting the priority crop value chains from regional to cluster levels.
• 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 FPC assessment to ensure the FPC transition.
• 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 and Projects director in day today stakeholders and program management in respect to 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.

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.

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.

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 project implementation and result.
• Cooperate with other ATI teams to Achieve the ATI organizational Goal and Objectives.
• Ensure alignment on the plan for the cluster, 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 agri-business 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 Cluster/Company
• Ensure effective and timely reporting, monitoring, evaluation, and learning on FPC/ACC interventions in the priority crop value chains to drive impact on small farm holders.

Required Qualification, Competencies, and Experience:

• MSC degree in Horticulture, Crop Science, Crop Protection, agribusiness development and related fields.
• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in areas of Agricultural Value chain development.
• experience in a senior program management role in government, non-government, or private sector.
• Practical experience on linking farmers’ groups with potential markets.
• Additional experience in market intelligence is a plus.
• Deep understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural system, with a broad perspective on how the entire system operates and how public, private and informal actors operate within the system.
• Strong team player with good people management skills.
• Ability to work and perform under pressure and changing environment.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills including thorough knowledge and understanding of various regional level and federal level institutions; extensive experience in facilitating dialogue with relevant stakeholders. Passion and skill in networking, partnership, collaboration and alliance building.
• Strong operational, organizational and managerial skills.
• Practical experience in implementing solutions at the local level and the zeal to work with rural communities to change their situations.
• Experience in prioritizing and sequencing both programmatic and operational activities.
• Demonstrable track record in program and systems design and implementation.
• Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service.
• Fluency in English and Amharic.