Senior Project Officer II- Inputs Services Expert Full Time NEW

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE

Position: Senior Project Officer II- Inputs Services 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.

Program and Position Summary

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) works to transform the agriculture sector. More specifically, through its ACC-II programme, ATI is increasingly looking towards consolidating the efforts of its previous successful input system models in ACC-I and leveraging the best practices of AOSS, CBSP, and MSC projects to further enhance impact on smallholder farming communities – increase productivity and commercialize agriculture effectively. To this end, in ACC-II, which is the next generation of ACC-I, ATI has consolidated three subprojects: Last Mile Input Supply and Service System (LMISS), Inclusive Seed Business (ISP) and Mechanization Services (MS) to design Innovative Input and Service Project (IISP). It mainly implements subprojects with specific interventions and integrates efforts to improve efficient delivery and access to smallholder farmers.

The Innovative Inputs and Services Project (IISP) has been designed to consolidate the existing ATI’s agricultural input retail and service models to create a consistent and quick path to network to address a systemic challenge in input supply or delivery, impactful technologies and services. The IISP project is designed to function primarily in FPAC (ACC) woredas located in seven regions of Ethiopia (Oromia, Amhara, Tigray, Sidama, Southwest, Central Ethiopia and South Ethiopia). It is a five-year project serving over two million farmers in the next five years (8 July 2025 to 7 July 2029).

The Inputs Services expert will provide support and facilitate input market linkages, fostering long-term relationships with the end users. Additionally, he/she will involve in monitoring and evaluation of input supply systems, ensuring alignment with business needs, tracking progress, and sharing knowledge to enhance scalability and sustainability. as well as capacity building across all implementing partners/stakeholders including farmers to increase production and productivity and ensure commercialization through strengthening farmer production and agribusiness companies.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Proactively assess, identify, and promote potential and viable business ideas in agricultural input production and marketing,
• Support and provide guidance to the regional and partner teams in establishing Last Mile Input Supply and Service System (LMISS), Inclusive Seed Business (ISP) and Mechanization Services (MS),
• Establish strong linkages and collaboration with key partners and stakeholders to effectively implement program.
• Lead the capacity building of regional and partner teams on input business through providing training and technical backstopping and facilitating learning exchanges.
• Propose and implement models for inclusive and sustainable input business.
• Established and functional national society of private input supply and service providers through promoting and leveraging local private sector players thereby enhancing their roles and contributes to solving local input supply and service challenges.
• Socialize the innovative inputs and service model approach for functional linkages and alignment,
• Establishment and develop the operational performance of LMISS outlets, local seed producers and mechanization service providers
• Incentivize local partners through sub-grant and other support with a matching fund approach
• Activating demand through provision technical support, promoting pull demand (training & farm demonstrations),
• Establishing strong business networking partnerships and support partners accessing complementary services
• Promote business models among external stakeholders and strengthen collaboration facilitate warehousing, access to finance and rural financing opportunities through integrating with other interventions in ATI,
• Enhance integration with other projects ATI and ACCII Program including with digital agriculture and building of such a delivery pathway through provision technical support.
• Assessing the demand for and availability of priority commodity specific impactful technologies including problem identification, technology need and availability assessment,
• Technology shopping and participatory technology testing
• Promotion of best performing technologies and develop recommendation for technology scaling-up approaches.

Required Qualification, Competency and Experience

• Minimum of MSc degree in agribusiness, agronomy, crop science, seed science, agricultural economics, cooperative management, rural development, agricultural extension or other related fields.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in designing and implementing agricultural input business activities or agricultural value chain development.
• Strong technical skills and knowhow in agricultural input production, processing, value addition and marketing.
• Good experience in facilitating stakeholder forums and business linkages, and working with private sectors, financial institutions, input suppliers and regulatory authorities.
• Experiences in advisory and capacity building of agri-MSMEs and private input suppliers such as agro-dealers.
• Extensive experiences in identifying, forming, and supporting different models of agri-input businesses.
• Good experiences in implementation and management of donor-funded projects.
• Good experiences on multistakeholder collaboration and partnership.
• Good skills in business plan development and business advisory services for agri-entrepreneurship development.
• Experiences in gender, safeguarding and youth inclusiveness in agricultural projects.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and reporting skills.
• Ability and willingness to work under pressure and deliver quality results.
• Proficiency in computer and internet-based communication tools.
• Proficiency in English, and strong verbal and written communication skills.