Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)Vacancy AnnouncementPosition: Senior Project Officer II - RuSACCO Capacity Building- Term of Employment: One year with possibility of extension- Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Salary & Benefits: Competitive- Application Deadline: September 13, 2019ESSENTIAL DUTIES:• Supports the Project Team Lead for RuSACCO capacity building, who is responsible for the overall direction, values, culture, and management of the Project• Assists in the engagement of stakeholders across the financial sector (government, business, civil society, universities, cooperatives, farmers’ organizations, farmers, donors, etc.) to identify and prioritize actions to access to finance for smallholder farmers and the rural finance system more broadly• Works with stakeholders to design and implement high-priority interventions to improve smallholder farmers’ access to finance with emphasis to support RUSACCOs to operate as financial institutions• Helps support stakeholders to mobilize needed financial, human, or organizational resources for project execution• Aid in managing the performance of agricultural finance in setting key performance indicators, milestones, and targets; engaging stakeholders to creatively solve problems and overcome obstacles in order to achieve desired results, hence capacitate RUSACCOs to meet the standards required by similar financial institutions in the micro finance industry.• Ensure alignment of different stakeholders and complementarity of project activities between each region so that RuSACCO road map is implemented uniformly• Manage project resources and support technical experts who are currently overseeing the implementation of RuSACCO road map in each region• Identify resource needs and develop concept notes/ proposals for mobilizing resources that are critical for implementing RUSACCO road map• Identify capacity gaps at different levels and design support programs in collaboration with technical experts e.g. training programs, organization of workshops, etc.• Track project results and outputs in accordance with ATA’s overall MLE framework• Document and report project progress and associated risks to ATA’s leadership and external partners (FCA, MoA, BoAs, CPA and development partners)• Liaise with external development partners and ensure effective integration of RUSACCO project with other related programs e.g. IVS, CBSP, AOSS, etc.• Provide ad hoc support to program teams and senior management team as required on issues relating to core organizational development, prioritization of interventions, problem solving, planning.

Bachelor's

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• BA/BSc or MA/MSc degree in fields such as Project Management, Business Administration, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Business Management, Development Economics or other closely related fields.
• At least 8 years (MA/MSc) or 10 years (BA/BSc) of work experience in areas related to cooperative development, agricultural input and output marketing, small and medium enterprise (SME) development, value-chain development, and other related disciplines.
• Understanding of Ethiopia’s agricultural system with a broad perspective on interactions between public, private and informal actors in the seed system.
• Deep knowledge of agricultural cooperative system across the country.
• Experience in project management, program design, performance management, stakeholder management, contract management, and MLE systems.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high-performance, teamwork and accountability.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Strong set of personal values including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service.
• Fluency in Amharic and proficiency in English are essential. Knowledge of other Ethiopian languages desired.

10-15 years

• We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to send (i) a cover letter and (ii) CV (maximum 3 pages) at http://apply.ata.gov.et• Also, please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application form.• Women are highly encouraged to apply.• Only short listed candidates will be contacted.