Director Of Agriculture And Rural Development
Employer: African Union Commission (AUC)
Employment: Full-Time | Contract
Place of Work: Addis Ababa, Addis Abeba - Ethiopia
Salary: US$ 78,138.00
Posted date: 3 weeks ago
Deadline: February, 17/2025 (7 days left)
Purpose of Job
Responsible for the operations of the entire Directorate. Plan, develop and implement strategic policies while promoting inter- Directorate/Department collaboration.
Main Functions
- Develop and maintain operating rules and procedures;
- Provide technical leadership and ensure efficient functioning of all Divisions within the department/directorate;
- Manage the work of the Department/Directorate and supervise direct reports to ensure their effective performance as per organization’s performance management policy and system;
- Lead the directorate/department and ensure effective management of personnel, budget, performance, quality, employees relations matters and training in conformity with relevant organization’s applicable rules and procedures;
- Determine, develop and execute the overall strategy for the department and ensure alignment with organizational overall strategy;
- Design and develop business continuity plan to address unforeseen circumstances;
- Develop and oversee policy development and guidelines according to the organizations legal framework;
- Design policies consistent with the AU’s goal in order to address the pertinent issues in the relevant area;
- Manage risks and recommend mitigation strategies;
- Prepare and oversee integrated programmes projects of overall activities of the organization;
- Build and maintain a strategic plan to form good working relations with other directorate/department;
- Develop and maintain regular working relations with top level stakeholders in appropriate agencies of Member States and partners;
- Organize, coordination meetings between the organization and other relevant partners;
- Ultimately responsible for preparing periodic financial and budget execution reports and other reports;
- Oversee the collection of contributed funds to the organization;
- Initiate and take necessary actions to collect funds of and for the African Union as a whole;
- Provide strategic, innovative and operational leadership for the implementation of the programmes of the Department and ensure the departmental contribution to the overall AU Strategies and Vision;
- Propose training programs relating to program designing and coordination;
- Promote awareness and training of best practices in area of expertise.
Specific Responsibilities
- Ensure that the Directorate’s organizational structure, operational policies and other work processes are sound to effectively deliver on the strategic objectives of DARBE;
- Exercise authority over personnel and human-resource matters and further strengthen performance management by tracking key performance indicators across the Directorate;
- Maintain a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent.
- Initiate and manage the development of policies, strategies and programs that contribute to the goals of DARBE consistent with AUC vision and mandates.
- Support and provide guidance for the implementation and monitoring of policies, strategies and programs to contribute to the effective implementation of relevant AU Decisions.
- Provide overall supervision, guidance, support and management of the human, financial and material resources of the Directorate.
- Oversee and coordinate the work of the divisions of Agriculture and Food Security and Rural Development and ensure synergy with the work of the specialized technical officers under the Directorate.
- Oversee the functioning and performance of the following regional specialized technical offices of the African Union: Inter-Afri6can Bureau for Animal Resources (IBAR), Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Center, Pan Africa Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign, and Semi-Arid Food Grain Research and Development
- Maintain liaison with other Departments of the AUC as well as AUDA-NEPAD, RECs and other relevant stakeholders to identify and promote synergies across initiatives and to ensure a coordinated development and implementation of such initiatives.
- Maintain and build strategic partnerships to harness technical and financial resources necessary for effective implementation of policies, strategies and programs.
- Initiate and strengthen forums for stakeholders’ consultations, lesson and experiences sharing as well as capacity strengthening.
- Prepare periodic reports on the implementation of the Directorate’s programs and operations.
- Provide technical support to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment in preparing statements, proposals, briefs, reports and other relevant tasks
Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience
- Master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Economics, Rural Development or related fields. A PhD qualification will be an added advantage.
- A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience with 8 years at managerial level and 5 years at supervisory level. Specialized Postgraduate training in an agricultural field is required.
- Further qualifications in projects/program planning, monitoring and evaluation will be an added advantage. Also necessary are qualifications or experience in human resources management.
Required Skills
- Ability to use strong managerial delegation, political tact and supervisory skills to achieve documented objectives
- Ability to work effectively with people from various backgrounds and create an environment where diversity is respected
- Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with top level stakeholders
- Ability to identify key strategic opportunities and risks
- Ability to actively seek, identify and apply appropriate technology to improve programme delivery
- Ability to delegate the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority with regard to performance management and professional development
- Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (English, French, Arabic and Portuguese) is a must. Knowledge of one or all of the other working languages would be an added advantage.
Leadership Competencies
- Strategic Focus
- .Developing Organizational Capability
- Change Leadership
- Strategic Risk Management
Core Competencies
- Building Partnership:
- Drives Accountability Culture:
- Learning Orientation
- Communicating with Impact
Functional Competencies
- Conceptual Thinking
- Job Knowledge Sharing
- Drive for Results
- Fosters Innovation
Notes
The requirements and responsibilities contained in this job description do not create a contract of employment and are not meant to be all-inclusive. It may be changed by the role manager during employment on an as-needed basis.
Only candidates who have met all the requirements of the post and have been selected for interview will be contacted.
Only applications registered online with a complete curriculum vitae (CV) attached will be considered.
The Africa Union is an equal opportunity employer and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
TENURE OF APPOINTMENT:
The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract will be for two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.
GENDER MAINSTREAMING:
The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.
LANGUAGES:
Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Kiswahili, Arabic or Spanish) is required and fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage.
REMUNERATION:
Indicative basic salary of US$ 78,138.00 (D1 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 26,208.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.