Sr. Technical Expert II - Agribusiness on Horticulture

Background

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) is a government institute aimed at accelerating the growth and transformation of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector. The ATI focuses on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers (SHFs) for enhanced income, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability.

The ATI conducts policy studies, provides technical support, and coordinates platforms to integrate partners and projects, while collaborating with various stakeholders to implement agricultural development programs.

Our Culture

We have a team of highly competent employees committed to achieving transformational results. Our culture emphasizes teamwork and dedication.

At ATI, we offer a platform for individuals to reach their potential and contribute meaningfully to the agricultural sector, with excellent career development and training opportunities.

Program and Position Summary

The Energizing Women and Youth in Agri-Food System (EWAS) project addresses young women’s unemployment by prioritizing rural young women in employment-focused initiatives. The project equips young women with tools and skills for entrepreneurship and employment in agro-processing.

This holistic approach ensures that the EWAS project tackles unemployment and addresses systemic barriers to economic participation for rural young women.

The Senior Technical Expert II (STE-II) will provide technical guidance for the EWAS project, ensuring timely and high-quality results while integrating a young women-centric design approach.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead design and analysis of the horticulture value chain to identify agribusiness opportunities for rural young women.
• Facilitate young women-led horticulture-related business linkages among private sectors, cooperatives, and farmers’ groups.
• Provide technical leadership for market system/value chain development focused on horticulture.
• Ensure multi-stakeholder platform meetings contribute to strengthening the horticulture value chain.
• Facilitate the introduction of new technologies and productivity improvement training.
• Assist in annual planning, budgeting, and project implementation.
• Engage in supervision, monitoring, and reporting to ensure proper implementation.
• Support the development of selection criteria for beneficiaries in the horticulture value chain.
• Integrate young women-centric design approaches in the program.
• Support the establishment and monitoring of young women-led enterprises.
• Assist in identifying knowledge and skill gaps of targeted youth.
• Map crop development infrastructures and connect them with targeted youth.
• Provide technical advisory services and capacity-building support.
• Support procurement and installation of horticulture collection-related machinery.
• Demonstrate expertise in horticulture husbandry to guide problem-solving.
• Prepare Terms of Reference (ToRs) for procuring goods and services.
• Prepare specifications for machinery and equipment needed for horticulture collection.
• Support and supervise consultants in developing training manuals.
• Produce and disseminate capacity development materials.
• Organize workshops and training sessions for stakeholders.
• Coach and mentor trainers and project participants.
• Assess technical gaps and design capacity-building trainings.
• Identify potential risks affecting project performance.
• Engage with team members and external partners to develop solutions.
• Liaise with the project manager for advisory services and capacity building.
• Provide regular reporting to the project manager on issues.
• Compile, validate, and analyze project data for reporting.
• Ensure effective communication among the project team.
• Work closely with ADEY and other ACC project teams.
• Assume other tasks as assigned by supervisors.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in agricultural science, horticulture, agribusiness development, plant/crop sciences, or related fields
• 8 years of experience in designing, providing technical support, and implementing youth and women-focused initiatives in agricultural value chains
• Knowledge and experience with participatory techniques, coaching, networking, learning, alliance building, and team building
• Experience in facilitating and supporting youth employment
• Solid understanding of young woman agri-entrepreneurship specificities in the Ethiopian context
• Good experience in advisory and capacity building of smallholder producers in technologies and husbandry practices, and horticulture markets
• Experience in providing management guidance and technical oversight
• Extensive experience in implementing and managing donor-funded projects focused on the establishment of youth and women-based enterprises
• Experience in leading the development of program learning – identifying opportunities for learning, research, and publication
• Experience in the dissemination and institutionalization of best practices and lessons with implementing partners
• Experience leading multi-dimensional teams and complex work programs
• Analytical skills, including profitability and business analysis
• Training or demonstrated experience in the agricultural economy
• Experience in horticulture and agribusiness value chains, with strong skills in supporting MSMEs to scale from small to medium and large enterprises
• Broad understanding of how public, private, and informal actors operate within the agricultural system
• Experience in a green energy project is a plus
• Desire to improve the lives of smallholder farmers
• Strong capacity to facilitate teamwork
• Experience in collaborative and adaptive monitoring, evaluation, and learning
• Willingness to undertake frequent field visits
• Strong communication skills (writing, speaking, composing, presenting, etc.)
• Proficiency in oral and written English and Amharic
• Proficient in using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

Role Responsibilities

The role holder will have frequent or intensive contact with program participants as he/she will be responsible for implementing and monitoring program activities.

Skills Required:

• Agricultural / Studies
• Applied / Natural / Science