Ethiopia: Senior Director-Strategic Services

Internal Vacancy Announcement

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY

Position: Senior Director-Strategic Services

Term of Employment: One year with possibility of extension

Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa

Required Number: One

Salary & Benefits: Competitive

Application Deadline: March 31, 2017

BACKGROUND:

The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopia’s agricultural development. The Agency does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions. The Agency reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources and is Secretary to the Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister.

The programmatic focus of the Agency responds to a core set of needs identified by the Agricultural Transformation Council, chaired by the Prime Minister. Within the Agency, issues are divided into four differentpillars*: Production and Productivity which includes Inputs and Crop Protection, Livestock, Research and Extension, Mechanization and Rural Finance; Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Growth including Sustainable Irrigation**and**Watershed Management, Sustainable Land Management, Gender and Nutrition, Climate Change**Adaptation and Mitigation, Targeted Livelihood Support, Biodiversity**and* (temporarily)Planning and MLE;AgribusinessandMarketsincluding Market Services, Commercial and Contract Farming, Domestic & Export Market Development,andCooperatives;andEnhanced Implementation Capacitywhich includes ICT for Agricultural Services, Private Sector in Agriculture, and Organizational and Human Resource Capacity. In addition, the* Agricultural Commercialization Clusters Initiative is another critical focus area for the Agency. Across the programs, the ATA engages public, private and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models.*

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 team work to achieve excellent results.

At ATA, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make ameaningfulcontribution 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 Senior Director, Strategic Services will have primary responsibility for leading the knowledge intensive processes critical for the ATA to realize its strategic objectives. The Senior Director of Strategic Services will ensure that the strategic services team at the ATA (PMU, Project Management, Communications, Partnerships and over time Core Analytics) are seamlessly coordinated and integrated in order to contribute to making the ATA overall a high-performing organization.

This position will report to the CEO and form part of the Senior Management of ATA. The position will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Directly manage the team of strategic service professionals and ensure that top talent is continually recruited, developed, retained and highly engaged
• Ensure excellent levels of service quality and a progressive approach to improving the quality of services delivered
• Ensure that the strategic service units have collaborative relationships with the client (program and project) teams.
• When necessary and appropriate strategically embed services personnel into client teams to deliver the highest levels of service
• Proactively identify new types of strategic services or new approaches in which to deliver existing services that will improve the effectiveness of the client teams
• Support client training requirements so that client teams are able to develop their own service capabilities
• Ensure that the ATA’s planning and reporting process is robust and effectively reports on the Transformation Agenda and Agricultural Commercialization Cluster (ACC) Initiative in a timely manner and meets the needs of the ATA and stakeholders
• Support the development and management of a new Project Management team within the ATA to provide support to internal projects and related external activities
• Oversee the management of the Agency’s engagement with strategic partners and donors to proactively address the emerging needs of the ATA
• Ensure that the ATA’s communication function effectively shares information on the Transformation Agenda and the ACC as well as the specific roles played by the ATA
• Develop the capacity to oversee and effectively support the Core Analytics team which provides strategy and evidence based analytical support to both internal and external facing partners

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum Master’s level in Business Administration, Business Management, Public Administration, organizational development or related field
• At least 12 years’ experience in one or more of the strategic services areas at ATA (e.g. analytics, performance measurement, partnership) or similar field in government, international agency or private sector, of which at least 6 years worked in a leadership, senior or management role (preferably as Chief Strategy Officer, Strategy Advisor, or similar position in government, international agency, or private sector)
• Track record driving results through data intensive and analytical services
• Proven client facing skills and experience with managing the expectations of internal client organizations
• Experience in building a strong team to whom significant responsibilities are delegated
• Excellent written, presentation and oral communication skills, strong interpersonal skills
• Flexibility, adaptability, and culturally sensitive
• Fluency in English is required and Amharic is a plus
• Good working knowledge of communications systems
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multidisciplinary, diverse staff, and multi-sector environment
• Strong team player, highly energetic, self-motivated, goal-oriented and committed to shared goals
• Excellent adaptive problem-solver in challenging environment
• Strong set of personal values, including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving environment with emphasis on high-performance, accountability and results
• Ability to work under pressure, long work hours, and high workload
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team /spa

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to send (i) a cover letter, (ii) CV (maximum 5 pages), and (iii) a completed ATA Application Form, which can be downloaded athttp://www.ata.gov.et/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Application-Form2.pdf.

Please note that CVs, cover letter and other application materials WILL NOT be considered unless accompanied by a fully completed ATA Application Form. Also, please DO NOT submit scans of certificates with your application form.**

Please email (i) cover letter, (ii) CV (maximum 5 pages) and (iii) the completed application form toRecruitment@ata.gov.etand include“Application for Senior Director, Strategic Services**” in the subject line.**

Women are highly encouraged to apply.

NB. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.