Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture (TA)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Project Summary: 

Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a subcontractor on the RTI-led consortium implementing the USAID-funded Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture (TA) project. The purpose of the USAID/Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture activity is to increase access to healthy diets, particularly for women and children, by improving competitiveness, inclusiveness, and resilience of the Ethiopian food and agriculture system.  This program is the core component of a suite of food and agriculture activities funded by USAID. As such, TA must collaborate intensively with other USAID-funded projects working in the food and agriculture sector.

TA will build on previous USG-funded activities to sustainably improve access to healthy diets for all in the targeted communities using a food systems lens. Acknowledging that economic transformation tends to bring new malnutrition challenges, TA will support transformation of the food systems so that a healthy diet is increasingly easy to access. TA will also support the food and agriculture systems to become more sustainable, resilient, and responsive, increasing its long-term capacity to adapt to change, shocks, and stressors. Finally, TA will facilitate increased public-private partnership and collaboration to spur a more favorable policy environment for private sector investment, sustainable and resilient food systems, and innovation that serves the population’s economic and dietary needs.

Position Summary: 

The Senior Livestock Market Systems Manager will provide strategy development and project implementation guidance for the inclusive livestock value chain development activities as they relate to food supply and food utilization under TA. The Senior Livestock Market Systems Manager will play a key role in developing and overseeing livestock value chain activities that will align with the overall TA project work plan. Specifically, he/she will utilize facilitative approaches with key market actors to improve the productivity of animal-based foods in alignment with the interests and capacity of smallholder livestock keepers and other actors in key livestock-related value chains (dairy, meat, poultry, eggs) to adopt sound practices that result in financial, social, and environmental benefits. The Senior Livestock Market Systems Manager will oversee activities that increase household and livestock market resilience including the promotion of appropriate livestock breeds, climate smart management practices, and approaches that encourage sustainable landscape management, and help livestock keepers to better manage risk. The Senior Livestock Market Systems Manager will coordinate closely with private enterprise, industry associations, farmer-based organizations, Government of Ethiopia representatives, and other implementers to ensure coordinated and impactful activities.

Reporting & Supervision:

The Senior Livestock Market Systems Manager will report to the project Deputy Chief of Party / Technical and Venture37’s Technical Director.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Drive technical implementation of livestock market systems and animal-based food value chain activities in close collaboration with the COP, DCOP / Technical, and other Objective Leads on the project.
• Work closely with COP, DCOP / Technical and Objective Leads to develop and execute project work plans and maintain technical oversight of all livestock production and animal-based food value chain (e.g., dairy, meat, poultry, eggs) activities. 
• Provide leadership, management, and direction to field-level activities, including engagement with local partners, as needed.
• Develop and oversee the implementation of activities that transform livestock market systems and increase livestock productivity and production through the promotion of locally appropriate livestock breeds, community breeding, animal feed and forage, animal health products and veterinary services, appropriate genetic improvements, and animal care and herd management – with attention to the different approaches required for across Lowland Pastoralist and Highland areas.
• Identify and facilitate innovative livestock productivity activities that strengthen and enhance collaboration between smallholders, the private sector, and local authorities, and increase access to appropriate financial management products and ICT innovations that help farmers and pastoralist communities to better manage risk and protect their livestock assets.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of a catalytic project grants under contract mechanism designed to spur private sector investment, incentivize the broad participation of livestock market systems actors, and facilitate entry of new actors and new investment into the livestock sector.
• Contribute to the oversight of project and activity level budgets to support cost control for the project.
• Lead relationship management between the Ethiopia-based TA RTI team and the TA Land O’Lakes Venture37 team addressing program opportunities and challenges as needed.
• Work closely with the Land O’Lakes Venture37 Headquarters program management team to harmonize policies, processes, and procedures with the prime awardee (RTI) to ensure consistent and equitable implementation across the program.
• Provide technical support and input into project reporting deliverables including annual and quarterly reports, project-level analyses, and other deliverables as needed on the project. 
• Supervise and mentor livestock officers in livestock market systems thinking and implementation.
• Contribute to market system and food system project learnings.
• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop the team in a manner that is open and respectful, encourages, professional development, and solicits constructive staff input.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• An advanced degree (e.g., Master’s) in agribusiness, animal science, international development, economics, business management, agricultural or rural development or other relevant field.
• A minimum of 7 years of demonstrated senior technical experience on agricultural development programs with a focus on improving livestock competitiveness.
• Proven leadership ability, staff management and technical capacity to build and facilitate high-level relationship, including in livestock productivity and commercialization of livestock technologies through public and private partnerships.
• Experience and/or technical knowledge in designing and managing development projects and activities, particularly related to livestock and agricultural productivity.
• Experience in livestock production and management including experience in locally appropriate livestock feeds, inputs, veterinary supplies, and networks.
• Experience in locally appropriate and climate smart livestock approaches including sustainable landscape management practices.
• Proven capacity to collaborate across projects, be flexible, and creative and successfully lead an intercultural team in development and post-conflict contexts.
• Ability to communicate effectively, instilling trust and confidence.
• Strong interpersonal and written and oral presentation skills. 
• Strong oral and written English skills.
• Oral and written fluency in Amharic.

Preferred Qualifications/Skills

• At least 10 years of demonstrated senior technical experience on agricultural development programs and private sector with focus on livestock market system commercialization.

Project Implementation Partners:

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years’ experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 5,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI’s Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI’s experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world.

SG&R’s Global Food Security and Agriculture portfolio is working to strengthen agricultural markets, engage youth and women as critical leaders of the on- and off-farm workforce, and tackle the dual burden of malnutrition around the globe. RTI’s work is helping foster stronger food systems, reduce malnutrition in all its forms, build resilience and engage the next generation of food security leaders. RTI is currently partnering on nearly 30 projects in East Africa, including activities focused on private sector-driven agricultural growth in Rwanda and market systems development in Kenya. 

Land O’Lakes Venture37 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping communities around the world build economies by strengthening agriculture from farm-to-fork, helping businesses grow, and linking farmers to markets. Since our start in 1981, we have been leveraging nearly 100 years of expertise in dairy, animal nutrition, crop inputs and agricultural insights from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc., a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.

Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agriculture for the last 36 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 80 countries.

Land O’Lakes Venture37 will never ask you for personable identifiable information, and we will never request money or payment during the recruitment or employment process. Please submit any questions or concerns to: Venture37HumanResources@landolakes.com. Do not submit applications to the human resources email. Applications submitted to this email will not be reviewed.

Land O’Lakes Venture37 is an equal opportunity employer and an organization striving to help global communities thrive through agriculture. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, among other factors. Our culture values a diversity of voices. So, bring us your unique experiences, your workstyle, and your dreams — they’ll only make us stronger.