USAID Policy LINK – Ethiopia Country Lead

Job Description

Position: Policy LINK – Ethiopia Country Lead

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contract Name: USAID/Feed the Future Policy Leadership, Interactions, Networks and Knowledge (Policy LINK)

Level of Effort: LTTA

Note this position is contingent on funding and is tentatively anticipated to begin on/around April 19, 2021.

The five-year (2019 – 2024) Feed the Future Policy Leadership, Interactions, Networks and Knowledge (Policy LINK) project will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to lead and manage the agricultural transformation process and contribute effectively and collectively to improved, broad-based food security policy outcomes.

Specifically, the program aims to strengthen food security policy systems by investing in and reinforcing productive human and social capital and developing strategic partnerships that help bring these innovations and capacity investments to scale in order to achieve a critical mass of local actors with the ability and opportunity to effect positive policy change through collective action.

Policy LINK’s general approach is grounded in facilitative leadership and collaborative governance, which emphasize engaging stakeholders from civil society and public and private sectors in consensus-oriented decision making, collaborative problem solving, and adaptive learning.

USAID Ethiopia is developing a five-year activity with the overall objective of supporting the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and other policy system actors as they transition to a more inclusive policy development process. Specifically, the activity will facilitate the transition from an almost exclusively government-led and implemented policy development paradigm to one driven by multiple stakeholders.

This new approach to policymaking will require strengthening the capacity of Ethiopia’s main agricultural policy system actors and institutions and supporting them to engage in a new collaborative environment. This approach will lead to significant improvements in the policy process and the resulting policy environment. For example, there will be greater clarity around roles and increased participation in policy processes by stakeholders traditionally excluded from decision-making, including academia, financial institutions, the judiciary, CSOs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector representations from the national, regional, and local levels. Under the new policy development paradigm, development partners will be expected to align their approaches to fit within this broader collaborative framework.

This approach will be underpinned by Policy LINK’s overarching theory of change focused on increasing human and social capital, engaging policy system actors in collaborative processes, and developing mechanisms for collaborative governance and dynamic learning systems and platforms to sustain collective action.

The activity will support the GoE objectives of inspiring sustainable agriculture-led economic growth, strengthening resilience among people and systems, and creating a well-nourished population, especially women and children.

The Ethiopia Country Lead is a senior leadership position based in Addis Ababa and responsible for overall planning, delivery, monitoring, and reporting of the Policy LINK program in Ethiopia at the national, regional, and community levels.

The Ethiopia Country Lead will ensure effective program management, administrative supervision, high level representation, and technical excellence in the all the activities implemented by Policy LINK. Furthermore, the Lead will ensure project activities are consistent with the goals and objectives of the buy-in, Policy LINK’s overall programme objectives and USAID Ethiopia Mission’s objectives. The Lead will promote the use of proven Policy LINK tools and approaches and ensure the high technical quality of activities, emphasizing the principles of facilitative leadership and collaborative governance.

The Lead will supervise national staff and serve as the central point of interlocution between the Ethiopia team, other Policy LINK country offices and Senior Management. Position objectives are summarized as follows:

1. Overall program management, delivery and achievement of program activities and deliverables per the activity description, workplan, and organizational policies and procedures.
2. Managing stakeholder relationships to advance technical engagement in a coordinated and coherent manner.
3. Consistent and responsive communication and liaison with the USAID Ethiopia Mission to ensure Mission needs are addressed and Mission POCs are appropriately and consistently informed and consulted on key project activities.
4. Providing technical leadership to the Policy LINK Ethiopia team, including support with design, operations, training and facilitation, mentoring and relationship management.
5. Serving as the local bank signatory and reviewing and approving the work of Policy LINK’s finance and procurement teams in Ethiopia. Ensuring systems are in place for proper administrative management in compliance with DAI and USAID policies and procedures.
6. Coordinating and leveraging specialized technical expertise from Policy LINK and DAI.

S/he will continually reinforce Policy LINK’s agreed-upon core purpose and principles, and ensure all decision-making is rooted in those purpose and principles. S/he will contribute to foster a learning environment in which personal and team growth is supported, with a shared understanding that the “team” always comes before the “individual.”

The Ethiopia Country Lead will be responsible for the following anticipated tasks, though others may be added as appropriate:

Technical Project Management

• Maintain continuous interface with USAID Mission and implementing partners to advance program objectives.
• Manage overall design, delivery, and accomplishment of program deliverables in Ethiopia in accordance with Policy LINK and USAID guidelines. Provide facilitative leadership and support to partners to improve coordination, collaborative governance, collective impact, and better achievement of technical objectives.
• Provide overall leadership to the Policy LINK Ethiopia team, including staff located in regional offices, if any. This will include oversight and support to the Policy LINK Ethiopia team by providing supervision, technical advice and executive decision making to ensure they effectively implement activities. In addition, the team lead will be sensitive to staff needs for development, motivation and implement actions to enhance broader team motivation and cohesion.
• Contribute to program efforts to facilitate and implement activities that are inclusive, gender sensitive, and responsive to local context in target regions.
• Coordinate regular internal team meetings and debriefs to set targets, review progress, leverage lessons, and ensure successful implementation of program activities.
• Ensure overall proper documentation, monitoring, and reporting of the status and performance program implementation in Ethiopia, including setting targets, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning, including providing regular updates and submission of program reports internally or to USAID and partners as appropriate.
• Ensure effective management of consultants and service providers to produce high quality deliverables.
• As part of Policy LINK senior management, the buy-in lead will consult regularly with and be responsive to Policy LINK’s other senior managers, ensuring that the Ethiopia team is an integral part of the Policy LINK’s global team.

Administrative Program Management

• Ensure that accurate budget updates from the Policy LINK office in Ethiopia are communicated to the global management team, including technical implementation and general administrative expenses.
• Serve as the primary local bank signatory for payments originating in Ethiopia up to the threshold specified in Policy LINK’s Project Schedule of Authorities.
• Provide a thorough review of documentation prepared by staff performing finance and procurement tasks, ensuring that necessary systems are put in place and actions are taken to procure, and pay local vendors contracted to provide technical and operational goods and services. Actions should be compliant with Policy LINK, USAID, and local requirements.
• Ensure local staff and teams are adequately supported to execute program activities and have access to appropriate opportunities for mentoring and coordination with the Policy LINK core team located in Bethesda, Maryland, Kenya, and worldwide.

The Country Lead will ensure that local staff understand and embody Policy LINK principles, management, and standard operating procedures, and that they are put in place for effective implementation and management of Policy LINK program in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopia Country Lead will report to the Policy LINK East Africa Regional Director.

The Ethiopia Country Lead will directly supervise the Capacity Strengthening Lead, Facilitation & Collaborative Governance Lead, and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Expert. S/he will indirectly supervise the Program & Communications Coordinator and Area Program Managers.

Though the operations team will report to the remotely based Global Finance & Operations Manager, day-to-day tasks carried out by this team will be reviewed and approved via DAI workflows by the Ethiopia Country Lead. The Country Lead may also supervise consultants recruited by Policy LINK to provide technical services in Ethiopia.

Local Ethiopian candidates are encouraged to apply. Additional qualifications include:

• Minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent experience in development or relevant field, including economics, agricultural economics, public policy, business management, or similar relevant area;
• Ten (10) years of progressive/ leadership experience in program management, the agricultural policy process, stakeholder engagement, capacity strengthening of individuals and institutions, and organizational development;
• International experience, especially in Africa, is recommended; knowledge of African and/or Ethiopian policy context will be an added advantage
• A good understanding of donor-funded compliance requirements, with prior experience reviewing and approving procurement actions and financial transactions;
• Strong leadership, program management, and coordination skills with ability to mentor and build strong cross-functional and cross-organization teams; and to design and rollout program activities;
• Demonstrated ability to provide facilitative leadership, engage senior organization leadership, and build strong partnership with diverse partners;
• Strong strategic thinking and organizational skills with ability to work in a complex, rapidly changing environment and respond to changing donor and partner demands;
• Experience in organizing and facilitating multi stakeholder planning and learning events and conferences;
• Good communication in English and report writing skills;
• Good computing capabilities with working knowledge of MS Word and Excel; and
• Deep familiarity with Ethiopia, and willingness to travel throughout the country.

Candidates will be required to answer certain qualifying questions before uploading their CVs and cover letters to the application form for consideration. Applications submitted between March 5 – March 19, 2021 will be considered; this submission window may later be extended.

Only candidates who are shortlisted for interviews will be contacted. No email inquiries please.

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