Policy LINK in Ethiopia. USAID/Policy LINK Ethiopia is a five-year activity with the overall objective of supporting the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and other policy system actors in their aspiration to develop an inclusive policy development process.

Project Background

The Feed the Future Policy LINK project will strengthen the capacity of local actors and institutions to enable them to efficiently 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 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.Policy LINK in Ethiopia

The Champions for Food Security (C4FS) Activity is implementing two USAID/Ethiopia-funded sub activities: 1) Policy Systems Strengthening and 2) the Partnership for Lowlands Resilience. Both sub activities support the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) and other development actors in their aspirationto transform Ethiopia through facilitating an inclusive policy development process and enhancing collaboration and coordination of resilience partners in lowlands. Specifically, the activity will facilitate the transition towards a new multiple stakeholders driven paradigm infused with greater use of evidence in development decision-making, inclusion, collaboration, and coordination.

C4FS will reinforce the capacity of the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands in partnership with regional state governments and universities to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate effectively and efficiently at the federal, regional, and woreda levels among development partners implementing resilience activities in lowland pastoral areas.

C4FS will help build and strengthen the backbone system for the coordination of development programming in selected woredas in lowland areas. Specifically, C4FS will offer facilitation and technical support to the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, relevant regional governments, implementing partners, and multistakeholder platforms at the woreda level.

In pilot woredas, C4FS will support government and development partners to develop joint action plans, identify complementary interventions, design joint measurement systems, and maintain open and frequent communication.

Job Purpose

The Partnership for Lowlands Resilience Activity features coordination platforms at the federal, regional and woreda levels. The Woreda Coordinator is an integral member of the activity team seeking to strengthen the capacity of woreda level stakeholders to effectively coordinate, collaborate, and communicate. The Woreda Coordinator will provide backbone support to the Woreda-level Coordination Forum and facilitate multistakeholder engagement, joint action planning, coordination, knowledge management, shared learning, collaboration, and communication. The Woreda Coordinator will serve as a bridge between woreda, and regional coordination platforms and other relevant platforms as needed.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The Woreda Coordinator is expected to work in activity teams and particularly support the Regional Program Manager and the Regional Program Coordinator to implement and track progress on the C4FS annual work plan and the woreda joint action plan.

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

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Actively engage in and contribute to the preparation of regional annual work plans.
• Support the execution, monitoring, and follow up of program activities to ensure tasks and deliverables are accomplished per the activity description, work plan, budget, principles and procedures, and other compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with Operations and Finance team to organize and facilitate Woreda stakeholder engagement activities such as workshops, trainings, seminars, and dialogues. Tasks may include ensuring venue, required equipment, materials, managing RSVPs, and travels arrangements.
• Support and maintain effective networking, communication, and relationships with woreda stakeholders on matters regarding program activity, expectations, logistics, deliverables, timelines, and compliance requirements.
• Support the Regional Program Manager in preparation of periodic performance reports.
• Ensure activity team minutes, resolutions, and action plans are compiled, shared and actions followed up.
• Ensure proper documentation of relevant program activities, data, and records, including accurate compilation of activity descriptions, work plans, tools, minutes, conference reports, M&E reports, and other activity records and materials required for MEL, financial and program compliance.
• In collaboration with the Regional Program Manager, collect event and activity related. monitoring data (such as participant records) and share date with MEL team. Provide quality assurance for event and activity specific data (cleaning, verifying) before sharing with MEL team.
• Perform any other duties as required in consultation with the Regional Program Manager and the team.

No. of positions: : 6 (3 per regionx 2 regions)

Contract Name: USAID/Feed the Future Policy LINK Ethiopia – Champions for Food Security (C4FS) Activity

Status: Long-Term Technical Assistance

Start Date: 1 August 2024

Supervisor: Regional Program Manager for assigned region

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in agriculture and natural resources management, rural and Pastoral development, disaster risk management, development studies, economics, and other food security related fields from a recognized university.
• Minimum six years of work experience in management and/or technical assistance on agricultural development, livelihood, and food security programs, preferably in international development organizations or private companies.
• Minimum five-years’ experience working in the woreda of assignment.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholder groups within the agriculture and food security sectors, emergency coordination, livelihoods, and resilience interventions and in the woreda of assignment.
• Prior work experience on donor-funded agriculture and food security programs (USAID preferred).
• Demonstrated report writing skills and experience.
• Attention to detail, ability to balance competing priorities and duties.
• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive demands and inquiries.
• Proficiency using Microsoft office suite, and other relevant software.
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills.
• Sensitive to gender, disabilities and inclusion, teamwork, diversity, and multicultural environment.
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive.
• Excellent interpersonal and intercultural communication skills.
• Professional fluency in English, Amharic and local language(s) of the pilot woredas of assignment.
• Excellent understanding of active government and non-government projects and coordination platforms in the woreda and region of assignment and strong professional network with various stakeholders.