Ethiopia: Director, Communications

Vacancy Announcement

ETHIOPIAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION AGENCY

Position: Director, Communications

Term of Employment: Fixed

Duty Station(s): Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Required Number: 1

Salary & Benefits: Competitive

Application Deadline: July 30, 2018

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 that address the systemic bottlenecks. The Agency reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development and is Secretary to the Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister.

Theprogrammatic *focus of the Agency responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources Development and the Transformation Council. Within the Agency, issues are divided into four different pillars: Crops & Natural Resources which includes Inputs and Plant Protection, Soil Health & Fertility, Irrigation and Drainage, and Mechanization; Cross Cutting Initiatives, which includes Inclusive Growth, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Planning and MLE; Livestock, which includes Animal Health and Genetic Improvement and Feed & Feeding; and Agribusiness and Markets including Market Development, Rural Finance, ICT, and Private Sector. In addition, the Agricultural Commercialization ClustersInitiative 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 Communications Director leads the development and successful implementation of the ATA’s communications strategy. This includes external engagement with national, international and regional media and partners to enhance partnerships, build ATA’s brand, share learnings and highlight success stories, as well as internal communications, events and training to strengthen the capacity and culture of the ATA team.

The successful applicant will have a passion for strategy coupled with the entrepreneurialism and pragmatism to execute at a tactical level. S/he should demonstrate a genuine commitment to developing a team and assisting the organization to achieve broad-based social impact through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

The Communications Director will manage a team of six people and report directly to the Senior Director of Strategic Services. Strategic Services is a new vertical within the ATA formed to enhance the effectiveness of the ATA and our partners’ work. As part of Strategic Services, the Director will work closely with the Performance Management/MLE, Ministry-based Delivery Units, Project Management, and Analytics teams. This role presents a unique opportunity to work directly with the ATA Senior Management Team and mobilize stakeholders on highly visible initiatives within an exciting national and international context.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Lead the development and successful implementation of the ATA Communications Strategy to reflect external engagement, internal communications, branding, and project support needs
• Inspire and lead a team of dedicated communications professionals by effectively planning, prioritizing, coaching and providing development opportunities
• Maintain a regular and strategic media presence, including facilitation of events for major projects and partners, interviews with the CEO and other senior leaders/experts, speeches and news articles, and enhancement of website and social media
• Lead production of key publications, including annual reports for the ATA and the Transformation Agenda, quarterly newsletters, press releases, and project briefs
• Collaborate with the Partnerships and Government Relations teams to engage key stakeholders and partners for joint publicity and communications initiatives
• Collaborate with the Senior Management Team in communicating organizational strategy and priorities
• Collaborate with Project Team Leaders to develop annual communications plans for all ATA projects and provide technical advice on procurement of creative and marketing vendors
• Build the communications capacity and awareness of the strategic role of communications with ATA teams through targeted training and mentoring
• Develop a platform for the ATA team that facilitates sharing of key documents and information among teams and across the organization
• Ensure the quality, consistency, timeliness and professionalism of all ATA communications materials, through brand manuals, communications toolkits, and team trainings
• Monitor, evaluate and report on communications activities and identify new communications approaches and opportunities
• Manage planning, recruiting and budgeting for the Communications Team
• Other communications activities as assigned by the Senior Director of Strategic Services

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, international relations, media relations or other relevant field

• At least 10 years’ relevant professional experience for MSc/MA candidates, preferably in a generalist corporate communications role with a national or international focus, including experience managing a team

• Self-motivated team-player with proven ability to contribute to organizational success at both strategic and operational levels

• First-rate oral and written communication skills, and ability to shift smoothly between storytelling and structured technical communication to fit the audience

• Sophisticated stakeholder engagement skills with a successful track record dealing with government bodies, development agencies, media, and the general public

• Passion and talent for training, coaching, and capacity building

• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, start-up environment, with an emphasis on high performance, teamwork, accountability and results

• Strong set of personal values, including integrity, honesty and desire to be of service

• Experience in the agriculture and/or development sectors preferred

• Previous international work experience or work with international organizations is a plus

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic

We invite all candidates meeting the required qualifications to submit (i) a cover letter, (ii) CV (maximum 5 pages), and (iii) a completed ATA Application Form athttp://apply.ata.gov.et.

Womenare highly encouraged to apply.

NB. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.