Precision Agriculture for Development Livestock Specialist Jobs in Ethiopia

Precision Agriculture for Development Livestock Specialist Jobs in Ethiopia

Job Id: 217495

Category: Agriculture, Development and Project Management
Location: Addis Ababa
Career Level: Senior Level (5+ years experience)
Employment Type: Full time
Salary: Commensurate with experience

Job Description

Precision Agriculture for Development, Inc. (PAD) seeks a Livestock Specialist to support PAD research, operations, and scale-up activities in Ethiopia by supporting multiple projects in collaboration with government partners and other key partner organizations.

PAD was established with a keen eye towards rigorous evaluation and constant experimentation.

Each of our programs and partnerships have a strong complement of research, ranging from large- and small-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to A/B tests to pilot trials.

Most of PAD's research projects are led by Shawn Cole (Harvard Business School) and Michael Kremer (Harvard University).

PAD's research activities are also supported by affiliated researchers from other institutions and are overseen by PAD's Boston-based Senior Researcher.

Ethiopian citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.

Organization background

PAD is a US-based non-profit organization with a mission to support smallholder farmers in developing countries by providing customized agricultural information and services that increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability.

PAD is pioneering a model for agricultural extension: delivering farmers personalized agricultural advice via their mobile phones.

PAD implements this model in collaboration with partner organizations and gathers evidence on its impact. PAD aims to improve the lives of 100 million farmers in developing countries with its services.

A key element of our approach is helping partners with wide reach such as governments, contract farming organizations, telecommunications firms, agribusiness, and NGOs to design, build, evaluate, and improve customized mobile phone-based agricultural advisory systems.

We help partners structure and improve their service offerings through incorporation of the latest availability technologies and data as well as insights from behavioral economics and social learning theory.

Taking a global approach, we bring experience on what has worked elsewhere to every engagement and continue to optimize to local contexts using A/B testing and rigorous evaluation.

PAD currently has operations in seven countries - Kenya, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Uganda. These opportunities have allowed PAD to reach over 1.4 million farmers in the first quarter of 2019, both with our own services and research efforts as well as through partnerships.

Responsibilities

The Livestock Specialist will support PAD research, operations and scale-up activities in Ethiopia by strengthening PAD’s livestock expertise and by working with Ethiopian government agencies and other partners to develop and refine the content of digital livestock advisory services.

The Livestock Specialist will be responsible for the following tasks:

Work closely

with PAD team members and our partner organizations to implement projects

Provide overall livestock expertise and information to the team in Ethiopia

Gather and compile scientific evidence on key agriculture topics to better inform the design of digital agricultural advisory services in Ethiopia

Collect and maintain an extensive database of all major livestock production activities in Ethiopia, and map out season-wise and territory-wise livestock prospects

Support current projects that PAD undertakes in collaboration with government and other partners in Ethiopia in content development, simplification, and customization

Together with other PAD team members, the livestock specialist will identify new engagement areas and collaboration possibilities with other key stakeholders

Plan and execute program activities, including identifying priorities, creating timelines, meeting with stakeholders, and monitoring project implementation;

Coordinate livestock research and implementation activities of PAD
Work with project team to ensure that the project adheres to policies, procedures, and timelines

Support complementary monitoring and evaluation efforts

Develop and update project documentation, project protocols and processes regularly
provide support in managing partner relations, and work with external stakeholders for implementation of field operations.

Position details

Full time

Start date: 1st September, or ASAP

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with frequent travel to rural areas

Compensation: commensurate with experience

Job Requirements

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience

Masters degree in Livestock Management, Animal science, or similar disciplines

At least 5 years’ experience implementing livestock, agriculture, livelihood or value chain development projects in the developing world

At least 2 years’ experience working directly with smallholder production systems in sub-Saharan Africa

Practical experience drafting agricultural curricula and implementing trainings

Experience carrying out focus group discussions and gathering qualitative data from farmers

Strong written and oral communication skills in English

Strong organizational and planning skills

Experience in writing reports and communicating scientific topics to laypeople

Willingness and ability to work under tight timelines, and flexibility to engage in multiple projects

Willingness to travel to field sites in Ethiopia and internationally

Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision

Experience and ability to work in multicultural settings

Ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders

Desired Qualifications and Experience

Experience working with CGIAR centers and national governments

Knowledge of the Ethiopian agricultural sector, preferably related to smallholder dairy production system

Knowledge of at least one Ethiopian language

How to Apply

To apply, please visit the PAD website and use the online application form, submit a CV, cover letter, and contact information for three reference. The job position will be available until filed. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Precision Agriculture for Development Livestock Specialist Jobs in Ethiopia