Background

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. Aligned to UN Women Global and Regional initiatives, Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) interventions of UN Women Ethiopia Office focus on creating opportunities for women living in rural and urban areas by promoting women’s access and control over productive resources and know-how to ensure that they are economically empowered and increasingly benefit from economic development initiatives, programs and reforms in Ethiopia. These strategic focuses have been translated through various programs and projects including the ongoing Joint Program on Women Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE) and the Gender Transformative Climate Smart Agriculture and Agri- Business (CSAAB).

With the objective of strengthening women farmers and female youth capacity to benefit from and to meaningfully participate in the climate resilience agricultural value chains and move from production to aggregation, processing and distribution, UN Women Ethiopia has designed a  entitled ‘Gender Transformative  Climate Smart Agriculture and Agribusiness Program(CSAAB)’. The program has been piloted in Oromia since October 2019 in partnership with regional and federal government sectors and CSOs. Based on the good practices and lessons to be drawn at its pilot stage and availability of fund, the program will be extended to Amhara and other regions in the years to come.

Therefore, to support the implementation, supervision, monitoring and evaluation as well as capacity building to implementing partners, UN Women Ethiopia is interested to bring on board a Programme   Officer for the Gender Transformative Climate Smart Agriculture and Agir Business Programme (CSAAB) under service contact (SC) modality and post level SB -4 .This ToR is therefore prepared to guide the recruitment process and inform the Programme Officer about the key roles and responsibilities required from the post.        

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the WEE Program Analyst of UN Women, the CSAAB Program Officer will provide technical support and capacity building initiatives to the implementing partners, key stakeholders and target groups as follows:

Planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting

• Facilitate preparation of implementation plans for the programme and annual work plans in consultation with the supervisor, other WEE team and implementing partners,
• Support the WEE team to ensure sound financial and operational management of the programme in collaboration the operation team,
• Ensure timely and effective implementation of programme activities in close collaboration with the implementing partners,
•  Undertake systematic monitoring, supervision and reporting on programme implementation and results as well as writing of periodic and annual reports to HQ, regional office and donors,
• Support and participate in the programme review meetings and evaluation,
• Provide monitoring findings of the programme to relevant stakeholders and the team and follow up   decision making and remedial actions against the findings,

Capacity Building

• Technically support the implementing partners in conducting feasibility studies and  value chain analysis of selected climate smart agricultural commodities that women can successfully engage in for enhancing sustainability and resilience of their livelihoods,
• Based the analysis findings, work with implementing partner and women and female youth agri-business groups/cooperatives/enterprises and ensure effective engagement of the target in developing successful agribusiness practices,
• Facilitate development of training materials and providing trainings to partners staff on development of sustainable agribusiness value chains and marker development strategies in the context of women in climate smart agriculture sector,
• Support rural women and female youth to get organized in agribusinesses, marketing and/or multipurpose cooperatives/enterprises and technical assist them on production, aggregation, processing and distribution/ marketing activities/ in the context of promoting climate smart agriculture practices.
• Participate in gender, agriculture and green economy monitoring and reporting initiatives under ongoing United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Ethiopia in teamwork with the country team,

Partnership Building

• Assist WEE team to identify potential stakeholders/partners/ who could provide women/female youth with feasible climate smart agricultural technologies, raw materials(inputs) and sustainable market outlet for their agribusinesses,
• Support WEE team in working with private entities in Promoting Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and  through different public-private and collaboration arrangements to ensure that the target have access to gender responsive  financial services and agricultural value chain and market development services ,
• Participate in identification of implementing partners by engaging in appraisal and selection of project proposals to be submitted by potential organizations working on WEE interventions,
• Closely work with WEE team and partners in launching and implementation of Gender Transformative Climate Smart Agriculture and Agri-Business Program in new regions/areas.
• Support the team in establishing and ensuring functionality of different taskforces, forums and networks on WEE and agriculture,

Resource mobilization

• Based on the WEE programs good practices and lessons on WEE and  related program interventions at country and regional level, develop concept notes for a potential women economic empowerment program in the context of the Ethiopian agriculture sector, in consultation  with WEE team and Deputy Country Representative and M&E Analyst,
• Work with the WEE team in developing program/project proposals in response to potential resource mobilization opportunities including calls for proposals and other emerging opportunities.
• In close collaboration with the team, facilitate upscaling and expansion of the CSAAB Program to other regions, by revising  the program document on  CSAAB and communicating with potential donors and development stakeholders,

 Research, Communication and knowledge Management

• Closely work with WEE team in conducting researches and review of findings for women and female youth to access and benefit from undergoing climate smart agriculture practices, technologies, land and innovative financial and non-financial services, 
• Support WEE team and researchers in analyzing research findings and developing policy briefs on sectors pertinent to WEE,
• Support the team in organizing events for advocacy / policy dialogue and related communication and follow up activities,
• Identify good practices relevant to women economic empowerment interventions, with focus on agriculture and agribusiness interventions in the country and in the region and facilitate organizing of experiences sharing events for stakeholders and target women,
• In close collaboration with the WEE, knowledge management and communication team ensure documentation, publication and sharing of key results, lessons, good practices at different levels,
• Develop all relevant knowledge products for the program and support the team and implementing partners in awareness raising and popularization of good practices through development of documentary videos and use of mass medias,
• Ensure that best practices and lessons emerging from the programme are shared with all relevant stakeholders’ different level.
• Perform other duties as may be requested by the supervisor and deputy representative.

Competencies

UN Core Values:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Technical/functional Competency:

• Substantive knowledge and understanding of gender and development issues,
•  Substantive knowledge and experience of right and result based programme management approaches,
•  Personal commitment, ability to work without constant supervision and capacity to work effectively and harmoniously with colleagues from varied cultures and professional backgrounds,
• Personal commitment, ability to work independently, and capacity to work effectively and harmoniously with persons from varied cultures and professional backgrounds,
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines,
• Ability to think conceptually, strategically and analytically and  
• Ability to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks effectively as part of a team,
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication and knowledge management skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Eduction

• A minimum of a master’s degree in Agricultural-Economics, Agricultural Business, and/or related fields of studies in Agriculture and Value Chain Development and Climate Smart Agriculture.

Experience and skills

• Five and more years of experience on management of agribusiness value chain development and climate smart agriculture related programs and projects; at least three years of working experiences with   women farmers and their organizations/cooperatives,
• The candidate should be conversant with grass root expertise of the following subjects: agricultural value chain development, agricultural cooperatives, practical dynamics of  micro and macroeconomics, marketing, community development, environmental and land related policies and law, and quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Strong knowledge of  gender issues in agriculture and development policies and strategies,
• knowledge of Ethiopian agriculture, modern agricultural technologies and related policies and development packages,
• Experience in working with diverse stakeholders in agriculture, private sectors  and development organizations  including agriculture research institutions,
• Experience of conducting research, assessment and producing reports to the required standards ,
• Analytical skills with excellent computer application software skills,
• Skills in developing training materials including audio visual materials   and experience in conducting trainings at different levels,

Language

• Excellent oral and written skills including report writing and ability to communicate fluently in English language,
• Good oral, listening and written skills of Amharic and Afan Oromo; as the program is being piloted in rural part of Oromia, excellent listening, writing ,reading and oral skill of Afan Oromo is mandatory,