Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. CRS’s Agriculture and Livelihoods team supports farming communities using our Pathway to Prosperity approach, which enables rural families to increase their productivity within sustainable landscapes, achieve a living income and build more resilient communities.

Position Title:                 Technical Advisor II - Animal Feed and Nutrition

Required Number:        One

Department:                  Program

Duty Station:                  CRS Ethiopia/Addis Ababa

Employment Term:       Definite term, i.e., up to January 31, 2028; contingent upon grant and candidate approvals by donors

Reports To:                     Chief of Party I S34D Project

Application Deadline:   October 28, 2022

Job Summary:  

CRS’ program in Ethiopia seeks a Technical Advisor (TA)- Animal Feed and Nutrition for USAID Ethiopia’s Feed the Future Ethiopia Seed activity. This activity is an Associate Award under the Feed the Future Global Supporting Seed Systems for Development (S34D) activity Leader with Associates. The activity will focus on inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth and strengthened resilience among people and systems in Ethiopia. The technical focus of the activity will be on forage seed and feed reserves. Under guidance of the Global Technical Director and under supervision of the Chief of Party, the TA will lead all technical aspects of the implementation of the forage seed systems and feed reserve activities. S/he will work closely with the Alliance for Bioversity and CIAT forage expert and local partners. Excellent coordination and relationship management skills will ensure that the project applies best practices in forage seed systems and feed reserve and constantly works towards improving the impact of its benefits to those we serve

Roles and Key Responsibilities: 

• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Feed the Future Ethiopia Seed Activity strategies, standards, tools, and best practices in forage seed systems and feed reserve that effectively engage partners, donors and government. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, and disaster risk reduction.

• Provide cost benefit analyses of different animal feed scenarios and possibilities of combining cultivated forages into sustainable animal feed production and processing that enhances livestock productivity.

• Supervise and lead implementation of feed preservation technologies on the ground in the target regions in collaboration with private and public partners.

• Foster public-private partnerships to ensure viability and sustainability of the business models implemented on the ground in the target regions.

• Lead the development of scaling pathways of the models using cost-benefit analyses as well as sustainable partnerships.

• Assess, recommend, and facilitate policy changes at the national and local levels that bridge gaps between forage seed systems and animal feed practices using cultivated forages.

• Lead capacity strengthening initiatives in animal feed systems and feed reserve programming for staff and partner through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and mentoring and coaching to country program and partner staff.

• Contribute to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.

• Establish and maintain relationships with key national partners engaged in forage sector and animal feed industry.

• Participate in forums in forage seed systems and feed reserve to collect and share best practices and promote CRS’ work.

• Represent program initiative in national platforms, such as the Ethiopia forage seed consortium.

Job Requirements

Basic Qualifications 

• Master's Degree or above in animal feed, animal nutrition, or feed preservations, required.

• Minimum of five years relevant working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with a private sector entity, with minimum of three years working for programming interventions in animal feed and nutrition sector and feed reserve

• Previous experience providing technical assistance and developing successful proposals for external donor funding is required.

• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in animal feed and nutrition and feed reserve. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.

• Experience in business development, project design and proposal development in forage seed systems and feed reserve, including technical writing.

• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation and training applying adult learning principles and practices.

• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.

• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.

• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

Required Languages - Amharic and English. Other Ethiopian languages, like Oromo, a plus.

Travel - Must be willing and able to travel domestically up to 40%. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities  

• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.

• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment

• Strong written and oral communication skills

• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills

• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)  

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.  

· Integrity  

· Continuous Improvement & Innovation 

· Builds Relationships  

· Develops Talent 

· Strategic Mindset 

· Accountability & Stewardship 

Supervisory Responsibilities – none 

Key Working Relationships:  

Internal: Feed the Future Ethiopia Seed activity COP, Technical Director and MEAL, Data, ICT and Analytics Coordinator, S34D STA for MEAL/Policy, CRS Ethiopia program and operations staff, CRS Ethiopia gender advisor.

External: Alliance for Bioversity and CIAT forage experts, National and international partners, public and private sector entities, other partners.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

How to Apply

You should fill the application form through this link: THIS LINK and attach your up-to-date CV on/before the application deadline October 28, 2022.

You will be contacted only if selected for written exam/interview. Phone solicitations will not be accepted. These job opportunities are open to Ethiopian nationals only.

CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. 

** Qualified women & persons with disability are strongly encouraged to apply** 

CRS is committed to maintaining a diverse talented workforce.