TEAM/PROGRAMME: Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture & Food System (NSA & FS) Project in Ethiopia
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
GRADE:
POST TYPE: National
Child Safeguarding: Level 1
The role holder will not have direct contact with beneficiary children or access to children’s personal data as part of their work and will have limited field travel.
Project Background:
The Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture & Food System (NSA & FS) in Ethiopia is a three-year project (November 17/2025 - October 31/2028) funded by the Gates Foundation. The project focuses on three primary outcome areas:
Strengthened food system and nutrition governance to enable effective implementation of the NS-AFSS and FST-RM under Ethiopia’s Food System Transformation Vision 2030
Strengthened institutional and human resource capacity at all levels
Strengthened data systems, innovation, and learning
The project primarily targets the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and three Regional Bureaus of Agriculture (Amhara, Oromia, and Somali). By addressing systemic and capacity-related barriers, the project aims to contribute to sustainable improvements in food and nutrition outcomes.
Implementation will be carried out in collaboration with Save the Children USA (SC-USA), Save the Children International (SCI), the MoA, and other key stakeholders. The project will also coordinate closely with organizations working on food systems policy and nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
Key focus areas include:
- Enhancing food system and nutrition governance
- Strengthening coordination and resource mobilization
- Building institutional and technical capacity
- Improving data systems (including AGMIS-2)
- Promoting innovation and learning
SCI is therefore seeking a Senior Advocacy, Partnership, and Organizational Development Specialist to lead advocacy, partnerships, and organizational capacity-building efforts.
Role Purpose:
The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has demonstrated strong commitment to improving national nutrition through revised sector policies and strategic frameworks. However, achieving these objectives requires additional technical support.
The Senior Specialist will:
- Support the MoA in developing and implementing nutrition-focused human resource structures from the federal to woreda levels
- Lead high-level advocacy and partnership engagement
- Strengthen organizational systems and manage change processes
- The role involves:
- Conducting human resources needs assessment
- Developing advocacy and partnership guidelines
- Designing and implementing organizational development (OD) plans
Scope of Role:
Reports to: The post holder will directly report to the Senior Manager, FSLR & Cash
Staff directly reporting to this post: None
KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership and System Strengthening
- Provide technical leadership concerning project objectives and successful project activities delivery
- Lead human resource needs assessments and develop actionable work plans
- Support the establishment of resource mobilization structures within the MoA
- Provide mentorship and on-the-job training to MoA and regional staff
- Identify and implement capacity-building initiatives
- Facilitate the appointment of Nutrition Champions and Advocacy Groups
- Strengthening partnerships with stakeholders and development partners
- Support the development and revision of sector strategies, guidelines, and manuals
Advocacy and Policy Engagement
- Lead the design and implementation of advocacy and partnership strategies
- Coordinate advocacy initiatives targeting government institutions and stakeholders
- Facilitate evidence-based policy dialogues and learning events
Partnership Management
- Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with government, NGOs, academia, and civil society
- Promote collaboration and information sharing
- Support resource mobilization efforts
- Serve as a liaison between SCI, MoA, and partners
Organizational Development & Institutional Capacity Strengthening
- Assess institutional and organizational capacity gaps
- Design and implement capacity development plans
- Support operationalization of AGMIS-2 systems
- Strengthen data management and utilization for decision-making
Development and Implementation
- Map the existing organizational structure and develop a new human resource plan
- A change management plan to facilitate and guide structural transitions within the MOA, Civil Service Commission, and at the Federal, Regional, Zonal, and Woreda levels.
- Support the development of job descriptions and career structures for staffing the NS-AFS Strategy implementation plan.
- Develop organizational standard operating procedures around the major organizational changes being rolled out.
- Continually engage with all stakeholders to ensure satisfaction and key involvement from key functions
- Responsible for communication of project progress and challenges to the Sr. Manager and developing mitigation plans with the MOA and other stakeholders
- Ensure data-driven decision-making, leveraging insights to inform future project strategies.
- Lead the Agriculture Management Information System design testing and piloting in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
- Support the scaling up of the identified NSA evidence and lessons
Coordination
- Establish/Strengthen the federal MOA food and nutrition coordination mechanism suitable to improve synergies across programs, projects and regular government initiatives.
- Establish/Strengthen the regional nutrition coordination mechanisms that would create an interface relevant to strengthen coordination with the national food and nutrition initiatives
- Design tools that will be used to guide coordination mechanisms across the board
- Assesses, analyzes and designs relevant capacity building initiatives to build effective partnership mechanisms.
- Conduct stakeholder mapping to guide strategic partnership among different actors
- Based on the stakeholder mapping result, a map of intervention areas will be identified and shared with relevant partners for prioritization of intervention areas
- Collaborate with the Federal and regional Civil Service organization to facilitate financing for nutrition
- Provide technical guidance to implementing partners, ensuring the effectiveness of interventions.
- Facilitate cross-learning workshops, ensuring stakeholders exchange best practices
- Evaluate and amend the agriculture sector organizational development policy and strategy
Knowledge Management & Communication
- Contribute to learning and knowledge management systems
- Promote evidence-based decision-making
- Support internal knowledge sharing and team capacity development
Representation, Advocacy, and Learning
- Ensure effective coordination and advocacy mechanism is in place for all organizational development activities, through coordination with relevant project stakeholders and organizations working in similar areas.
- Establish relationship with Federal Ministry of Public Service and Human Resources Development and Ministry of Agriculture to advocate the establishment/strengthening of Nutrition Structure in agriculture sector.
- Promote learning throughout the project, particularly on issues of organizational change.
- Regularly produce and report on best practices and case studies.
General:
- Comply with Save the Children policies, including safeguarding, code of conduct, and health and safety.
SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
- Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
Ambition:
- Sets ambitious and challenging goals for himself (and his team), takes responsibility for his own personal development and encourages others to do the same
- Widely shares his personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- Future orientated, thinks strategically and can visualize and high-level goals and objectives and translate them into practical tasks and see a road to achieving those goals.
Collaboration:
- Builds and maintains effective relationships, with his team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
- Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
- Approachable, good listener, diplomatic
Creativity:
- Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
- Willing to take disciplined risks
Integrity:
- Honest, encourages openness and transparency
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Required
- Master’s degree in economics, Agricultural Economics, Social Sciences, Development Management, HR Management, Public Policy, or related field
- Minimum 8 years of experience in organizational development or change management
- At least 3 years in leadership roles in agriculture or nutrition-related projects
- Experience working with government institutions
- Strong training, mentoring, and capacity-building experience
Desired
- Experience in developing programs, guidelines, and manuals
- Strong analytical and report-writing skills
- Willingness to travel to remote locations
- Strong communication and negotiation skills
- Ability to present complex information clearly
- Fluency in English (written and spoken)
- Commitment to Save the Children’s values and child protection principle
