ATA advertised on Movemeon for a Principal to accelerate the transformation of Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.
The successful candidate has extensive strategy & transformation experience and is McKinsey alum.
This company was supported by Laila, Client Success Manager.
BACKGROUND ON THE ORGANIZATION
The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) was established by the Government of Ethiopia in 2011 with the primary aim of promoting transformation of the agriculture sector to help the country reach middle-income status by 2025. Headquartered in Addis Ababa, the organization currently has over 300 staff in five offices across the country. ATA reports to the Transformation Council which is chaired by the Prime Minister and has representatives from a wide range of federal and regional government bodies across agriculture, trade, industry and other closely related sectors.
ATA works closely with these government partners, local and international private sector firms, and development partners, to address systemic challenges in agriculture. The Agency comprises more than 35 teams with diverse programmatic focus, from increasing agricultural productivity to catalyzing rural finance industries to growing agribusiness and agricultural markets to building institutional capacity. Major activities across the organization include: policy enhancement, strategic and analytical problem-solving, testing and scale-up of innovative solutions, implementation support, and coordination and capacity building of stakeholders.
ABOUT THE TEAM
As ATA’s strategic advisory and consulting function, the Analytics Team supports Directors and Senior Directors within the organization, as well as senior leadership at partner organizations in government, multilateral and bilateral donors, NGOs and private sector companies, to execute high-impact, analytically challenging projects. The team applies an approach similar to top strategy consulting firms and government strategy units in a number of countries, to support clients to more effectively bring together the strategic, analytical, technical and operational capabilities required for transformation. Client projects typically fall into one of several areas:
The Analytics Team consists of a Director, Principals, Case Team Leaders, Associate Case Team Leader and Senior Analysts and Analysts, totaling ~45 staff. Project teams typically comprise a (Associate) Case Team Leader and two to four Senior Analysts and Analysts. International staff are recruited into Analytics at senior levels to support the build out of the team’s full structure, and work very closely with junior local staff to accelerate their development and progression into more senior roles.
ABOUT THE POSITION
Principals play a critical role in the team, overseeing three to five client engagements at a time. They work closely with Case Team Leaders who are leading and managing these engagements, providing thought partnership, guidance, and support on client, project and team management, as well as analytical approaches, content development and quality control of outputs. Principals also manage more senior client and stakeholder relationships, and occasionally may lead high-priority client projects themselves, directly managing Senior Analysts and Analysts.
In addition, Principals work closely with the Director of Analytics to drive the growth and development of the team, through taking on strategic initiatives, leading recruiting, professional development and training activities, and inputting on project prioritization, staffing and other key decisions. At least one year of experience leading and delivering high-impact, challenging projects for senior clients across government, private-sector, and development organizations is therefore an important prerequisite for this role. Experience in agribusiness or industrial development initiatives in particular is desirable, as is a passion for transforming agriculture and improving the lives of smallholder farmers.
WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF THE ROLE
The Principal position provides an ideal opportunity to stretch yourself and develop your skills managing multiple teams and sets of clients and stakeholders, while gaining more experience with development strategy, policy, and program design and incubation within a developing country government context. You will be exposed to a variety of new topics in a fast-paced environment with a focus on strategic thinking, analysis and results, while working with a highly motivated and talented group of Ethiopian and international staff. In addition, you will engage with senior government officials and private sector executives to help tackle governance, policy, operational and capacity issues that affect the opportunities of millions of farmers.
In terms of career progression opportunities, a Principal can move up into the Director of Analytics role if vacant. The role is also ideally suited to boosting one’s professional and managerial skills in preparation for a Senior Engagement Manager / Principal role at a strategy consulting firm. In addition, some international staff also use the role as a stepping-stone to careers in emerging markets or development, with previous staff having gone from ATA directly to organizations such as:
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
N.B. Please note that the terms of employment for this position will be contracted, governed by and managed in accordance with the internal framework of the World Food Programme (WFP), pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between the WFP and the ATA.
Successful candidate: extensive director-level experience & McKinsey alum | Senior Manager | General Management
Successful candidate: extensive finance experience | Manager | Finance
Successful candidate: ex-McKinsey. Company: Agricultural Transformation Agency.
