Senior Agro-Processing Industry Advisor

Focus of the Role

The Government of Ethiopia has established four pilot integrated agro-industrial parks (Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and Sidama) (IAIPs) by directing seed funds to support infrastructure development and monitoring progress through the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Office of the Prime Minister.

These lAIPs represent part of a larger socio-economic policy on accelerated development and poverty reduction. They are primarily aimed at increasing export outputs and creating opportunities for hundreds of thousands of unskilled and semi-skilled people living in adjoining rural settlements, and urban-educated workforce.

The IAIPs are at different stages of construction; with two inaugurated and operational although with limited capacity. Nonetheless, the parks suffer from various challenges which include lack of strong coordination structures; weak linkage of IAIP and rural transformation centers (RTCs) and the agricultural supply chain; and limited service provision.. To address these challenges, a coordinated approach has been put in place by Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Office of the Prime Minister to facilitate the implementation of current IAIP development projects at all levels.

The Tony Blair Institute has been supporting the Ministry of Trade and Industry in operationalizing the governance structures and coordination platforms, supporting the strengthening of IAIP supply chains, and support investment attraciton works at the Federal level. As part of its support, TBI would like to hire a Senior Agro-Processing Advisor that would support the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the regional Industrial Park Development Corporaitons (IPDCs) on the effective management and operation of the IAIps.

The Senior Agro-Processing Advisor will be expected to  to develop and support the implementation of a holistic “integration and operation model' to govern the day to day operations of the IAIPs and the RTCs.

This work will be inclusive of international best practices and national experiences around Industrial Park operations by covering topics such as policy recommendations, regulatory framework, legal issues, institutional capacity, human capital, infrastructure, technology and the like. As the IAIPs are mostly to be occupied by food producers, standards and requirements that are specific to food parks should also be considered in putting together the operation model of the four parks.

Key Responsibilities

• ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Develop an “integration and operation model' to govern day to day operations of the four IAIPs and RTCs. Also, support the implementation of the identified model
• Investigate business models that are inclusive of small farmers for securing and enhancing small-scale production, which can be both economical and can have wider development gains
• Assess gaps on food safety management systems, environment management systems, quality standards, laboratory facilities and analyses protocols on the established industries of the four parks
• Identify the RTC technologies, processing capacities, building layouts based on the specific product categories, machinery capacities appropriateness for each product and process
• Provide technical and management support to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the regional IPDCs (Industrial Park Development Corporation) to ensure the proper systems and proccess are in place for managing and operating the parks
• Development of strategies and action plans for commercialization in the selected parks and support the development of export promotion strategies
• Build capacity of government officials (i.e. inter-departmental task force for facilitating agribusiness development), financial intermediaries, public-private collaboration platform stakeholders, and agribusiness entities through mentoring and facilitation of learning for parks

Working Arrangements

• This is an initial 12 month fixed-term role
• The Advisor will be based at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) with frequent trips to the four IAIPs located in Bure, Bulbula, Baeker and Yirgalem
• The Advisor will be working with the top management of MoTI and Regional IPDCs

Person Specification

• At least 12 years' experience in senior level management or technical advising position in the area of agro-industry development or food processing industry, and high-level involvement in research and business development. Experience in other manufacturing sectors, specially in industry park or cluster management is also accepted  
• Masters Degree from a recognized university in the field of Food and Agro-Processing, Food Processing Technology, Food Processing Engineering, Economics, Business Administration, Organizational Management and other relevant fields
• Industrial experience in quality and safety management systems for agricultural produces and industrial end products
• Experience in design and development of industrial processing technologies for various enterprises at manufacturing industry level
• Experience in analyzing, preparing, and reviewing Industrial Manufacturing Business Plans and Implementation Strategies
• Experience with government institution on highest management’s position would be desirable, preferably with experience in Industrial processing

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Advisory Practice works directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. We are currently in a rapid expansion phase from c. 18 countries at present, to 30 by December 2022.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.