Associate – Manufacturing Sector Development

Focus of the Role

The Government of Ethiopia (GoE) has embarked on an ambitious agenda for economic growth and transformation. It has developed a vision to position Ethiopia as “the manufacturing hub of Africa.” Although the contribution of the industry sector to the overall economy has increased over the years; within the industry sector, the share of the manufacturing sector remains low. According to the World Bank, the sector’s share to GDP in 2020 was estimated at 5.3%, while its share to merchandise export was ~27% (UNCTAD 2020). There are several factors that have been identified by the Ministry of Industry (MoI) to have contributed to the low performance of the sector. To address these issues, the Ministry has initiated a more structured and systematic approach that aims to achieve more meaningful and sustainable changes in the manufacturing sector. The first phase of this process will involve the following key priorities: 

•        Finalisation of the new Industrial Policy document
•        Development of more effective solutions to increase import substitution and improve industrial production capacity
•        Analyses of current incentives packages and addressing gaps to develop stronger and more effective incentives for the manufacturing sector

Other strategic projects of the Ministry include Mojo Leather City (MLC) project, Integrated Industry data system project, Industry- University Linkage project, Expansion of Kaizen implementation and capacity Building Initiative.

To date, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) team in Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), has been supporting the MoI on the development and operationalisation of the Integrated Agro Industrial Parks (IAIPs).  This new focus on manufacturing sector development will build on the progress made and learnings gained on the IAIP support project.

The position is full-time, with an initial duration of 12 months. The role will be based primarily with the Ministry of Industry, in Addis Ababa, but will require collaboration with other relevant government institutions such as the Ethiopian Investment Commission as well as some regional government offices.

      This is a fixed term role of 12 months subject to funding contract approval.  The duty station shall be at the Ministry of Industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide necessary input to support development of new policies
• Provide analytical and coordination support on strategic initiatives such as import substitution and industry sector incentives
• Conduct MoI stakeholder mapping based on selected priority interventions and develop coordination frameworks
• Design and recommend improved approaches (delivery systems and structures) that will better enable the MoI to lead on priority manufacturing interventions
• Plan and execute coordination meetings, collaboration events and platforms necessary for effective implementation of planned interventions
• Carry our frequent (monthly) follow-up and monitoring of MoI priority intervention status and deliverables from MoI and other stakeholders
• Assess capacity gap in selected teams and organize policy and delivery trainings to selected MoI staff, including on policy documentation and implementation, problem solving and analysis, report preparation, stakeholder management and coordination

Person Specification

Required Experience & skills:

• Sufficient experience in either government, government advisory, management consulting or similar organisational leadership roles, preferably in industrialisation, manufacturing, or investment sectors
• Strong management skills and experience in delivering priority government initiatives
• Excellent analytical, problem solving and consulting skills
• An ability to work independently and think strategically and translate strategies to concrete and implementable plans with an attention to detail and excellent organisational skills
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, networking and communication skills, with an ability to develop and foster relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders
• Experience in preparing high quality outputs using Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel and PPT and other relevant software
• Ability to deliver results in complex and challenging environments, to learn fast and go the extra mile

Education (Qualifications) Requirements:
 

• Bachelor’s degree in the field of economics, management, marketing communication, engineering and other related fields
• Computer literacy: Proficient in use of key Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English and Amharic

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 Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It works with a variety of partners and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

 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.