Technical Specialist Component 4: Promoting an Enabling Environment for Soil health and Fertility management - TRANSFORM

About IFDC

IFDC is a public international organization active in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and America. IFDC uniquely approaches the global issues of food security and poverty by bridging the gap between research and impact, combining science-based innovations, holistic market systems development, an enabling policy environment, and strategic partnerships to assist farmers and countries to identify and scale sustainable agricultural solutions, including improved nutrient use efficiency. These approaches are needed to boost soil health and crop productivity while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use. IFDC translates research into action by using locally driven, environmentally sound, and impact-oriented solutions. With our partners, we seek to close the yield gap, eradicate global hunger, safeguard the soil on which our lives depend, and generate economic resilience for farming households and the countries in which they live.  

Position Summary

The Technical Specialist for Component 4 of the TRANSFORM program will play a pivotal role in promoting an enabling environment for sustainable soil health and fertility management in Ethiopia. This position involves coordinating and supporting the implementation of field activities that foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector entities, development partners, and farmer organizations.

A key responsibility is to guide the establishment and strengthening of Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs) at both national and regional levels. These platforms aim to facilitate dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaborative planning to address systemic issues in soil health and fertility management. The Technical Specialist will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Regional Bureaus of Agriculture (RBoAs) to ensure these platforms have well-coordinated governance structures and inclusive stakeholder representation.

Under the guidance of Component 4 lead, the Technical Specialist will support policy and regulatory reforms that encourage private sector participation in the soil input supply chain, including the registration and distribution of diverse fertilizer products. The Technical Specialist will contribute to the development of policy briefs, discussion papers, and other knowledge products to inform decision-making and promote integrated approaches to soil health and fertility management.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate the establishment and strengthening of national and regional Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (MSPs) focused on soil health and fertility management;
• Ensure alignment between TRANSFORM program interventions and regional soil health strategies by collaborating with RBoAs and other stakeholders;
• Coordinate the review of plans and accomplishments of regional MSPs to ensure TRANSFORM activities contribute to integrated soil health initiatives;
• Identify policy bottlenecks affecting the soil input value chain and facilitate deliberations among agricultural input supply actors, service providers, and policymakers;
• Support the development and enactment of policies and regulations that promote demand-driven input value chains, including standards for organic and biofertilizers;
• Collaborate with the Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA) to improve capacity for fertilizer quality analysis and the implementation of labelling requirements;
• Document and share experiences on partnerships and value chain linkages through newsletters, stories from the field, and participation in knowledge-sharing events;
• Participate in knowledge-sharing processes organized by IFDC and other TRANSFORM program partners, contributing to the dissemination of experiences and lessons learned;
• Prepare policy briefs, discussion papers, and seminar materials to inform stakeholders and support the adaptation of robust knowledge and policy frameworks;
• Contribute to the development of a 15-year vision document for soil health and fertility management;
• Collaborate with Component 1 of the TRANSFORM Program to provide tailored extension and advisory services that meet the specific needs of farmers;
• Partner with Component 2 of the TRANSFORM Program to tackle policy barriers that impede private sector involvement in the soil input supply chain;
• Assist Component 3 of the TRANSFORM Program in documenting insights from farmer-led action research to identify best practices and models that connect soil extension services with research initiatives;
• Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to communicate progress and insights within the program;
• Document lessons learned and best practices to inform future programming and policy development;
• Provide inputs and guidance to create a better enabling environment for soil health and fertility management;
• Collaborate with other Technical Specialists within the TRANSFORM program to ensure integrated approaches;
• Perform any other tasks as required by the supervisor to ensure the success of the program.

The Technical Specialist will play a crucial role in facilitating institutionalization of soil health, and fertility management practices that are inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of smallholder farmers, women, and youth in Ethiopia.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in agricultural economics, agribusiness, rural development, extension science, development studies, soil science or a related field, with proven experience of working with research institutions, development programs/projects, national extension system and private sector;
• At least 7 years of experience facilitating multi-stakeholder platforms in agricultural development, preferably in soil health and fertility, natural resource management, extension, last-mile input distribution systems, and agribusiness development with private sector involvement;
• Strong understanding of policy issues, including the private sectors role in the national extension system, barriers in soil health extension, contributions to soil research, and opportunities for collaboration in extension programs;
• Proven expertise in bottom-up and participatory methods for farmer engagement, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), last-mile input distribution systems, the role of private actors in fertilizer blending and distribution, fertilizer extension, and creating enabling environments;
• Excellent skills in MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint; proficiency in MS Access preferred knowledge of other statistical packages like SPSS, STATA, or R is an added advantage;
• Fluency in English is required;
• A self-motivated, highly organized individual who can effectively prioritize and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Reporting and Work Relationship

The Technical Specialist will be supervised by Component 4 lead for technical issues.

Location

This is a national recruitment with a duty station in IFDC office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Benefits

IFDC's benefits include annual and sick leave, health and group life insurance coverage, a 13^th month salary, social security and pension contribution in compliance with local laws and end-of-contract benefits.

Salary Clause 

The salary grade for this position is BG 8 and the pegged salary is the local equivalent of USD 1,557 gross per month. 

About Program (TRANSFORM)

IFDC, along with its consortium partners Stichting Wageningen Research- Wageningen Environmental Research (SWR-WENR), World Soil Information (ISRIC), and national partners Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF) and SOS Sahel Ethiopia, is supporting the Government of Ethiopia through the TRANSFORM Project. The TRANSFORM Project aims to enhance soil health and fertility management in Ethiopia through four main components. First, it focuses on customizing extension services to tailor soil fertility initiatives to the specific needs of farmer households and communities. Second, the project seeks to develop a vibrant soil input sector by improving the availability of quality organic fertilizers for small-scale farmers. Third, it emphasizes strengthening the linkages between research and practical application through farmer-led action research. Finally, the project fosters an enabling environment for soil health by promoting collaboration among soil sector stakeholders, thereby enhancing soil fertility management at both national and regional levels.

The program targets the sustainable increase in productivity of 100,000 small-scale food producers and the improved use of 65,000 hectares of farmland in the Amhara, Oromia, and Central Ethiopia Regional States by 2028. TRANSFORM also models a process for replication and scaling of soil health and fertility management nationally, focusing on elements of extension, research, private input supply, and creating an enabling environment. The project intentionally targets at least 30% women and 30% youth participation in all activities by implementing focused outreach strategies and affirmative actions.