Senior Contract Officer – Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)

Legal, Logistics, Transport and Supply Chain, Purchasing and Procurement

Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)

BACKGROUND:

The Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) has been established by the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to identify and address systemic bottlenecks to Ethiopia’s agricultural development. The Agency does this through problem-solving, implementation support, and capacity building of stakeholders involved in implementation of interventions that address the systemic bottlenecks. The Agency reports to a Transformation Council chaired by the Prime Minister and whose co-chair is the Minister of Agriculture. 

The programmatic focus of the Agency responds to a core set of needs identified by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Transformation Council. Within the Agency, issues are divided into four different groups:  Production and Productivity which includes Inputs and Crop Protection, Livestock, Research and Extension, Mechanization, Rural Finance & Agro-Processing Value Addition; Agribusiness and Markets including Market Services, Market Infrastructure, Commercial & Contract Farming, Domestic and Export Market Development, and Cooperatives Development; Environmentally Sustainable and Inclusive Agricultural Growth including Sustainable Irrigation & Watershed Management, Sustainable Land Management, Gender Equality and Nutrition, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, and Planning and MLE; and Enhanced Implementation Capacity which includes ICT, Private Sector, and Organizational and Human Capacity. Across the programs, the ATA engages public, private and non-governmental stakeholders to support strategic planning, manage and strengthen implementation capacity and test innovative models.

Our Culture

We have an exceptional team of highly competent employees with a proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results.  Our culture is one where talented, dedicated and adaptable individuals are committed to doing their best and exhibit great team work to achieve excellent results. 

At ATA, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in changing the country’s agricultural sector.  We offer rewarding work in a young, fast-paced growing organization with passionate, committed, motivated colleagues and excellent career development and training.  We recognize our most valuable assets are our staff and are committed to providing our employees with the tools, training and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals. 

Position:                             Senior Contract Officer

Term of Employment:      One year with a possibility of extension

Duty Station(s):                Addis Ababa

Required Number:            One

Application Deadline:       November 17, 2023

Background

The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) is a strategy and delivery-oriented government Institute created to help accelerate the growth and transformation of the country’s agriculture sector. The ATI envisions to be the leading center of innovative solutions for the transformation of Ethiopian Agriculture by 2030.

The Institute focuses on two primary national approaches to catalyze agricultural transformation. First, we support the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), its affiliate institutions, and other partners to identify and address systemic bottlenecks within an Agricultural Transformation Agenda. Second, we support Regional Governments to accelerate the development of high-priority commodity value chains in clearly defined geographic clusters, through the Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) Initiative.

Our major activities include conducting strategic and analytical studies, providing technical implementation support, coordinating platforms to better integrate partners and projects, and designing and directly leading a number of implementation projects. Our headquarters are in Addis Ababa, and we have regional offices in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP, Sidama, South-West, and Tigray regional offices, allowing us to work closely with a wide range of public, private and development sector partners across the country.

Our Culture

We have an exceptional team of highly competent employees with a proven track record of success in managing complex activities and achieving transformational results.  Our culture is one where talented, dedicated, and adaptable individuals are committed to doing their best and exhibit great teamwork to achieve excellent results. 

At ATI, we provide an exceptional platform for people who want to achieve their highest potential and make a meaningful contribution in changing the country’s agricultural sector.  We offer rewarding work in a young, fast-paced growing organization with passionate, committed, motivated colleagues and excellent career development and training.  We recognize our most valuable assets are our staff and are committed to providing our employees with the tools, training, and mentorships necessary to achieve their career goals.  

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Senior Contract officer is responsible for managing the contract administration for the organization. He/she ensures that all contracts and agreements are legally sound, financially feasible, and in line with the organization’s overall goals and objectives.

The Contract officer must be able to read between the lines when it comes to legal jargons. He/ She needs to understand how each clause affects the overall contract so they can make informed decisions about which ones to include or exclude.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

To ensure successful, systemic effective, and efficient contract monitoring, development of clear contract documents, accurate record-keeping, and advice on the best procurement practices and contract design; developing best practices for commissioning and procurement; making suggestions on the development and operation of the best purchasing and contract management system; and to support the Audit and Control team’s efficient operation.

The specific duties are:

• Draft, prepare and review contracts that involve the purchase of goods, services and works.
• Verify that the contracts adhere to government regulations, the project specifications, and the legal requirements of the public procurement authority.
• Evaluate and make recommendations on contractor requests for waivers/single sourcing and deviations.
• Participate in price negotiations with outside customers and write and suggest agreements to reduce legal risks to ATI.
• Analyse and interpret complex contract terms and conditions, advising on their impact and associated risk and liability to staff at all levels.
• Perform thorough evaluations of all cost components in contractor proposals, aid in creating pre-negotiation memorandums, and make suggestions for determining competitive ranges…
• Review and accept or reject the supplier’s, service provider’s, or contractor’s requests for payments under the performance-based payments or progress payments provision.
• Identify, assess, develop, and manage risk management action/contingency plans for contractual frameworks and contracted services to ensure that commissioned services are both safe and appropriate. To be responsible for preparing risk analysis impact reports and developing strategies to manage risks arising from the concerns identified and the way resources are deployed within contracts to ensure the Best Value is achieved.
• Ensure successful task completion within the scheduled timeframe consistent with the established scope of work to include technical solutions.
• Perform necessary research and prepare all documentation for reminders, warning letters, and the termination of contracts for the convenience of the Government or default by the Contractor.
• Addressing potential conflicts of interest between the objectives of the ATI in undertaking the contracted activity, the policies/regulations of the ATI and the customer’s business objectives.
• Preparing and keeping under review standard contracts and associated legal documents for all aspects ATI activity.
• Analyse potential risks that contract changes may pose to the organization and report with recommendations and possible mitigation action.
• Evaluating and negotiating ownership of and access to intellectual property and developing appropriate exploitation strategies.
• Advising technical backup for the procurement team to assist in successful contract negotiation.
• Maintaining awareness of relevant legislation, Government initiatives and regional regulations with the responsibilities of the job.
• Maintain an audit file for each contract which will include original contract, all correspondence, changes/deviations, amendments, clarifications, payment schedules.
• Administer contracts to ensure compliance and maintain performance guarantee and advance payment guarantee is valid to minimizes risk of ATI.
• Develop and advise on procurement, commissioning and contract management strategies. Identify opportunities for better procurement and to develop modern procurement and contract management practices.
• Develop and maintain contractual frameworks which promote quality, best value in terms of costs, deliverable equitable outcomes, and measurable targets of performance and to liaise with legal services, finance teams, and procurement officers regarding service specifications and contractual frameworks to identify issues that need resolving for remodeling provision.
• Undertake the system owner role for the e-procurement and contract management systems, including development, testing and implementation of upgrades, resolving queries and providing user training.
• Maintain an audit file for each contract which will include the original contract, all correspondence, changes/deviations, amendments, clarifications, and payment schedules.
• Provide periodic reports to the Procurement Director and Management Team outlining contract, procurement, and monitoring activity, including financial and contractual performance aspects.
• Perform any other tasks that may be requested by the supervisor.

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in law, logistics and Supply Chain Management, Procurement Management, Project Management, Business Management, Public Administration, or other business-related disciplines.
• At least six years (for Bachelor’s) or four years (for Master’s) of experience in contract management particularly in procurement transactions.
• General knowledge of contractual agreement language and law is essential.
• Attention to detail and the ability to spot errors and inconsistencies of the contract document.
• Leadership and an understanding of interpersonal relationships to help during the negotiating process.
• Ability to work with a team at all levels of an organization and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Effective ability to negotiate and execute contracts.
• Good and deep knowledge of Government Procurement regulations
• Experience in donor requirement is a plus.
• Computer skills- knowledge of automated system such as ERP is a plus.
• Highly pro-active person who can work independently and at the same time a good team-player.
• Very good communication skills
• Proven commitment to transparency and accountability practices
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Amharic
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• High integrity, with timely & effective communication skill is essential.
• Flexibility: ability to work under pressure
• Adaptability: working in a multi-cultural environment

Lien