Country Director, Ethiopia

About Precision Development

Precision Development (PxD) is a global non-profit organization that harnesses technology, data science and behavioral economics to empower people living in poverty to improve their lives. By providing actionable information to the right people, in the right way and at the right time, PxD empowers poor people living in low and middle income countries to improve their livelihoods, mitigate risks, and advance environmental sustainability. PxD delivers customized agricultural advice to smallholder farmers via their mobile phones. PxD implements this pioneering model of agricultural extension in collaboration with partner organizations to maximize scale, and continuously experiments, iterates, and gathers evidence on impact to improve service delivery and demonstrate value. PxD currently works in nine countries in Africa and Asia, is launching operations in Latin America, and is rapidly expanding as governments and organizations look for innovative ways to utilize new technologies to deliver actionable information to people who need it. As of the end of 2021, PxD was serving 5.7 million farmers through a range of services providing tailored information on crop optimization, pest management, input utilization and environmental stewardship. PxD is piloting the use of mobile technology to deliver information in sectors beyond agriculture, including the use of SMS to facilitate math education in Kenya.

About the Ethiopia program:

In Ethiopia, PxD, with its consortium partners Digital Green and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), is implementing the Digital Agricultural Advisory Services (DAAS) project. The DAAS project is a collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK Government). So far, PxD has implemented dairy use cases for the promotion of effective artificial insemination services and improved calf and cow management and has assisted ATA to incorporate and scale livestock content through the 8028 farmers’ hotline. PxD works with the MoA, ATA, Land O’Lakes, the National Animal Genetic Improvement Institute (NAGII), and SNV to develop advisory content, access dairy farmer profile data, and send content. DAAS is a 5-year project and aims to reach 3.5 million farmers.

The Country Director will oversee the strategic direction and development of PxD in Ethiopia. The successful candidate will lead a large, multi-year, high-impact program, and will identify opportunities to sustain and grow the organisation in Ethiopia.

The Country Director will report to the Africa Regional Director and will work closely with other relevant Program Leads and Global Directors, and various research affiliates. The position will be located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Precision Development (PxD) is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

The Country Director, Ethiopia will be responsible for the following main tasks:

• Lead the strategic direction of PxD in Ethiopia, and a large, multi-year, high-impact program;
• Contribute to and execute PxD’s research and program vision in Ethiopia;
• Direct the implementation of new and existing projects in Ethiopia, with input from the Global team;
• Design and monitor implementation plan and budgets and supervise the implementation of operations across all projects in Ethiopia;
• Support the development and utilization of appropriate research methods and program management tools and systems;
• Hire, train, and supervise senior and mid-level staff;
• Work with local legal counsel to ensure compliance with Ethiopian law and to develop and implement local policies and guidelines;
• Build and manage relationships with Ethiopian partners to facilitate the development of
• PxD services, including technology providers, private businesses, government,
• development organizations, non‐profits, other service providers, and implementation partners;
• Oversee PxD's business development, fundraising and donor management efforts in Ethiopia;
• Lead the development of mid and long term financial sustainability of PxD Ethiopia;
• Liaise between PxD Global and Ethiopia‐based team to ensure compliance with PxD policies and to support reporting to PxD internal and external stakeholders (research, program implementation, financial, other); and
• Complete any other work determined by PxD CEO and/or Africa Regional Director as necessary to successfully grow and manage PxD Ethiopia.

Location and work authorisation: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (visa sponsorship may be offered)

*THIS IS A RE-ADVERTISEMENT. PREVIOUS APPLICANTS NEED NOT APPLY*

Qualification, skills experience in the following domains are important:

• Experience leading large programs, including managing relationships with governments and multiple stakeholders;
• Experience with budgeting and project planning;
• Leadership and organizational skills, and experience to make things happen through complex bureaucracy;
• Experience with managing donors and large grants;
• Commitment to leading a diverse team in a multicultural environment and building staff capacity;
• Strong people management skills and experience with a record of recruiting and retaining top talent as well as the ability to quickly address performance issues;
• Significant experience in low and middle income country contexts. Proven track record of effective management;
• Ability to work under tight timelines, and flexibility to engage in multiple projects;
• Writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills;
• Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field;
• Ability to travel within Ethiopia (when conditions allow) and internationally;
• Experience living and working in Africa.

Experience in and knowledge of the following would be useful:

• Experience in developing research projects (preferably quantitative research);
• Knowledge of, or familiarity with, randomized controlled trials and experimental research.
• Experience working in Ethiopia.

You should apply for this position if:

• You want your work to have a meaningful impact on the lives of the poorest;
• You want to work with a diverse and dynamic team that includes agronomists, data scientists, developers, research associates, product development specialists, researchers and academics, finance and HR specialists, etc;
• You are a firm believer that technology can help develop new cost-effective interventions and can serve the poorest;
• You are excited to experiment, test, iterate, and learn what works and what does not. You are able to think “outside the box” by spear leading the development of innovative interventions that challenge the traditional approach of the development sector;
• You have a strong interest in agriculture but also in other sectors (e.g. education);
• You have a keen interest in research and impact evaluation, particularly quantitative research and RCTs;
• You want to be challenged on a daily basis, learn from your colleagues but also lead them in the right direction;
• You are an excellent manager and you care about the people you supervise;
• You are keen to form new partnerships with various organizations in Ethiopia;
• And you want to be part of a fast-pace, fast-growth organization with ambitious reach targets.