Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Director of Agriculture and Rural Development

Requisition ID: 2547
Location: Addis Ababa - Ethiopia
Reports to: H.E. Commissioner for ARBE
Directorate/Department/Organ: Agriculture and Rural Development
Division: Agriculture and Rural Development
Number of Direct Reports: 2
Number of Indirect Reports: 23
Job Grade: D1
Contract Type: Regular

Purpose of Job

• Responsible for the operations of the entire Directorate. Plan, develop and implement strategic policies while promoting inter- Directorate/Department collaboration.

Main Functions

• Develop and maintain operating rules and procedures;
• Provide technical leadership and ensure efficient functioning of all Divisions within the department/directorate;
• Manage the work of the Department/Directorate and supervise direct reports to ensure their effective performance as per organization’s performance management policy and system;
• Lead the directorate/department and ensure effective management of personnel, budget, performance, quality, employees relations matters and training in conformity with relevant organization’s applicable rules and procedures;
• Determine, develop and execute the overall strategy for the department and ensure alignment with organizational overall strategy;
• Design and develop business continuity plan to address unforeseen circumstances;
• Develop and oversee policy development and guidelines according to the organizations legal framework;
• Design policies consistent with the AU’s goal in order to address the pertinent issues in the relevant area;
• Manage risks and recommend mitigation strategies;
• Prepare and oversee integrated programmes projects of overall activities of the organization;
• Build and maintain a strategic plan to form good working relations with other directorate/department;
• Develop and maintain regular working relations with top level stakeholders in appropriate agencies of Member States and partners;
• Organize, coordination meetings between the organization and other relevant partners;
• Ultimately responsible for preparing periodic financial and budget execution reports and other reports;
• Oversee the collection of contributed funds to the organization;
• Initiate and take necessary actions to collect funds of and for the African Union as a whole;
• Provide strategic, innovative and operational leadership for the implementation of the programmes of the Department and ensure the departmental contribution to the overall AU Strategies and Vision;
• Propose training programmes relating to programme designing and coordination;
• Promote awareness and training of best practices in area of expertise.

Specific Responsibilities

• Ensure that the Directorate’s organizational structure, operational policies and other work processes are sound to effectively deliver on the strategic objectives of DARBE;
• Exercise authority over personnel and human-resource matters and further strengthen performance management by tracking key performance indicators across the Directorate;
• Maintain a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent.
• Initiate and manage the development of policies, strategies and programs that contribute to the goals of DARBE consistent with AUC vision and mandates.
• Support and provide guidance for the implementation and monitoring of policies, strategies and programs to contribute to the effective implementation of relevant AU Decisions.
• Provide overall supervision, guidance, support and management of the human, financial and material resources of the Directorate.
• Oversee and coordinate the work of the divisions of Agriculture and Food Security and Rural Development and ensure synergy with the work of the specialized technical officers under the Directorate.
• Oversee the functioning and performance of the following regional specialized technical offices of the African Union: Inter-Afri6can Bureau for Animal Resources (IBAR), Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Center, Pan Africa Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign, and Semi-Arid Food Grain Research and Development 
• Maintain liaison with other Departments of the AUC as well as AUDA-NEPAD, RECs and other relevant stakeholders to identify and promote synergies across initiatives and to ensure a coordinated development and implementation of such initiatives.
• Maintain and build strategic partnerships to harness technical and financial resources necessary for effective implementation of policies, strategies and programs.
• Initiate and strengthen forums for stakeholders’ consultations, lesson and experiences sharing as well as capacity strengthening.
• Prepare periodic reports on the implementation of the Directorate’s programs and operations.
• Provide technical support to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment in preparing statements, proposals, briefs, reports and other relevant tasks.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master’s degree in agricultural sciences, agricultural economics, rural development or related fields. A PhD qualification will be an added advantage.
• A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience with 8 years at managerial level and 5 years at supervisory level. Specialized Postgraduate training in an agricultural field is required.
• Further qualifications in projects/program planning, monitoring and evaluation will be an added advantage. Also necessary are qualifications or experience in human resources management.

Required Skills:

• Ability to use strong managerial delegation, political tact and supervisory skills to achieve documented objectives 
• Ability to work effectively with people from various backgrounds and create an environment where diversity is respected 
• Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with top level stakeholders 
• Ability to identify key strategic opportunities and risks 
• Ability to actively seek, identify and apply appropriate technology to improve programme delivery 
• Ability to delegate the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority with regard to performance management and professional development 
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (English, French, Arabic and Portuguese) is a must. Knowledge of one or all of the other working languages would be an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Focus
• Developing Organizational Capability
• Change Leadership
• Strategic Risk Management

Core Competencies:

• Building Partnership
• Drives Accountability Culture:
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with impact

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual Thinking
• Job Knowledge Sharing
• Drive for Results
• Fosters Innovation.

Tenure of Appointment:

• The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Languages:

• Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Kiswahili, Arabic or Spanish) is required and fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage.

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of US$ 78,138.00 (D1 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 26,208.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Application Closing Date
17th February, 2025, 11h59 p.m. EAT.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• The requirements and responsibilities contained in this job description do not create a contract of employment and are not meant to be all-inclusive. It may be changed by the role manager during employment on an as-needed basis.
• Only candidates who have met all the requirements of the post and have been selected for interview will be contacted.
• Only applications registered online with a complete curriculum vitae (CV) attached will be considered. 
• The Africa union is an equal opportunity employer and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Consideration will be given only to those candidates who have submitted a fully completed online application with a curriculum vitae (CV), an African passport, and the required academic qualifications, such as Diplomas (Bac+2), Bachelor's degrees (Bac+3), Master's degrees (Bac+5) and any relevant certificate in line with the area of expertise.
• The African Union is an equal opportunity employer, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Candidates from less represented countries within the African Union are strongly encouraged to apply for positions that fit their profiles.
• These countries include Algeria, Angola, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Sahrawi D.R., Sao Tome and Principe., Seychelles, Somalia and Tunisia.