Ethiopia Senior Tree Expansion Research Officer (Fixed-Term)
One Acre Fund
Ethiopia
Role description
About One Acre Fund
About the Role
Responsibilities
- Conduct desk research to identify and assess potential program expansion areas across regions, zones, and woredas.
- Collect, analyze, and synthesize agricultural, environmental, demographic, socioeconomic, market, and government data to support expansion planning.
- Review secondary data from government institutions, research organizations, development partners, and other credible sources to generate evidence-based insights.
- Monitor demographic, agricultural, environmental, market, and policy trends to identify opportunities and potential risks for program expansion.
- Develop and maintain databases, trackers, and research documentation to support expansion planning and operational readiness.
- Verify, clean, and analyze research and field data to ensure quality, accuracy, consistency, and usability.
- Support the development and continuous improvement of expansion assessment tools, scoring frameworks, research methodologies, and analytical processes.
- Participate in field scouting and assessment visits to validate desk research findings and collect additional information.
- Engage with government offices, development partners, local stakeholders, and other relevant actors to verify data, assumptions, and findings.
- Assess key expansion criteria, including agroforestry suitability, water availability, land suitability, market potential, operational feasibility, scalability, accessibility, and implementation risks.
- Identify data gaps and discrepancies and coordinate with relevant stakeholders to obtain and validate additional information.
- Integrate field observations and stakeholder feedback with secondary data to strengthen expansion assessments and recommendations.
- Prepare clear and evidence-based assessment reports, analytical summaries, and recommendations to support expansion decisions.
- Present research findings and recommendations to relevant teams and stakeholders and contribute to expansion planning discussions.
- Collaborate with the expansion team and relevant technical and operational teams to translate research findings into actionable expansion plans.
- Maintain clear documentation of research findings, field validation results, assumptions, and recommendations to support decision-making and future reference
- Support engagement with government institutions, community representatives, development partners, and other relevant stakeholders during expansion assessments and field scouting activities.
- Coordinate information gathering, stakeholder consultations, and validation activities to support expansion planning and decision-making.
- Identify collaboration opportunities that strengthen expansion planning, field implementation, and operational readiness.
- Prepare high-quality assessment reports, presentations, briefing materials, and regular progress updates for internal and external stakeholders.
- Document research findings, field observations, lessons learned, stakeholder feedback, and key decisions to support knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate research findings and stakeholder insights into actionable recommendations and expansion plans.
- Track assigned activities and maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation related to expansion research, assessments, and planning.
- Perform other research and operational support tasks as assigned to advance the Tree Program’s expansion objectives.
- Support the recruitment of field staff
Career Growth and Development
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Candidates with academic backgrounds in Forestry, Agroforestry, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Science, Geography, Rural Development, Watershed Management, or related fields are preferred.
- 2 years or more of relevant professional experience in forestry, agroforestry, agriculture, natural resource management, landscape restoration, rural development, field innovation, government relations, or related fields.
- Experience conducting research, data collection, expansion assessments, market assessments, or strategic planning.
- Experience working with government institutions, development partners, or community stakeholders.
- Experience supporting field assessments or validation exercises is an advantage.
- Willingness to travel to rural and remote locations for field scouting and stakeholder engagement.
- Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent data gathering, analysis, and report writing skills.
- Ability to synthesize complex information into practical recommendations for decision-making.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Ability to useMicrosoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Experience using digital data collection tools is an advantage.
- Can communicate in English.
- Fluency in Amharic.
- Proficiency in Afaan Oromo is preferred