Job vacancies at Weema International Inc., Ethiopia
Founded in 2011, WEEMA International is a nonprofit organization working in Southwestern Ethiopia. WEEMA International is entering an exciting new chapter—one that deepens our commitment to community-led development by centering women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) as the heart of our work. We believe that when women come together, build trust, and take collective action, they transform families, strengthen local systems, and create lasting change. As WEEMA evolves from an implementer to a facilitator, we are investing in local leadership, digital innovation, and a culture of continuous learning.
Joining WEEMA means being part of a team that believes in the collective power of women to end multidimensional poverty.
OPEN POSITIONS:
01. Self Help Group and Gender Advisor
Location: Addis Ababa with frequent travel to the field. | Deadline: January 15, 2026
Job Description
REPORTS TO: Country Director
Position Summary
The Self-Help Group and Gender Advisor will be a key leader in advancing WEEMA’s next chapter—helping the organization become a center of excellence for quality SHG approach ending multi-dimensional poverty, transitioning from implementer to facilitator, deepening gender-transformative practices, and embedding learning and data systems across its programs.
The Advisor will provide technical and strategic leadership to strengthen WEEMA’s SHG-based institutional structures (SHG–CLA–FLA) and ensure they are sustainable, inclusive, and capable of driving women’s leadership and community transformation.
This role will also champion gender equality across all programs—ensuring that women’s voices, agency, and decision-making power are amplified while promoting equitable access to livelihoods, finance, and governance.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership
- Lead the design and implementation of strategies to strengthen SHG, CLA, and FLA structures as inclusive, self-sustaining community institutions.
- Work closely with the SHG Associate Officer at the community offices and provide technical support on a regular basis.
- Develop project proposals and budgets in consultation with the Community Office Manager and the Self Help Group Associate Officer.
2. Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening
- Lead the development of manuals, learning resources to build the capacity of facilitators and other team members on the SHG approach.
- Develop a training roadmap for SHGs, CLAs, FLAs, and facilitators and ensure the quality of training deliveries.
- Build the capacity of FLA members in leadership, governance, and gender awareness.
- Develop practical tools and guidelines to enhance the measurement and sustainability of SHG and gender programming.
- Train and mentor WEEMA staff and field facilitators on participatory facilitation, gender mainstreaming, and adaptive learning.
- Support the graduation process of mature SHGs into CLAs and FLAs with strong, inclusive governance structures.
- Strengthen linkages between community institutions, local government and other development actors for improved collaboration, accountability, and advocacy.
3. Gender Integration and Empowerment
- Provide technical leadership to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment across all WEEMA programs.
- Conduct gender analyses, audits, and mainstreaming assessments to guide program design and reporting.
- Promote women’s leadership, address gender-based barriers, and encourage equitable participation in decision-making.
- Collaborate with teams to design gender-transformative and digitally supported livelihood initiatives.
- Provide gender training for the team in WEEMA and ToT for Federation and CLA representatives.
5. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)
- Support SHG Web-based Information System (SWIS) by ensuring data quality and utilization.
- Facilitate reflection sessions and learning exchanges among CLAs, and FLAs across woredas to promote adaptive learning.
- Document best practices, success stories, and learning related to SHG and gender programming.
- Collaborate with the PMERL team in identifying learning agendas, learning processes and enhancing the quality of decision-making systems at all levels.
6. Partnership and Coordination
- Build and sustain partnerships with government bodies, NGOs and financial institutions.
- Represent WEEMA in local and national forums focused on women’s empowerment and community development.
- Foster collaboration and joint learning initiatives that advance SHG and gender-focused programming.
7. Reporting and Knowledge Management
- Produce high-quality reports, briefs, and donor updates on SHG and gender activities.
- Document and disseminate gender-transformative and community-led practices through digital and traditional platforms.
- Contribute to WEEMA’s learning agenda, synthesizing SHG and gender insights for strategic decision-making.
8. Systems, Policies, and Compliance
- Adhere to WEEMA’s HR Manual, PSEAH Policy, Child Protection Policy, Gender Strategy, Whistleblowing Policy, and Safety and Security Policy.
- Maintain confidentiality and integrity when handling work-related information.
9. Safeguarding and Organizational Values
- Promote WEEMA’s values of integrity, gender equity, inclusiveness, and accountability.
- Contribute to creating a safe, respectful, and non-discriminatory work environment.
- Actively uphold safeguarding principles and immediately report any concerns related to misconduct, including sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment.
- Serve as WEEMA’s Safeguarding/PSEAH focal point in Addis Ababa.
Minimum Qualifications
A) Education/Training
Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Work, Rural Development, Economics, or a related field.
B) Experience
- 6–8 years of experience in SHG promotion, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and/or community development.
- Strong knowledge of gender-transformative approaches.
- Experience in livelihoods, microfinance, and financial inclusion programming.
- Excellent writing, communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills.
- Fluency in English and Amharic; other local languages desirable.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including government, NGOs, and community institutions.
C) Core Competencies
- SHG institutional development and governance (SHG–CLA–FLA)
- Gender equality and women’s leadership development
- Community mobilization and participatory training
- Livelihood and financial inclusion programming
- Partnership and stakeholder coordination
- Strong writing, facilitation, and reporting skills
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic, digitally enabled, and learning-oriented environment.
- Project/campaign management.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified applicants shall submit their application letter along with non-returnable CV (CV’s of no more than 3 pages are appreciated) and work experience via Email to: assefa@weema.org with the subject Self Help Group and Gender Advisor.
Applications must be received at this email address by Starting from January 1, 2026 to January 15/2026 to be considered.
Only applicants meeting the minimum qualification will be shortlisted and contacted.
For any additional information, please contact us at 0116683160
Note: WEEMA International is an equal opportunity employer and is nondiscriminatory regarding race, creed, ethnicity, disability, religion, gender, age, marital status, etc. Women and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
02. PMERL Advisor
Location: Addis Ababa with frequent travel to the field. | Deadline: January 15, 2026
Job Description
REPORTS TO: Country Director
SUPERVISES: Data and web-tech team
Position Summary
The Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (PMERL) Advisor will provide senior-level leadership in strengthening WEEMA’s planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning systems across all sectors. The role will serve as the technical backbone for evidence-driven decision-making, organizational learning, and continuous improvement ensuring that WEEMA’s facilitative model, SHG-centered approaches, and transition strategy are grounded in high-quality data and robust measurement systems.
The Advisor will lead the design and operationalization of an integrated PMERL framework, oversee data systems, embed learning practices, and ensure that evidence is translated into actionable strategies. The role will also drive organizational knowledge management and collaboration, learning and adapting (CLA) processes to ensure that lessons, insights, and innovations inform strategic planning, community facilitation, and leadership-level decisions.
This position requires a systems thinker with strong analytical, facilitative, and advisory capabilities who can bridge program realities with strategic priorities and high-quality measurement standards.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
1. PMERL Leadership and System Development
- Lead the development and implementation of WEEMA’s PMERL framework, aligning indicators, systems, and processes across all interventions.
- Provide high-level technical guidance to senior leadership on evidence, trends, and strategic implications.
2. Strategic Planning & Organizational Alignment
- Support annual planning, detailed implementation plan (DIP) development, log frame harmonization, and results frameworks across programs.
- Integrate learning and evidence into strategic plan development, transition implementation, board reporting, and organizational reviews.
- Strengthen adaptive management processes to ensure intervention adjustments are timely and evidence-based.
3. Collaborating, Learning & Adaptation (CLA) Leadership
- Lead the institutionalization of WEEMA’s CLA model, embedding learning cycles into planning, implementation, and decision-making.
- Facilitate after-action reviews, pause-and-reflect sessions, quarterly learning summits, and cross-sector learning exchanges.
- Build mechanisms for community -to-organization learning loops, ensuring community voices inform strategic thinking.
4. Knowledge Management & Organizational Memory
- Oversee WEEMA’s knowledge management systems, including digital and manual repositories, learning hubs, and documentation standards.
- Ensure systematic capture of impact stories, lessons, case studies, and innovation insights.
- Strengthen documentation culture across staff, partners, SHGs, and community structures.
5. Data Systems Strengthening & Evidence Use
- Work with the Data & Web-Tech team in improving the Self Help Group Web Information System (SWIS) in general, verification process, cleaning, and system analysis processes.
- Support upgrades and rollout of digital MERL tools, ensuring usability, requirements alignment, and reliability.
6. Evaluation, Research & Knowledge Generation
- Lead or support evaluations, baseline/endline assessments, operational studies, and rapid learning exercises.
- Ensure evaluation findings are synthesized and fed into strategy, design, and adaptation processes.
- Support research agenda design, tool development, analysis, and dissemination.
7. Capacity Building & Technical Support
- Build capacities of WEEMA staff, SHG facilitators, community teams, and partners in PMERL methodologies, CLA practices, data use, and documentation.
- Mentor teams on facilitative leadership, systems thinking, and evidence-based reflection.
- Lead development of PMERL training manuals, guidelines, and learning modules.
8. Partnership, Coordination & Representation
- Represent WEEMA in national PMERL, CLA, and knowledge management networks and working groups.
- Strengthen partnerships with SHG networks, government entities, academic institutions, and NGOs.
- Promote community-led, evidence-based planning within and beyond WEEMA’s ecosystem.
9. Systems, Policies, and Compliance
- Adhere to WEEMA’s HR Manual, PSEAH Policy, Child Protection Policy, Gender Strategy, Whistleblowing Policy, and Safety and Security Policy.
- Maintain confidentiality and integrity when handling work-related information.
10. Safeguarding and Organizational Values
- Promote WEEMA’s values of integrity, gender equity, inclusiveness, and accountability.
- Contribute to a safe, respectful, and non-discriminatory work environment.
- Actively uphold safeguarding principles and report any concerns of misconduct, including those related to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
Minimum Qualifications
A) Education/Training
- Master’s degree in Monitoring & Evaluation, Knowledge Management, Development Studies, Organizational Learning, Public Health, Social Sciences, or a related field.
B) Experience
- 6–8 years of experience in PMERL, PMERL leadership, CLA, knowledge management, research, or systems strengthening roles.
- Demonstrated experience in designing and managing organization-wide PMERL systems and learning agendas.
- Strong background in data quality assurance, measurement frameworks, digital PMERL tools, and evidence-to-decision processes.
- Experience working with SHGs, Cluster Level Associations (CLAs), Federations, or community-driven development structures is highly preferred.
- Proven track record facilitating learning systems, organizational reflection, documentation, and adaptive planning.
C) Core Competencies
- Advanced skills in PMERL methodologies, CLA, evaluation design, and data interpretation.
- Strong facilitation and mentoring skills; ability to lead learning spaces with diverse teams.
- Excellent ability to synthesize data, trends, and learning insights into practical recommendations.
- Strong writing and documentation skills for reports, briefs, and knowledge products.
- Ability to thrive in fast-paced, learning-driven, multi-disciplinary environments.
- Proficiency in English and Amharic; local languages an added advantage.
- Willingness to travel regularly.
Preferred Attributes
- Experience with MIS platforms, digital learning tools, or automation of MERL processes.
- Commitment to WEEMA’s values of community empowerment, inclusiveness, accountability, and adaptive learning.
- Project/campaign management
How to Apply
Interested and qualified applicants shall submit their application letter along with non-returnable CV (CV’s of no more than 3 pages are appreciated ) and work experience via Email to: assefa@weema.org with the subject PMERL Advisor.
Applications must be received at this email address by Starting from January 1, 2026 to January 15/2026 to be considered.
Only applicants meeting the minimum qualification will be shortlisted and contacted.
For any additional information, please contact us at 0116683160
Note: WEEMA International is an equal opportunity employer and is nondiscriminatory regarding race, creed, ethnicity, disability, religion, gender, age, marital status, etc.
Women and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
