Component leader for Pillars 1 (Exhibitions) and 2 (Collections) – Strengthening African-European Museum Partnerships (M/W)

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: Expertise France

Deadline: 21 September 2025

Job Description

Mission description

The component leader for Pillars 1 (Exhibitions) and 2 (Collections) will be responsible for the technical coordination of the two first pillars of the project implemented by Expertise France.

Pillar 1 – Exhibitions aims to foster collaboration among consortia of African and European museums on exhibition-related projects. These projects will enhance mutual knowledge across collections, preservation, public engagement, and innovative approaches to formats, scenography, and narrative.

It comprises four main activities:

• Sharing and Promoting Sustainable and Innovative Museum Exhibitions practices, especially related to gender equality and sustainable development;
• Designing Replicable Exhibition Concepts Rooted in Local Heritage;
• Fostering Museum-Civil Society Partnerships for Engaging Exhibitions;
• Strengthening the Skills of African Museum Professionals for Exhibition Implementation.

Pillar 2 – Collections aims to increase sharing knowledge on African collections, to improve cultural dialogue, circulation of collections, and to include consideration of endogenous methods in conservation standards, in particular for sustainable museums.

It comprises four main activities: 

• Sharing and Promoting Innovative and Sustainable Conservation and Inventory Practices;
• Developing and implementing tools for inventories ;
• Documenting Endogenous Conservation Methods ;
• Developing knowledge on collections and conservation training capacities, with an emphasis on women contribution to heritage.

The Component Leader for Pillars 1&2 will be based within EF mutualized office in Addis Ababa, as part of a team composed of:

• A project manager;
• A deputy project manager;
• One component leader in charge of project’s pillars 1 (exhibitions) and 2 (collections) – which is the subject of this job description;
• One part-time component leader in charge of pillar 3 (empowerment and reappropriation);
• Two grants officers;
• Short-term experts as needed.

A dedicated financial and administrative management team, shared with other EF projects, will be based at the EF office in Addis Ababa. This team will support the project by overseeing budget preparation, contract management, payments, monitoring, record-keeping, and reporting.

Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Project Manager and in line with the project objectives, requirements and timelines, the Component Leader for Pillars 1 & 2 will have the following responsibilities:

1. Strategic and Operational Leadership

• Design and manage the implementation of the work plans for Pillars 1 and 2, including activities, outputs, and expected results in coordination with the project manager and deputy project manager.
• Liaise with stakeholders and the Goethe-Institut to ensure coherence and synergy across activities.
• Ensure the integration of crosscutting themes such as gender, youth, sustainability, and inclusion.
• Propose and oversee the preparation of ToRs and mobilization of short- and medium-term experts.

2. Technical Implementation

• Supervise and accompany all activities under the two pillars: calls for proposals, grant implementation, technical assistance, training, hackathons, research projects, etc.
• Facilitate capacity-building initiatives with museums, universities, and research centers.
• Ensure effective collaboration with national and regional museum institutions and training centers.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Monitor the achievement of activities in relation to the logical framework and expected outputs.
• Contribute to drafting activity and narrative reports for pillars 1 &2 in coordination with the Deputy Project Manager.
• Ensure data collection, capitalization, and knowledge-sharing.

4. Stakeholder Coordination and Representation

• Represent the project in technical meetings and in front of museum partners and stakeholders in Africa and Europe.
• Support partnerships and dialogue between African and European institutions involved in the exhibitions and collections streams.
• Promote and facilitate the dissemination and valorization of the project’s outputs.

Project or context description

The project

Building on exchanges between museum directors from 38 countries across the two continents during the Dakar meetings in April 2023, the project “Strengthening African-European Museum Partnerships” aims to achieve the following objectives: strengthening capacities and sharing knowledge among museum institutions (1); preserving and rethinking the use of collections (2); promoting the social function of museums (3). It particularly targets youth, women, and marginalized groups, with a focus on gender equality, the promotion of human rights, and the encouragement of cultural entrepreneurship.

The project is funded by several international partners, including the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The project implementation, which will span 60 months, has been entrusted to Expertise France (EF) and the Goethe Institut (GI), and will involve partners including African and European museums, governments, and relevant international organizations and bilateral implementing agencies. The overall coordination of the project will be ensured by the Delegation of the European Union to the African Union in Addis Ababa (EUD-AU).

The activities implemented by EF, grouped into 3 pillars, will be managed from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia):

•         The first pillar focuses on the development and implementation of innovative exhibition concepts by consortia of African and European museums.
•         The second pillar aims to improve the sharing of knowledge about African museum collections through their inventory and conservation (digitization and physical methods), and their circulation.
•         Finally, the third pillar aims to develop partnerships with civil society and the academic world to enhance the appropriation of museum heritage by local populations, particularly youth.

Expertise France

Expertise France is the public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects.

Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilizes technical expertise and acts as a project integrator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how.

The agency works closely with French public institutions, as well as with the European Union, to meet the needs of partner countries wishing to enhance the quality of their public policies to meet these challenges. More specifically, the agency coordinates and implements projects of national or regional scope in the main areas of public action:

•         Democratic, economic and financial governance
•         Peace, stability and security;
•        Climate, biodiversity and sustainable development;
•         Health and human development.

Required profile

The aim of this call for applications is to recruit a Component leader for the Project’s Pillars 1 &2. The candidate must have the following skills and expertise:

–            University degree (Bachelor’s or Master’s level, or equivalent) in cultural heritage management, museum studies, cultural cooperation, or a relevant field.

–            Minimum of 10 years of experience in heritage-related projects, including experience in museum management and/or conservation.

–            Solid understanding of Sub-Saharan African contexts, including cultural and institutional environments.

–            Strong coordination, communication, and project reporting skills.

–            Proven experience working on internationally funded programs, particularly EU-funded projects and grant-based mechanisms.

–            Excellent oral and written proficiency in both French and English.

–            Other language skills relevant on the African continent appreciated.

–            Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team and with diverse partners.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit via: >>https://expertise-france.gestmax.fr/13788/1/chef-de-composantes-pilier-1-2-coop-museale-h-f/en_US?backlink=search /the “Apply” interface:

• a cover letter,
•  an updated CV (max. 6 pages) highlighting relevant experience,
• and contact details for at least two professional references.

Note: Contractualization is subject to the signature of the contribution agreement between EF and relevant EUD.

Deadline for application : 2025/09/21 23:59