ETHIOPIA COUNTRY DIRECTOR (ECD)

Our partner, BOMA is working to lift 3 million people out of extreme poverty by 2027. BOMA’s mission is to provide the people and governments of Africa’s drylands with economic inclusion programs that increase resilience to multiple crises. Founded 15 years ago to eliminate extreme poverty among pastoralist women in Kenya, BOMA has since transformed the lives of more than 350,000 women, youth and refugees in East Africa. BOMA stands out for its focus on last mile populations of the drylands of Africa, which are most at risk to shocks from climate change and COVID-19, tech-savvy and data-driven approach, impressive graduation rate and 99% local structure based in Africa. Find out more about BOMA by visiting our website: www.bomaproject.org

POSITION SUMMARY

The Ethiopia Country Director (ECD) will work closely with the COO and Executive Team to implement BOMA’s global strategy around designing, adapting and implementing the REAP program primarily in Ethiopia and throughout Africa as requested, through strategic partnerships and government adoption. S/he will proactively seek out new opportunities for new business development, work with the team to innovate and adapt REAP to new contexts, and capture key learnings to continually drive impact higher, drive costs lower, and sustain BOMA’s reputation as a leading poverty alleviation organization. The ECD will act as the primary representative for BOMA in Ethiopia and will take the lead in building new relationships and partnerships with organizations and governments in Ethiopia. Finally, the ECD will set the tone for BOMA’s organizational culture in Ethiopia and will build a cadre of future leaders.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Expansion & New Business Development – 25%:

• Lead the identification and establishment of new program opportunities throughout Ethiopia
• Oversee the development of specific expansion strategies for strategic partnerships, and government adoption.
• Lead the development proposals and concept notes that drive impact and revenue in line with established strategic targets.
• Provide leadership in all aspects of program design to ensure consistent quality, including the incorporation of cross-cutting themes, quality data analysis, lessons learned and best practices.
• Ensure that program implementation maintains high quality and is aligned with BOMA’s mission, vision and strategic plan.

Program Implementation – 15%:

• Ensure that BOMA delivers on all its contractual program obligations, ensuring that program delivery hits all targets, and comes in on budget and on time.
• Oversee the creation of well-written and comprehensive reports, submitted on time to partners and donors.
• Ensure effective, transparent use of resources in compliance with BOMA and donor policies/procedures.
• Oversee budget management of sub-grantees/sub-contractors, if applicable.
• Build and maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs, as well as segregation of duties between finance and operations.
• Create professional project management practices for all programs, and ensure staff have sufficient training to execute those practices.
• Support teams to improve data collection, management, and use to build a culture of adaptive management, high-quality program performance, and learning.

Team Development – 15%:

• Create a culture of accountability, transparency, trust and collaboration at BOMA.
• Advocate for and oversee professional development and performance management of all staff.
• Seek ways to ensure effective management and communication systems enhance the work performance of all staff.
• Coach senior-level staff to manage and develop high-performance teams and develop and implement program strategies focused on impact and results.
• Coordinate and lead regular Ethiopia/Country Leadership Team engagements.
• Serve as the primary authority on safety & security of team, participants and visitors.

Representation & Influence – 10%:

• Establish close and productive relationships with donors, partner organizations, as well as relevant government authorities in Ethiopia to promote BOMA’s work and reputation as the ideal graduation approach partner.
• Represent BOMA at all relevant meetings and conferences as requested.
• Drive BOMA’s brand as an innovative, high impact, poverty alleviation organization.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning – 10%:

• Support the M&E Director & Research & Learning Director to ensure high-level results are captured and disseminated to stakeholders.
• Ensure that robust monitoring and evaluation, quality data collection and analysis systems are in place, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, encouraging consistency across programs.

Finance and Administration – 10%:

• Arrange meetings of the Board which involves the issue of proper notices of meetings, preparation of agenda, circulation of relevant papers as well as taking and producing minutes to record the business transacted at the meetings and the decisions taken.
• Ensure the necessary registers are established and properly maintained.
•  Advise the Board on good practice in corporate governance, e.g. giving guidance on the legal implications of the way it discharges its duties, runs meetings, and makes decisions.
• Promote the compliance framework to safeguard the integrity of the organization.

Other – 5%:

• Support organizational decision-making to reflect BOMA’s mission and values.
• Support BOMA’s strategic planning processes and regular performance assessments with a focus on scaling with operational excellence.
• Drive BOMA’s effort to deliver on its annual program reach and milestone goals to support scaling.

• BA or equivalent in Social Science, Management, International Development or other relevant fields. MA preferred.
• 5-7 years of relevant development experience, including at least 3 years in a senior position.
• Experience managing humanitarian relief and/or transitional programs in areas affected by insecurity and conflict.
• Previous experience working in Ethiopia is strongly preferred.
• Proven track record in program design, proposal writing and development, and donor relations.
• Trained and knowledgeable in design, monitoring, and evaluation concepts and methodologies. M&E experience should include conducting assessments and surveys, program design using a logical framework approach, selecting indicators, implementing monitoring plans, and coordinating evaluations and data analysis.
• Experience supervising international and national staff, starting up programs and working in difficult environments.
• Experience managing programs in the relevant technical area(s) including, Gender, Market systems, Graduation Approach, and Livelihoods.
• Knowledge of major donor requirements and compliance issues.
• Strong management skills with a good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meets deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• History of working effectively with host country government, national and international NGO partners, and collaborating with other actors, including the private sector.
• Solid knowledge of and experience with security protocols is essential.
• Fluency in written and oral English is required.