Ethiopia Country Lead EALBSP

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: Mercy Corps

Deadline: October 1, 2026

Job Description

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises.

Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use.

Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes the U.S. Department of State, the European Union (EU), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the United Nations (UN), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA), and a range of other institutional and private foundations.

Position Title: Ethiopia Country Lead EALBSP

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regular travel

Open Position: 1

Risk Level: Level 3

This position is contingent upon confirmation of programme funding.

The Program / Department / Team

East Africa Land Border Security Programme – Ethiopia

The East Africa Land Border Security Programme (EALBSP) is an FCDO-funded regional programme designed to disrupt organised immigration crime (OIC) and contribute to safer borders and safer communities. The programme works through four mutually reinforcing outcome areas: evidence and analysis; stronger law-enforcement capability; community engagement, reporting and early warning; and witness support and protection.

In Ethiopia, EALBSP is implemented as a dedicated country component aligned with the regional programme, Ethiopian law and institutions, Government of Ethiopia priorities, and the realities of selected border and migration corridors. Mercy Corps works with relevant government institutions at federal, regional and local levels, consortium partners, Ethiopian civil-society and specialist partners, communities and other stakeholders to strengthen existing systems and locally grounded responses rather than establish parallel structures. Programme implementation is evidence-led, conflict-sensitive, rights-respecting and adaptive to changing border, migration and operational dynamics.

The Position

The Ethiopia Country Lead provides strategic leadership and oversight of BSP field activities in Ethiopia and serves as Mercy Corps’ principal in-country program representative. Working closely with the BSP Team Leader and Deputy Team Lead, and consortium partner technical leads, the Country Lead ensures effective delivery across all four programme outcomes in Ethiopia, maintains strong government and stakeholder relationships, coordinates implementation across multiple border locations, and supports adaptive programme management.

The position provides leadership and management oversight to programme field staff and local partners while ensuring that programme activities remain aligned with national priorities, donor expectations and programme protocols.

Working with the Team Lead, other Country Leads and the Communications Specialist s/he will identify opportunities to influence policy discussions on OIC at the national and regional level and will build relationships with policymakers to support policy influencing and learning opportunities. Finally, s/he will work with local civil society organisations to design and support interventions that support community engagement in counter OIC efforts, including capacity building, community-police dialogues, local counter OIC campaigns and media engagements.

Essential Job Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND PROGRAMME LEADERSHIP

• Works with the TL and the DTL, and consortium technical leads to ensure that the BSP in Ethiopia is contributing to the programme’s aims of OIC disruption, and responsive to GoE interests.
• Contributes to shaping the programme’s learning, research and influencing agendas.

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

• Leads implementation of Mercy Corps’ BSP activities across Ethiopia in line with programme objectives and annual work plans.
• Ensure integration across programme outcomes at strategic border locations, including:
  • Evidence and analysis
  • Law enforcement strengthening
  • Community engagement in counter OIC actions
  • Victim protection and referral systems

• Works with the Deputy Team Leader (DTL) and MRELA Manager to ensure that implementation is aligned to programme country workplans and budgets, ensuring delivery is on time, target and budget.
• Leads adaptive management processes, ensuring programme delivery responds to changing operational and political contexts, emerging risks and programmatic learning
• Ensures that programme implementation is responsive to emerging local needs and opportunities, and consistent with Mercy Corps’ programme guidelines, principles, values, quality standards.

GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

• Serves as a principal representative for Mercy Corps with BSP-relevant Government of Ethiopia institutions including the National Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation’s Task Force, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Counter Trafficking in Persons Secretariat. Alongside the Tem Leader and Deputy Team Leader, represent BSP in Ethiopia with the British High Commission and other HMG counterparts. Maintain strong relationships with county-level governments in programme locations. Support national coordination mechanisms relating to organised immigration crime and border security.
• Engages with other actors working on OIC, Counter-trafficking and Victim support in Ethiopia, building a network for learning and policy influence.
• Engages stakeholders and local partners at the county and community levels in Ethiopia, on action planning and developing strategies in support of counter-OIC/community-policing programming activities.

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Monitors contextual developments affecting programme delivery in partnership with the BSP Security & Risk Manager and Ethiopia Security & Risk Coordinator.
• Supports implementation of programme risk management systems, ensuring compliance with BSP security protocols and standard operating procedures.
• Participates in incident management and crisis response where required.
• Promotes safeguarding and Do No Harm approaches across programme implementation.

 TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Manages project officers operating at field sites, ensuring quality and performance in the delivery of community engagement and community-policing interventions.
• Oversees performance of Ethiopian sub-grantees, and provide team members and implementing partners with information, tools and other resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Contributes to programme team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

 MONITORING & EVALUATION (M&E) AND REPORTING

• Works closely with the programme MRELA Manager to ensure that effective M&E systems and processes are embedded within programme implementation and that data is collected, analyzed, and used to inform ongoing adaptation of programme strategies and delivery approaches.
• Assesses and analyze impact and adaptively manage the programme to meet results.
• Contributes to the production of formal and informal reports and work plans on all aspects of Ethiopia programme delivery in a timely and efficient manner.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically

to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

Field Program Coordinators, Government Engagement Advisor, Security Risk Coordinator and Ethiopia EALBSP Program Team

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Deputy Team Leader

Works Directly With: Consortium partners, MRELA Manager, MRELA Advisor, Finance and Compliance Director, local and national government officials, local civil society organizations, implementing partners and communities.

 Knowledge and Experience

• Master’s degree in Security Sector/Police Reform, Border/Security Management, or related discipline.
• At least 15 (fifteen) years’ experience working on security sector or police reform, community policing or crime prevention programming in the Horn of Africa
• In-depth understanding of the Ethiopia context, including border security, governance and policing frameworks, OIC and migration dynamics and key stakeholders working within the organised crime, irregular migration space.
• Excellent representational skills, with demonstrated experience working to influence national government and national police/security sectors’ ways of working and policies.
• Solutions-oriented individual, with strong strategic thinking capabilities.
• Demonstrated effectiveness managing a diverse team of staff, consortium partners and local implementing partners, building a cohesive and results-oriented team to deliver on complex programming result.
• Experience working with a diverse range of community members to discuss sensitive and delicate topics in a conflict-sensitive manner.
• Excellent writing and reporting skills.
• Excellent verbal and inter-personal communications skills.
• Demonstrated sensitivity, skill, and experience working within different cultural settings and navigating public affairs and communications on sensitive issues.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will have strong leadership and representational skills, able to lead teams and engage in negotiations on complex and sensitive issues such as security, community policing, and organized crime. S/he will have exceptional relationship building, diplomacy and communication skills and be committed to the values and mission of Mercy Corps. S/he will take initiative and contribute to team efforts, as well as demonstrate an ability to communicate, assume leadership, and make solid decisions while working remotely from country leadership.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regular travel to programme locations and government or partner offices across Ethiopia, including remote areas where access, infrastructure or security conditions may vary. The position must comply with all Mercy Corps safety, security, movement and access procedures. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs, and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

 Team Engagement and Effectiveness 

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@mercycorps.org).

How to Apply

All qualified individuals are invited to apply for the advertised position. All applications, including a CV, three references, and all applicable official papers, must be sent electronically through this: >>LINK.

Only candidates that are short-listed will be acknowledged and called for interviews.

“Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer promoting gender, equity and    diversity. Qualified female and young candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to empower women and youth.”

DEADLINE FOR ALL APPLICATIONS: 01 October 2026/ 4:00 PM