Humanitarian Program Coordinator

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a local, non-governmental, developmental, and humanitarian organization established in 2007. Its mission is to create a brighter future for children, youth, and women by addressing the root causes of poverty. Operating across six regional states in Ethiopia—Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, Debub Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and Benishangul Gumuz—ESD implements programs in six key thematic areas:

• Early Childhood Development
• Women and Girls’ Empowerment
• Education Quality Improvement
• Youth Skills Development and Job Creation
• Environmental Protection and Renewable Energy
• Humanitarian Response and Recovery

As a leading national organization, ESD is committed to sustainable development and humanitarian response throughout Ethiopia. We focus on empowering communities and addressing critical needs in education, protection, and resilience.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is urgently seeking a highly motivated and experienced Humanitarian Program Coordinator to be based at its Head Office in Addis Ababa.

This newly established and strategic position is designed to strengthen the coordination, effectiveness, and overall impact of ESD’s humanitarian interventions across Ethiopia. The Coordinator will play a key role in leading program planning, implementation, monitoring, and inter-agency collaboration, ensuring that ESD’s humanitarian response is timely, efficient, and aligned with national and international standards.

This fundamental role is designed to:

• Enhance Coordination: Strengthen ESD’s capacity to manage humanitarian programs—including emergency education and protection—by centralizing coordination at the Head Office. The Coordinator will ensure close alignment and seamless collaboration with our key partner, Finn Church Aid (FCA) Ethiopia Country Office. Serving as the primary liaison, the Coordinator will lead reporting, strategic planning, and joint initiatives between ESD and FCA teams in Addis Ababa.
• Improve Operational Efficiency: Centralize humanitarian program oversight to ensure strategic resource allocation, improved responsiveness to emerging field needs, and strengthened support to regional operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall coordination, leadership, and technical guidance for ESD’s humanitarian portfolio.
• Act as the primary focal point for humanitarian programming with FCA and other partners at the Addis Ababa level.
• Ensure the timely preparation and submission of high-quality narrative and financial reports for donors and partners.
• Lead the development of humanitarian project proposals and program designs in close collaboration with program and finance teams.
• Facilitate effective communication and information flow between the Head Office, field offices, and partners.
• Monitor the humanitarian landscape in Ethiopia and provide strategic analysis and recommendations to senior management.
• Ensure all humanitarian interventions adhere to international standards and best practices, including the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), Sphere Standards, and sector-specific guidelines.

Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced university degree in International Development, Humanitarian Affairs, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Psychology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in an educational or humanitarian setting.
• Proven experience in stakeholder engagement and working effectively with international NGOs and development partners.
• Demonstrated expertise in program development, proposal writing, and donor reporting.
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian architecture, coordination mechanisms, and principles in Ethiopia.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Fluency in both English and Amharic (written and spoken) is essential.