Mobile Rehabilitation Unit Field Team Lead (Rehabilitation Technician)

Project Title

• Connected Care – Innovative Community-Based Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Ecosystem for CYWD in Oromiya and Sidama Regions

Project Number

• CC-ETH-2026-002

Donor / Partner

• Liliane Fonds (LF)

Project Duration

• 3 years (2026–2028)

Number of Vacant Positions

• 4 position types, 10 posts in total (see summary table below)

Duty Stations

• Addis Ababa (head office) and field bases in Bishoftu and Ambo (Oromiya) and Hawassa (Sidama), covering 20 target woredas

Vacancy Type

• Internal/External — open to current Cheshire Ethiopia staff and external applicants

Application Deadline

• 10 working days from the date of this announcement

Organizational Background

Cheshire Ethiopia (Registration No. 0505) is a leading national non-governmental organization committed to disability rehabilitation and inclusive health services since 1962. With over six decades of experience in community-based rehabilitation (CBR), Cheshire Ethiopia’s mission is to ensure the rights and full participation of persons with disabilities. The organization operates from established centers in Addis Ababa, Menagesha, Hawassa, and Dire Dawa, with an annual production capacity of over 1,200 wheelchairs, prosthetics, and mobility aids, and a network of 500+ trained community health workers across Oromiya and Sidama regions.

Cheshire Ethiopia, in partnership with Liliane Fonds, is implementing “Connected Care”, a three-year (2026–2028) initiative to establish Ethiopia’s first hybrid high-tech/low-cost assistive technology (AT) ecosystem. The project integrates Mobile Rehabilitation Units (MRUs), community-managed AT production labs, a tele-rehabilitation platform, and the “Ekul” community solidarity financing model to close critical rehabilitation service gaps for 3,000 Children and Youth with Disabilities (CYWD) across 20 woredas of Oromiya (13 woredas) and Sidama (7 woredas).

To deliver this ambitious model, Cheshire Ethiopia is recruiting a project team of ten (10) staff across four position types, based at the project coordination office in Addis Ababa and at MRU field bases in Bishoftu, Ambo, and Hawassa. This vacancy is open to both internal candidates (current Cheshire Ethiopia staff) and external applicants

Mobile Rehabilitation Unit Field Team Lead (Rehabilitation Technician)

Job Title

• MRU Field Team Lead (Rehabilitation Technician)

Job Grade

• As per Cheshire Ethiopia organizational salary scale (Field Team Lead Grade)

Number of Positions

• Three (3) — one per Mobile Rehabilitation Unit

Contract Duration

• One (1) year, renewable subject to performance and availability of funds

Location

• MRU-1 (Oromiya Central: Adama, Dukem, Bishoftu, Modjo, Sendafa); MRU-2 (Oromiya: Sheger City, Holeta, Ejere, Ginchi, Ambo, Tulubolo, Teji, Woliso); MRU-3 (Sidama: all 7 woredas, rotating schedule)

Reports To

• Project Coordinator

Position Purpose

The MRU Field Team Lead is a certified rehabilitation professional who leads one of the three Mobile Rehabilitation Units (MRUs), motorbike/tricycle-based field teams that deliver assistive technology (AT) services and therapy directly to remote communities in Oromiya and Sidama. The role combines direct clinical service delivery with day-to-day supervision of the AT Maintenance Specialist & Driver and the Community Mobilizer assigned to the same unit.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

•       Lead the MRU team in delivering functional assessments, physical therapy, and the fitting of assistive devices directly within assigned communities, eliminating the need for families to travel long distances.

•       Implement the monthly service cycle: scheduled community visits (weeks 1–2, covering 6–8 woredas), complex case follow-ups and referrals to Cheshire Ethiopia centers (week 3), and equipment maintenance, data compilation, and team training (week 4).

•       Respond to urgent AT failures within the unit’s operational radius under the 48-hour emergency response protocol.

•       Conduct virtual tele-rehabilitation consultations with Cheshire Ethiopia specialists via the project’s digital platform (video/WhatsApp-based), including initial assessments, ongoing remote supervision, and monthly case conferences for complex cases.

•       Supervise and provide day-to-day guidance to the AT Maintenance Specialist & Driver and Community Mobilizer assigned to the unit.

•       Coordinate referral pathways with satellite primary health care facilities, partner hospitals, and Cheshire Ethiopia’s centers in Menagesha and Hawassa.

•       Support delivery of CBR certification training (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced) for health extension workers, community rehabilitation workers, and other stakeholders in the unit’s operational area.

•       Collect, verify, and submit accurate client and service data using the project’s digital client management system, in support of key performance indicators (CYWD served, AT abandonment rate, community satisfaction).

•       Ensure the unit’s activities follow a disability-inclusive, gender-sensitive, rights-based, and safeguarding-compliant approach.

•       Prepare regular activity and field monitoring reports for the Project Coordinator.

Working Conditions

The Project Coordinator and Finance Officer are based at Cheshire Ethiopia’s project coordination office in Addis Ababa, with regular field travel to project woredas. MRU Field Team Leads, AT Maintenance Specialists & Drivers, and Community Mobilizers are based at the MRU field bases in Bishoftu, Ambo, and Hawassa, with frequent travel by motorized tricycle to remote and rural communities across Oromiya and Sidama regional states. All post holders must be prepared to work under varying field conditions, including travel to hard-to-reach villages.

Salary and benefits for all positions are set according to Cheshire Ethiopia’s organizational salary scale for the relevant grade. The initial contract duration for all positions is one (1) year, renewable subject to satisfactory performance, project needs, and availability of funds as outlined in the Connected Care project budget.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Cheshire Ethiopia is an equal opportunity employer. We warmly welcome applications from all qualified individuals regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or disability status. Women, persons with disabilities, and qualified candidates from Oromiya and Sidama regions are strongly encouraged to apply. Cheshire Ethiopia is committed to a workplace free from discrimination and dedicated to the principles of inclusion and diversity.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

•       Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Prosthetics and Orthotics, or a related rehabilitation discipline.

•       Professional certification/registration as a rehabilitation technician or equivalent recognized qualification.

Experience

•       Minimum 3 years of relevant clinical or field experience in prosthetics, orthotics, physiotherapy, or community-based rehabilitation.

•       Experience with mobile outreach, community-based service delivery, or NGO field programs is a strong advantage.

•       Experience working with children and youth with disabilities is highly desirable.

Skills and Attributes

•       Strong clinical assessment, AT fitting, and case management skills.

•       Ability to use basic digital tools/smartphone apps for tele-rehabilitation and data collection.

•       Supervisory and team coordination skills.

•       Willingness and ability to travel by motorbike/tricycle to remote and rural woredas under varying field conditions.

•       Good communication skills in Amharic and English; knowledge of Afaan Oromo and/or Sidaamu Afoo is an advantage.

•       Commitment to disability inclusion and child safeguarding principles.