Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Organization: Expertise France
Deadline: 6 November 2026 17:00
Job Description
Mission description
Expertise France is recruiting a Project Manager to coordinate project implementation and the mobilisation of technical expertise under a technical assistance project supporting the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) under the ECOREF-II programme (grant CET1134) supporting Ethiopia’s Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda (HGER 2.0).
Reporting to the Expertise France Country Director in Ethiopia, working closely with headquarters teams and in coordination with AFD, the Project Manager will be responsible for operational and financial planning, monitoring, and preparing donor reports. The Project Manager will receive support from the country office support functions and Expertise France technical focal points. On a day-to-day basis, the Project Manager will work closely with NBE’s designated TA focal point and component focal points.
The Project Manager will support NBE refining, sequencing and operationalising its priorities, translating them into terms of reference and mobilising appropriate expertise. The position places particular emphasis on project management, coordination and institutional dialogue. Specialised technical inputs across the different thematic areas will be provided by the experts and technical partners engaged under the project.
Responsibilities
Based in Addis Ababa, the Project Manager will work with NBE departments and focal points, AFD, technical partners and Expertise France teams. They will ensure effective information sharing and prepare issues and recommendations for decisions needed to keep implementation on track.
1. Project management and operational and financial planning
- Coordinate project implementation in line with the agreed scope, logical framework, budget and workplans.
- During the inception phase, prepare with NBE, AFD and technical partners the TA Implementation Roadmap (logical framework, governance arrangements, detailed activities, timeline, procurement plan and budget), and keep it updated throughout implementation.
- Develop and update workplans, activity schedules, milestones and resource requirements.
- Prepare activity budgets and financial forecasts with administrative and finance teams; monitor commitments and expenditure, analyse variances and propose adjustments.
- Contribute to procurement planning and monitor contractual obligations and payment deadlines in accordance with Expertise France procedures and donor requirements.
- Identify implementation risks and bottlenecks, propose corrective measures and escalate issues requiring decisions or guidance to the Country Director and headquarters.
- Maintain complete project records and support audits and project closure in collaboration with support functions.
2. Technical assistance delivery and mobilisation of expertise
- Work with beneficiaries and technical focal points to translate planned activities into clearly defined assignments, refining support requirements as needed within the agreed project framework.
- Prepare terms of reference :objectives, tasks, required expertise, deliverables, timelines and estimated budgets,
- Identify suitable experts and contribute to their selection and to their contracting.
- Prepare expert assignments, brief experts and facilitate access to the documentation and counterparts required for effective delivery.
- Monitor the quality and timeliness of technical assistance and coordinate the review of deliverables with relevant technical focal points and beneficiaries.
- Follow up on recommendations and support beneficiaries in applying the tools and methodologies developed under the project.
3. Stakeholder coordination and institutional dialogue
- Maintain effective working relationships with NBE focal points and coordinate with AFD in liaison with the Country Director and headquarters.
- Facilitate collaboration with Banque de France, Institut Bancaire et Financier International, (IBFI) and other technical partners, ensuring clarity on roles, contributions and coordination arrangements.
- Prepare governance meetings and working groups, draft minutes and follow up on agreed decisions.
- Coordinate with other development partners to identify complementarities and avoid duplication of support.
- Monitor institutional and political developments that may affect the project and inform management of their potential implications.
- Engage with partners with diplomacy and discretion, respecting institutional decision-making processes and the confidentiality of information.
4. Results monitoring, donor reporting and learning
- Operationalise the project monitoring framework and track progress against agreed indicators and targets, with support from monitoring and evaluation teams.
- Collect, verify and consolidate results data and supporting evidence, integrating relevant gender and inclusion considerations.
- Prepare narrative reports, progress updates and other reporting required by AFD, ensuring accuracy and timely submission.
- Ensure compliance with AFD and Expertise France reporting, visibility and communication requirements.
- Coordinate financial reporting inputs with finance teams and ensure consistency between reported expenditure and operational progress.
- Analyse monitoring findings and beneficiary feedback to inform workplan adjustments and project decisions.
- Document lessons learned and contribute to evaluations, knowledge sharing and the sustainability of project results.
Project or context description
The Technical Assistance to the National Bank of Ethiopia project aims to strengthen NBE’s technical and institutional capacities in a context of financial sector transformation. The project will be implemented over 24 months, subject to confirmation of funding and the contractual scope.
The first component focuses on strengthening NBE’s capacities in monetary policy, economic analysis, financial stability, supervision and institutional development. It also includes support for training, knowledge transfer and skills development, notably through the Ethiopian Institute of Financial Studies (EIFS), now renamed the Ethiopia Academy of Finance (EAF).
The second component supports financial inclusion, with particular attention to women, agricultural finance and rural communities. It is aligned with national frameworks such as the National Agricultural Finance Implementation Roadmap (NAFIR) and the Women’s Financial Inclusion Scorecard. Planned support includes financial inclusion data and reporting frameworks, consumer protection, financial education and coordination among relevant stakeholders.
Activities will include expert assignments, advisory services, training, coaching, peer exchanges and the development of tools and methodologies. Banque de France, through IBFI, is envisaged as a technical partner in selected areas, alongside other specialised experts.
Required profile
- Master’s degree (preferred) or Bachelor’s degree in project management, economics, finance, public policy, public administration, international relations or another relevant field.
- At least five years of relevant professional experience in project management or coordination, preferably in international cooperation, technical assistance or institutional capacity building.
- Practical experience in needs assessment, drafting terms of reference, and mobilising or monitoring experts and service providers.
- Experience in operational planning, budget preparation, expenditure monitoring and report writing.
- Ability to work with public institutions and coordinate stakeholders with different responsibilities and priorities.
- Sound understanding of Ethiopia’s institutional environment and awareness of political issues that may influence project implementation.
- Ability to understand a range of technical subjects and coordinate contributions from specialised experts. In-depth expertise across all project thematic areas is not required.
- Strong organisational, analytical and drafting skills, autonomy, diplomacy and ability to prioritise, including sound judgement on when to seek support or escalate issues.
- Proficiency in office software, particularly Excel, and in planning and financial monitoring tools.
- Excellent written and spoken English. Proficiency in Amharic is required. Working knowledge of French would be an asset.
- Experience in the financial sector, or central banking functions (e.g., monetary policy, supervision, financial inclusion), or on an internationally funded development project, particularly one funded by AFD, would be an asset.
- Experience in gender equality or women’s financial inclusion would be an asset.
Additional information
- Employee contract under local law, via a third-party employer company
- Duration of the contract: One-year renewable fixed-term contract, up to 24 months, subject to project duration, performance evaluation and available budget.
- Remuneration will be determined in accordance with the Expertise France Ethiopia country office salary scale and the successful candidate’s experience
- Job Location: Addis Ababa
- Start date: mid-November or December 2026, depending on the contracting timeline.
- Expertise France is committed to equal opportunity. Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Recruitment and commencement of employment are conditional upon signature of the implementation agreement between AFD and Expertise France. Expertise France reserves the right to cancel or postpone recruitment if the agreement is not signed or its signature is delayed.
Application documents
Applicants are invited to submit a CV and cover letter in English, together with the contact details of three professional referees, including their email addresses and telephone numbers.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
Deadline for application : 2026/11/06 17:00