Senior Disability Inclusion Advisor

Background

Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) is an Ethiopian Development Organization established in 2005 and re-registered with the Agency for Civil Society Organizations as an Ethiopian Development Civil Society Organization with Certificate № 0321 under Proclamation № 1113/2019. Our mission is to advance the rights and opportunities of persons with disabilities through policy advocacy and mainstreaming disability inclusion in service delivery, development programs, and humanitarian actions in partnership with other organizations, envisioning a disability-inclusive Ethiopia, where persons with disabilities exercise their human rights and have access to mainstream services and opportunities on an equal basis with others.

ECDD has been engaged by SNV as the Disability Inclusion Resource Partner under the Rural Youth Employment through Entrepreneurship (RAYEE II) Programme. RAYEE II is a five-year programme implemented by SNV and consortium partners to improve employment and livelihood opportunities for financially disadvantaged rural young women, including women with disabilities, through skills development, inclusive finance, market systems development, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem strengthening.

Under this partnership, ECDD provides specialized Technical Assistance (TA) to strengthen disability inclusion across programme systems, institutional capacities, and implementation processes. The assignment focuses on developing disability-inclusive systems, operational frameworks, technical guidance, institutional capacity, OPD engagement, assistive technology eco-systems, quality assurance, and strategic advisory services. To effectively lead this assignment, ECDD seeks to recruit an experienced Senior Disability Inclusion Advisor.

Purpose of the Position

The Senior Disability Inclusion Advisor will provide overall technical leadership for the implementation of ECDD’s Technical Assistance assignment under RAYEE II. The Advisor will lead the design, coordination, implementation, quality assurance, and delivery of all technical outputs while ensuring that disability inclusion is systematically integrated into programme systems, institutional capacities, operational tools, and implementation processes. The position requires a highly experienced professional capable of providing strategic advice to SNV and RAYEE II implementing partners while maintaining ECDD’s reputation as Ethiopia’s leading disability inclusion technical resource organization.

Overall Responsibilities

The Senior Disability Inclusion Advisor will:

• Lead implementation of the Technical Assistance assignment.
• Provide high-level technical leadership on disability-inclusive program implementation
• Ensure timely and high-quality delivery of all project deliverables.
• Coordinate technical support to SNV and implementing partners.
• Supervise technical staff and consultants.
• Represent ECDD in technical forums and coordination platforms.
• Lead learning, documentation, and knowledge generation.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead implementation of all deliverables under the TA assignment.
• Lead development of disability inclusion strategies, operational frameworks, standards, and technical guidelines.
• Provide technical oversight for disability inclusion across program implementation.
• Ensure quality assurance of all technical products.
• Ensure alignment with international disability inclusion frameworks like CRPD, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mastercard Foundation Inclusion Framework, and national disability related legal frameworks.
• Ensure the sustainability of the technical assistance once the 18-month contract ends

Project Coordination

• Prepare annual work plans.
• Coordinate consultants.
• Supervise project staff.
• Monitor implementation progress.
• Ensure timely submission of deliverables.
• Coordinate stakeholder engagements.
• Support project reporting.

Systems Strengthening on Disability Inclusion

Lead the development of:

• disability inclusion operational framework,
  • disability barrier assessment tools,
  • accessibility assessment tools,
  • disability inclusion standards,
  • standard operating procedures (SOPs),
  • technical guidelines, quality assurance tools, referral systems, operational checklists

Technical Assistance to Partners

Provide technical support for implementing partners, including SNV, NMWEO, PADet, ECC-SDOM, and DEC on:

• disability-inclusive planning,
• operational guidance,
• systems strengthening,
• addressing implementation challenges from disability mainstreaming perspective

Capacity Building

• Lead Disability Inclusion Scorecard assessments,
• Lead the development of training curricula, training manuals, facilitator guides,
• Organize and monitor Training of Trainers,
• Facilitate technical coaching and post-training mentoring

OPD Systems Strengthening

• Provide technical leadership for OPD mapping, institutional assessments, capacity development, coordination mechanisms, referral systems and community engagement frameworks

Disability-Inclusive Market Systems

• Lead technical support on inclusive value chain assessments, employer engagement, disability-inclusive workplace practices, financial inclusion guidance, inclusive agribusiness systems and business case development

Assistive Technology and Accessibility

• Provide technical leadership for:
  • Assistive Technology ecosystem assessments
  • Accessibility audits and accessibility improvement recommendations
  • Reasonable accommodation guidance
  • Referral mechanisms

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Knowledge Management

• Lead:
  • Development of disability-inclusive indicators and monitoring tools
  • Quality assurance reviews
  • Learning and best practice documentation and reporting

Strategic Advisory Services

• Provide continuous technical advice on disability inclusion to SNV, consortium partners, government stakeholders and the private sector actors.

Expected Deliverables

The Senior Disability Inclusion Advisor will lead and ensure quality delivery of:

• Disability Inclusion Operational Framework
• Disability Barrier Assessment Report
• Accessibility Assessment Report
• Disability Inclusion Standards
• Training Packages
• Organizational Capacity Assessment Reports
• OPD Engagement Framework
• Disability-Inclusive Market Systems Guidance
• Assistive Technology Ecosystem Assessment
• Accessibility Guidance
• Quarterly Technical Advisory Reports
• Annual Learning Report
• Project progress reports
• Technical presentations

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Master’s degree (minimum) in one or more of the following: – Disability Studies, Inclusive Development, Sociology, Social Work, Rural Development Studies, Education, Economics, or related fields. Having a PhD is an added advantage.
• Experience in managing disability inclusive projects/programs, in providing technical support/assistance, and in the provision of training
• Experience in disability-inclusive rural agripreneurship and the creation of employment opportunities across agri-food value chains

Professional Experience

• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in disability-inclusive development. At least 4 years in senior technical advisory or leadership positions.
• Demonstrated experience in:
  • Disability-inclusive development
  • Technical assistance
  • Institutional capacity strengthening
  • Systems strengthening
  • Programme design
  • Strategy development
  • Organizational assessments
  • Facilitation
  • Research

Required Technical Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of Disability Inclusive Development, CRPD, Universal Design, Reasonable Accommodation, Accessibility Standards, Disability Rights, Organizational Capacity Assessment, Disability-Inclusive Livelihoods, Inclusive Education, Assistive Technology, Disability-inclusive Monitoring and Evaluation
• Experience with donor-funded programmes, particularly those supported by Mastercard Foundation, SNV, FCDO, USAID, AICS, GIZ, SIDA, or similar agencies, is highly desirable.

Essential Skills

• Strategic leadership, high-level technical writing, facilitation, capacity development, coaching, stakeholder engagement, research, quality assurance, project management, excellent communication skills, report writing, and presentation skills

Personal Attributes

1. The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Strong commitment to disability rights and inclusion.
• High ethical standards and integrity.
• Excellent interpersonal and networking skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Results-oriented mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Willingness to travel extensively.
• Exceptional Strategic Influencing and Stakeholder Diplomacy

Lived Experience:

The lived experience of persons with disabilities is a significant asset

Language Requirements

Essential:

• Excellent written and spoken English.

Preferable:

• Proficiency in Amharic and other Ethiopian local languages is preferred.