Senior Project Officer at The Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), Ethiopia

Call for Application: Senior Project Officer

The Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD) is a board-led, non-profit, non-governmental, civil society organization registered under the Authority for Civil Society Organizations with registry number 4307, according to the Civil Societies Law 1113/2019. CARD acquired its legal personality on 24 July 2019. CARD aspires to see Ethiopia being a place where human rights are respected and democratic culture flourished. Since its foundation, CARD has been operating with a mission of advancing a conducive civic, media, and digital space for the respect of human rights and cultivation of democratic mass culture in Ethiopia.

CARD is seeking a highly experienced, strategic, and results-driven professional for the position of Senior Project Officer. The successful candidate will play a leading role in the planning, management and coordination of CARD’s projects to make sure high-quality implementation, compliance, and impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of comprehensive project plans, including detailed work plans, budgets, risk assessments, and monitoring frameworks.
• Oversee effective implementation of project activities in line with organizational objectives, donor requirements, and timelines.
• Prepare and review financial and narrative reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual) to ensure accuracy, accountability, and compliance.
• Develop high-quality Terms of Reference (TORs) for trainings, consultation meetings, panel discussions, research, and other project-related activities, and prepare detailed post-activity reports.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Project Officers, interns, and other team members.
• Contribute to the development of concept notes, proposals, background papers, and studies to support program expansion and fundraising efforts.
• Lead stakeholder coordination, including engagement with civil society organizations, media actors, youth and women’s groups, government institutions, and other partners.
• Ensure effective communication and visibility of project achievements, including oversight of advocacy and media-related activities.
• Identify potential risks and challenges in project implementation and develop mitigation strategies.
• Undertake any other duties assigned by the immediate supervisor.

Duration

• One year with a possible extension based on performance and funding availability.

Salary

• Negotiable and commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Education

• Master’s degree (preferred) or Bachelor’s degree in Project Management, Management, and Political Science, Law or other related social sciences fields. Professional certifications in project management are considered an asset.

Experience and Competencies

• The Senior Project Officer must demonstrate:

Minimum 3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in project management, preferably within CSOs working on civic engagement, democracy, youth and women empowerment, media literacy, or governance.

• Proven experience leading the full project cycle (design, planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting).
• Strong experience managing donor-funded projects and ensuring compliance with reporting and financial requirements.
• Excellent communication and advocacy skills, with demonstrated ability to produce high-quality reports, concept notes, and policy briefs.
• Experience supervising and mentoring staff or junior team members.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiarity with project management and monitoring tools.
• Strong organizational, leadership, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines.