Transforming Education in Ethiopia (TREE) Technical Lead

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: British Council

Deadline: March 9, 2025

Job Description

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.

Transforming Education in Ethiopia (TREE) Technical Lead, Ethiopia SSA

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract – March 2025 to February 2028 (tbc)

NB: Role contingent on award of project contract

Pay Grade: SMP

Closing date: 09 March 2025 at 20:59 UK Time / 23:59 East African Time

Contract Type: Locally Engaged or LTSIA (Long-Term Strategic International Assignment)

Locally Engaged: Candidates for this role may have a natural right to work in this location and would normally already be based in the location.

LTSIA: This role will also be offered on long-term strategic international assignment terms which includes visa and transfer support and benefits such as assignment allowances, housing, utilities, and schooling. Please note Visa approvals are beyond the British Council’s control so any job offer will be subject to securing the required right to work. The full International Assignment package is offered at the discretion of the British Council. It may not be available to candidates who are currently already based in another location but have significant connections to the host location. Applications for locally hired candidates are welcome but if successful will not qualify for the international assignment package and will continue local terms and conditions of service.

Role Context – About The Team:

This role sits within the Cultural Engagement (CE) Strategic Business Unit (SBU). CE brings together our portfolio of work in arts, education, English, and research. Our portfolio is delivered through a set of globally led programmes that locates our work and impact within our strategic framework. These programmes deliver our key performance indicators and impact ambitions.

Role Purpose – The Job:

This posting is NOT a current opening. It is an opportunity to indicate an expression of interest in a future opening. This role is contingent on an award of FCDO contract.
The FCDO-funded Transforming Education in Ethiopia (TREE) project aims to improve teaching quality and learning outcomes at primary and middle school level across Ethiopia and to increase access to education for girls and marginalised children. The British Council is implementing TREE as part of a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). In the consortium, IRC will be responsible for implementing project components focusing on general teacher professional development, curriculum and assessment reform, and improving access to education for marginalised children.

The British Council will be responsible for the project’s English language teaching and school leadership capacity building components. As Technical Lead, the postholder will be responsible for the overall quality delivery of all these components – both IRC’s and the British Council’s.

The post-holder will also be responsible for managing the project budget; client and internal reporting; managing senior level stakeholder relations; and establishing and leading the project technical team that will include full-time British Council and IRC specialist advisors, regional project leads, and external short-term technical assistance experts and professional development trainers.

Main Accountabilities:

The post-holder is expected to provide technical leadership in the design, delivery and management of TREE’s portfolio of technical assistance components, and to be accountable for the project’s successful implementation, working closely with IRC, project partners, ministry officials and key stakeholders in the Ethiopian education sector.

The post-holder will lead a team of six technical advisors covering teaching and curriculum, assessment, school leadership, English language teaching, gender and social development, and governance and public financial management. The post-holder will report to the IRC project Team Leader and will sit on the senior level TREE Management Group. The main duties and responsibilities will be in line with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Safeguarding and other overarching corporate policies and include:

Planning

• Lead the TREE technical team in developing an effective project management plan (PMP) for the implementation of the project’s technical components. To ensure the PMP is approved by the Team Leader and TREE Management Group. To review and update the PMP and its annexes at regular intervals during the project’s lifetime.

Leadership and management

• Represent and/or deputise for the Team Leader when required. Provide inspiring and motivational leadership that role-models the British Council’s values and behaviours, and empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence, whilst promoting equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Agree project deliverables with government partners (including the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and Regional Education Boards), the IRC Team Leader, the TREE Management Group and the client.
• Lead and coordinate the management and delivery of all of TREE’s technical components during the inception, implementation and closure phases.

Financial management

• Ensure accurate financial planning and forecasting across implementation of all project technical components
• Monitor relevant project expenditure, ensuring re-planning and re-forecasting takes place as required and in a timely manner
• Plan the project’s technical staffing requirements and relevant costs, re-planning and re-forecasting as required

Communications

• Ensure project communications are provided to both external and internal audiences through relevant communications and media channels and in line with corporate standards
• Ensure key project achievements are communicated internally and externally
• Ensure programme activities and events are communicated as required by the project team.

Reporting

• Report on project activities and progress as required and on a regular basis to the Team Leader, the TREE Management Group and the Project Steering Committee, and other internal and/or external stakeholders
• Work with the Team Leader on developing, inputting into, co-ordinating and finalising all reporting to the client and to other senior level stakeholders
• Ensure all milestone achievements and impact results are accurately reported and recorded to the satisfaction of the Team Leader

Monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL)

• Work with the TREE MEL Lead to ensure that all of TREE’s technical components have a monitoring process embedded, that evaluations are conducted, and that lessons learned both feed into on-going project design and delivery and are disseminated through agreed channels.
• Agree TREE MERL deliverables with the MEL Lead, the Team Leader, and Ethiopian government partners (including the Ministry of Education and Regional Education Boards).

Risk and compliance

• Lead the technical team in identifying risks, issues. and possible changes to agreed project scope
• Escalate identified issues, risks, and proposed changes to the Team Leader and TREE governance boards, and ensure all agreed actions and mitigations are implemented in line with agreed timeline and the Team Leader’s/board’s expectations

Technical expertise

• Ensure strategic alignment and coherence of TREE’s technical components in line with project terms of reference and Team Leader and client expectations
• Ensure project activity complements and builds upon achievements of previous and/or ongoing education reform programmes being implemented by the Ethiopian government and/or other donors
• Apply areas of own technical expertise and project management to build capability, embed/champion good practice and improve performance

Requirements Of The Role:

Minimum/essential

• First degree
• Postgraduate qualification in ELT, education, or international development (or equivalent subject area)
• Successful track record in designing and leading large-scale transformative education and/or English language teaching projects in challenging geographies
• Project management experience in one or more specialist areas relevant to the project (i.e. ELT, school leadership, testing and assessment, gender responsive pedagogy)
• Experience of leading diverse multi-disciplinary teams, including teams spread across multiple locations
• Experience of overseeing monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) within projects and incorporating lessons learned from MERL into programme strategy and delivery
• Experience of managing senior-level relationships with diverse stakeholders including multilateral agencies, donors, government officials, academics, and external consultants
• Recent experience of working and living in Ethiopia

Desirable:

• Project management qualification
• Doctorate level qualification in ELT, education, or international development (or an equivalent subject area)
• Experience of working on transformative ELT, education, and/or international development projects in Ethiopia
• Experience of managing projects led by consortiums of two or more international development partners
• Experience of developing solutions for remote/blended  programme delivery across low tech and low resource contexts
• Experience of working alongside and/or building the capacity of local non-governmental organisations (or equivalent) in developing contexts
• Recent experience of working in fragile and/or hostile environments

Role Specific Skills 

• Strong presentation and communication skills
• People management and negotiation skills
• Embedding culture and behavioural change to improve effectiveness and efficiency
• Programme and project management
• Evidence based decision making and problem solving
• Relationship building and management

Recruitment for this role is subject to the British Council’s successful bid. A formal appointment will only be possible once a contract is in place.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment.  We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability.

All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you have any problems with your application please email askhr@britishcouncil.org

Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.