Job Summary

The Role of the Deputy Country Director

The Deputy Country Director is responsible for the day-to-day management/leadership of the overall Country programme together with the Country Director and ensures an effective set-up of Organization of SNV at the national and sub national level, aimed at effective program implementation, functional administration and operational efficiency. The Deputy Country Director develops and manages strong external relationships with relevant (national) stakeholders to ensure SNV remains strategically positioned and responsive to the needs of the country in the three sectors – including Agriculture, WASH and Energy.

The Deputy Country Director can act in representation of the Country Director in his/her absence. The Country Director can delegate part of his/her areas of responsibility to the Deputy Country Director to act on his/her behalf. The result areas for the Deputy Country Director as described below are therefore variable and depend on the actual delegation of responsibilities.

Key Roles

SNV representation

• Helps to maintain and utilize the network with government officials and national authorities and maintains relationships with external stakeholders, ensuring a high level of visibility.

Communications, learning, innovation, and business development

• Contributes to the country communications plan and business development actions (incl. collaboration and exchange with Sector Leaders and availability of materials) to promote SNV’s work in the country. Acts as a contact point (in coordination with senior / project managers) between SNV and relevant external stakeholders to ensure project goals and objectives are met, in full compliance with relevant rules. Maintains and grows productive relationships with relevant external stakeholders to contribute to business growth. The DCD will have a good knowledge how to build and develop learning and knowledge transfer within the country program and outside of the organization.

Project/programme delivery

• Manages all Programme contracts and the delivery of projects, meeting multiple donors and internal requirements. Assures contractual compliance, delivery of quality and timely donor reporting, meeting gross margins targets and avoiding losses.
• Direct supervision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene; Energy Sectors and providing leadership and directly steering of all projects under the two sectors.

Planning, budgeting, and reporting

• Contributes to the development of the country strategic and annual plans and budgets and reports on progress/ performance against targets, within the requirements of the corporate planning process. Supervises planning and reporting to donors and coordinates internal and external reporting processes, including Mid-Year and Annual Reports, based on corporate guidelines and formats.

Country operations

• Ensures effective functioning of all administrative functions, compliance (internal and external) and operations in the SNV country offices and effective support to all the projects. This includes safe and reliable logistics, procurement, asset management, IT support and infrastructure, financial management, monitoring/auditing, and HR service delivery. Informs internal units and projects regularly on operations and support progress. Helps to make sure that the country is aligned to the SNV Code of Conduct/integrity.

People Management and leadership

• In representation of Country Director position acts as employer to national staff. Oversees implementation of HR policies in the country and manages country workforce in consultation with Human Resources. Guides, leads, inspires, develops, coaches, and motivates the country workforce, in particular the Country Management Team, appraises performance and creates resource estimation based on forecast to attract and recruit. Providing support to Self-Steering team and works on talent pool development.

Risk Management 

• Serve as the liaison to legal counsel, provide guidance on matters related to tax, insurance, labor laws, and business processes and ensure country security plan is adequate and implemented

Quality Assurance 

• Ensure high quality of PME data, PME reports and validation of project results, increase the effectiveness and efficiency of support services through improvements to each function as well as coordination and communication between functions, ensure internal control Self-Assessment is carried out using the defined formats and within timelines, and actions followed up on, and points raised by external and internal auditors are satisfactorily closed out. Provide functional support and feedback to the CD and Project Managers on operational issues; support decision making and improvement actions

Job Requirement

• Master’s Degree in Business Management or Accounting and Finance or other relevant o fields with 15 or more years relevant experience in operations management, development work, business development/acquisition, project implementation, financial management in a national context as well as proven experience in dealing with government stakeholders at ministry and regional level, partnering with NGOs and CSO.
• Experienced in managing country operations and project/ program operations within a development context at a senior level.
• Knowledge and proven experience in understanding the development sector in Ethiopia context, understand all the compliance and risk management and understanding of compliance requirement at all level.
• Manages and directs country operations and supervises project and program managers. Capable in managing (conflicts of interest from) stakeholders at national level and international donors.
• Direct impact on the quality of project/ program implementation, country office management and business development.

Competencies

• Networking and Relationship. The ability to develop and maintain relations, alliances, and coalitions within and outside the organization and to use them to obtain information, support, and cooperation. This includes relations with Global Support Unit, Global Sectoral offices, and externally with government, donor, private sectors, and NGOs.
• Result orientation: The ability to direct action to attain or exceed objectives
• Decisiveness: The ability to make active decisions or to commit oneself by speaking one’s mind and taking a position.
• Leadership: The ability to provide direction and guidance to a group of people and to encourage cooperation between team members to attain an objective.
• Environmental awareness: Being aware of relevant social, cultural, political, and professional trends and developments and using this information for the organization’s benefit.
• Conceptual thinking: Having and gaining insight into situations, problems, and processes. Deconstructing problems and systematically investigating the various components. Having a complete picture of the context and overview of the whole problem.

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

How to Apply

All interested applicants should submit your application and supporting documents to SNV Ethiopia with hard copy at front desk of SNV office /or by email via mwondimu@snv.org The package should include a motivation letter, a detailed CV, as well as references of previous professional experience.

After the deadline of applications, the applications will be reviewed by a selection panel set up for this purpose. The selection panel will prepare a shortlist of candidates who are the most suitable for the position on basis of a preliminary assessment of the information provided in their application letter and supporting documents. The shortlisted candidates will be invited for a written test and an interview panel. The candidates who have not been shortlisted will not be contacted individually. However, SNV Ethiopia will inform the remaining applicants once the recruitment procedure has been completed.

All submissions of application documents should be sent to on or before March 29, 2021 Close of Business (5:00 pm). to the address below:

For your action, SNV Ethiopia is located: Bole, Africa Avenue; In front of the Millennium Hall; Next to the new Ethiopian Airlines five-star hotel under construction; 200 meters from the main road at the right side.

Telephone 0116166232

Women applicants are encouraged to apply for the role