Organisation structure

The BBC Media Action office in Ethiopia is looking for a Country Director to provide dynamic, inspirational leadership and management to a diverse team delivering a range of exciting development projects. The role will directly line-manage the Senior Project Manager, Producer Director, Research Manager, Finance Manager and HR Manager.

The role requires a high degree of personal resilience and a flexible approach to managing an office in a challenging, multi-cultural context. The Ethiopia office has a talented team of staff, and is a supportive and inspiring environment in which to work.

Additional job specific responsibilities and accountabilities 

Context 

BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity, working in Ethiopia since 2001 as a registered charity with a registration number 1118, which uses media and communications to help reduce poverty, address development goals, and support people to understand their rights. We do this through partnering with media, civil society and others to produce creative programmes and other outputs which inform and engage audiences on key development issues. We also strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and infrastructure of local media organisations in the countries in which we work. 

BBC Media Action delivers a portfolio of projects in Ethiopia. We seek to expand this portfolio of work, but also to ensure that existing projects are delivered on time, on budget, to the highest standards and in accordance with BBC editorial values as well as BBC Media Action methodologies.

Overall Purpose of Job

This exciting and influential role will be responsible for the overall running of BBC Media Action’s office in Ethiopia. The Country Director will take overall responsibility for ensuring strong management and high-quality delivery of a range of development projects which use the power of media to tackle issues of governance, health, migration, youth unemployment and resilience.  The post holder will ensure effective office management so that finance and administrative functions are carried out in line with donor rules, local regulatory requirements and BBC Media Action guidelines.

The Country Director will lead the expansion of our portfolio in Ethiopia, including identifying future business development opportunities and overseeing the writing new project proposals. The Country Director will represent BBC Media Action to the Ethiopian government, donors, media partners and other key stakeholders.

BBC Media Action works to ensure that everyone we work with remains safe during their time with us. The Country Director is responsible for ensuring that safeguarding is factored into project design and budgeting, staff and freelancers receive relevant safeguarding training, and relevant safeguarding due diligence is conducted with any local partner organisations that may be working with vulnerable adults or children as part of our projects. 

Main Duties

• Provide dynamic, inspirational leadership and management, and lead senior management team to ensure BBC Media Action meets our commitments to funders, partners and audiences in Ethiopia.

• Manage and develop a diverse team, ensuring that staff are appropriately inducted, trained and developed, and performance is appropriately managed. 

• Through effective line-management of the Senior Project Manager and other team leads, take final responsibility for ensuring all activities are delivered within agreed standards, timescales and budgets, and all outputs adhere to BBC editorial standards.

• Ensure effective office management so that finance and administrative functions are carried out in line with donor rules, local regulatory requirements and BBC Media Action guidelines.

• Lead the expansion of our portfolio in Ethiopia, including identifying future business development opportunities and overseeing the writing of new project proposals.

• Update and implement the Country Strategy, ensuring our work in Ethiopia is relevant and appropriate.

• Represent BBC Media Action to key stakeholders and ensure effective relationships and partnerships with a wide range of partners, including the Ethiopian government, international development agencies and other funding agencies, broadcasters, NGOs and others.

• Report regularly to BBC Media Action’s office in the UK on operational, legal, financial and editorial issues.

• Ensure the BBC Media Action office in Ethiopia complies with all local laws and regulations. 

• Safeguarding responsibility for staff, volunteers, partners, and contributors. The role has responsibility for ensuring that all project activities comply with BBC Media Action and donor standards around safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. The role requires detailed knowledge and expertise of safeguarding policy and best practice.

• Ensure the delivery of relevant safeguarding training to all staff, freelancers and (sub)contractors contracted directly by the office.

• Ensure that relevant safeguarding due diligence is conducted with any local partner organisations that may be working with vulnerable adults or children as part of the projects.  Where any risks are identified, ensure that projects are designed to mitigate these risks.

• Lead on security planning, working with senior management team, BBC Media Action security team, and local contacts to understand and minimize risks to staff, and ensure that staff are trained and briefed to manage risks.

• Identify training priorities linked to the needs of staff, including greater development of in-house capacity, and to ensure that training meets BBC Media Action’s high standards.

Job Family Business Management & Administration

Division BBC Media Action

Reports to (title) Regional Director, Africa and Middle East

Location base Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Length of contract 12 months with strong possibility of extension

Job Requirements

Essential Skills and Experience

•  Substantial experience in the management of diverse teams of staff, including recruitment, management, discipline and professional development.

• Experience managing large-scale, donor-funded projects in a developing-country context, preferably in Africa. Proven ability to deliver complex projects to deadlines and within budget.

• Experience developing and securing international development or media projects, including the ability to develop new project ideas and present these persuasively to potential partners and funders, and write successful proposals.

• Significant budget management experience, demonstrating effective use of resources and responsibility for large budgets.

• A record of forming effective relationships with a range of local and international partners, including at the highest levels of government and media, and managing effective teamwork between partners and stakeholders, including those with differing agendas.

• Experience managing security planning, including overseeing processes to understand and minimize risks to staff, and ensuring security and safety training for staff.

• Considerable experience of working in the media or development sector (preferably both) and demonstrable knowledge of the development and/or media context in Africa.

• Confident public speaker with experience of presentations to colleagues, donors and other stakeholders.

• Good judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to adapt, react and respond to crises, and to evaluate risk.

• Experience working on own initiative and organising time effectively within a range of often conflicting deadlines and demands.

• Strong understanding of and commitment to international development, including the use of media for developmental goals.

Desirable Skills and Experience

 Experience working in one or more of BBC Media Action’s key thematic areas in Ethiopia: governance (particularly social/political inclusion and accountability), health (e.g. maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, epidemic/pandemic response), childhood education, youth unemployment, unsafe and irregular migration, media ecosystems/media freedom, security and justice, and/or disability inclusion.

Demonstrable editorial judgement skills and understanding of BBC editorial values, or demonstrable potential to acquire strong editorial skills in order to help make sensitive editorial judgements at a senior level.

Experience working in Ethiopia specifically or Africa more generally.

How to Apply

All interested and qualified applicants may follow the below link and send a cover/application letter and updated CV with the relevant document via the BBC Careers website:

CLICK HERE before February 27, 2024.