CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality, and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us.

CARE seeks a Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) -Technical for an upcoming pastoral livelihoods program. The program is expected to improve the resilience capacities of households, markets and government institutions and contribute to enhanced food security and inclusive economic growth across Ethiopia’s lowland areas of Somali, Afar, Oromia and SNNP regions. The DCOP will work closely with the Chief of Party (COP) to ensure program technical quality, efficiency and integrity throughout the project duration. The DCOP will provide strategic oversight and technical guidance to the project’s implementation and will directly supervise technical component leads and ensure coordination with crosscutting functions, reporting directly to the COP. This includes supporting the continual monitoring of program activities against goals, ensuring efficiency in project staffing, and defining and using standard operating procedures. In collaboration with the COP, the DCOP will be responsible for the successful performance of the project.

This activity is expected to be a five-year program in the $25-50 million range.

This is a Key Personnel position, subject to USAID approval. It is also subject to project award and funding.  National candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

I Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with the COP to provide overall leadership and technical guidance to the project. Serve as acting COP in their absence. 

• Ensure coordination with crosscutting functions, reporting to the COP.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of project work plans, ensuring intentional cross-component integration and alignment with project goals and objectives.

• Provide technical expertise in market systems development, food security, Feed the Future and livelihoods and ensure that project activities adhere to industry best practices and standards and that technical support is provided to implementation teams, as required.

• Support budget planning, monitoring, and reporting to ensure that project activities are executed within approved budgets as required by the COP.

• Supervise and mentor technical staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.

• Work collaboratively with the CLA team to establish and implement a comprehensive M&E framework for tracking project progress and outcomes and produce key learning products, including preparation of all reports and deliverables as specified in the agreement.

• Build and sustain relationships with key stakeholders including government counterparts, local implementing partners, and program participants.

• Ensure gender equity and social inclusion in all programing and across all components.

• Support the preparation and submission of timely and accurate reports to USAID, highlighting project achievements, challenges, and recommendations.

• Ensure that project activities align with the rules and regulations of USAID, the host country, and CARE's policies and procedures.

II Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in development studies, international relations, agriculture, economics, business administration, economic development, or related field preferred.  

• 8-10 years of relevant senior experience in international development as Deputy Chief of Party, or in a senior management role on large ($20M+) humanitarian or development projects.

• Experience managing USAID cooperative agreements and/or contracts.

• Experience working in Ethiopia and understanding of the lowland context preferred.

• Experience in agro-pastoral and pastoral livelihoods and resilience programming.

• Experience implementing a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach preferred.

• Additional technical experience and understanding in some of the following sectors: nutrition, natural resource management, WASH, climate change and adaptation, enterprise development for women and youth.  

• Experience recruiting, developing, and managing staff and teams.

• Demonstrated skills in building and maintaining relationships with government counterparts, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and implementing partners. 

• Fluency in English required (spoken and written).

• Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated intercultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse) and to principles of Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion (DEBI).

• Experience leading/implementing M&E systems for USAID projects including Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles and localization approaches preferred.

• Ability to travel within Ethiopia as required and as security conditions allow. 

How to Apply

If you are interested to be part of our dynamic team, exciting work environment and contribute to CARE Ethiopia’s mission and vision, please send your CV (not more than 3 pages) and cover letter (not more than one page) through THIS LINK

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Passionate and dedicated candidates who meet the requirement are strongly encouraged to apply, especially women!

CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

CARE Ethiopia is committed to preventing all unwanted behavior at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework. CARE Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives, or partners.

CARE Ethiopia reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE Ethiopia requesting the information specified above. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.