Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years of experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 6,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI's Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI's experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth around the world.

SG&R’s Global Food Security and Agriculture portfolio is working to strengthen agricultural markets, engage youth and women as critical leaders in the workforce, address climate change, and tackle the dual burden of malnutrition around the globe. RTI’s work is helping foster stronger food systems, build resilience to climate and man-made shock, and engage the next generation of local leaders. RTI is currently partnering on nearly 30 projects in East Africa, including activities focused on private sector-driven agricultural growth in Rwanda and market systems development in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Project Description

The USAID Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Activity is a five-year USAID-funded program implemented by RTI International. The purpose of the DRM Activity is to strengthen DRM planning and preparedness capacity, improve DRM coordination, enhance resource mobilization and management, and enable timely implementation of anticipatory actions to preempt crises and reduce the impacts of shocks. The activity will also strengthen gender in emergencies (GiE) capacity, increase private sector engagement in DRM, and expand local organizations’ capacity to engage in DRM. The Activity will provide strategic support to DRM institutions in the implementation of Ethiopia’s new Disaster Risk Management Policy and Disaster Risk Finance Strategy.

Position Description

RTI is seeking a DRM Regional Manager, Somali for the USAID Ethiopia DRM Activity. The DRM Regional Manager, Somali will be responsible for leading the implementation and coordination of all technical activities at the Somali regional level while providing oversight to day-to-day project operations. RTI has established a regional field office in Somalia that will be overseen by a DRM Regional Manager who will maintain local relationships and make locally focused programmatic decisions.

This position will be based in the Somali region of Ethiopia, anticipated to be in Jijiga, and will report to the Deputy Chief of Party–Technical.

Responsibilities

• Overall coordination and manage DRM activities in the Somali region.

• Support and coordinate with DRM technical teams in nutrition, food and agriculture systems, and market systems to ensure technical quality of core activities to ensure scale and impact across sectors.

• Develop and maintain relationships with private sector actors, national non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, within the region, engaging them as grantees, learning partners, and stakeholders.

• Engage with other donors and/or donor-funded activities by including them as active participants in learning agendas and events, to ensure that learnings are shared, and successes are amplified and replicated.

• Coordinate and work closely with regional government and district (woreda) level government technical implementation of DRM activities.

• Oversee and coordinate local partners, sub-contracts, and grantee's implementation and reporting.

• Oversee all activities including grant, procurement, logistics, HR, and IT functions for the regional office.

• Responsible for data collection and submission to the main office. Ensures that regional support needs are identified to the head office.

• Supervise and support technical and operational staff in the field, including coordination in the preparation process of work plan development and activities implementation, monitoring of activities and progress made using partners’ data platform, and identification of needs for technical.

• Continually monitor field travel and day-to-day risk assessments in the region.

Job Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of experience, Master's degree and 6 years of field management experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Demonstrated skills in building, mobilizing, and leading multidisciplinary teams. 

• Field or HQ supervisory experience required.  

• Proven ability to work under pressure, and with multiple concurrent demands.   

• Familiarity and experience with USAID-funded activities.

• Experience working with sub-national government institutions in Ethiopia.

• Experience establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations.

• Ability to maintain working relationships with all project stakeholders and engage in coalition-building.

• Excellent management, communication, and organizational skills (attention to detail is required); flexibility and capacity to multi-task.

• Verbal and written fluency in English is required.

• Ability to travel and work throughout Ethiopia in difficult terrain/conditions at times.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicants can apply online using THIS LINK