Duties & Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Representation:

• Lead the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of ActionAid Ethiopia’s Country Strategy Paper (CSP).

• Contribute to  federation-wide  priorities,  campaigns,  and  decision-making,  maintaining  regular communication with the Head of Africa, International Secretariat, and peer Country Directors.

• Drive organizational development and transformation processes in line with federation priorities and change management initiatives.

• Ensure program strategies remain relevant to Ethiopia’s political, social, and economic context.

• Represent ActionAid Ethiopia in national, regional, and global forums with government, donors, NGOs, networks, and the media.

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with civil society organizations, social movements, community- based organizations, and academic institutions.

Program Development & Delivery:

• Oversee design and implementation of high-quality programs with a focus on gender justice, youth engagement, climate justice, humanitarian response, and governance.

• Ensure participatory, inclusive, and cost-effective program delivery with strong monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.

• Promote documentation, learning, and dissemination of best practices to strengthen impact and influence policy.

• Lead humanitarian preparedness and contingency planning, liaising with ActionAid’s International Humanitarian Response Team.

• Promote evidence-based learning to strengthen impact and influence national and international policies.

Policy, Advocacy & Research:

• Champion feminist leadership and embed safeguarding, child protection, and accountability across all work.

• Drive ActionAid Ethiopia’s policy and advocacy agenda in collaboration with national and international stakeholders.

• Encourage research and evidence generation to inform programming and influence national and international policy debates.

• Champion feminist  leadership  approaches  and  embed  safeguarding  and  accountability  in  all programming.

• Strengthen AAE’s public image through proactive media engagement, digital presence, and external communications, including social media fundraising.

Fundraising & External Engagement:

• Develop and  implement  a  robust  fundraising  strategy  that  diversifies  income  and  ensures sustainability.

• Strengthen donor relations, ensuring effective communication, grant compliance, and accountability.

• Proactively identify local fundraising opportunities and build AAE’s credibility with donor partners by showcasing impact, particularly with women and girls.

• Ensure strict donor compliance, timely reporting, and accountability across grants and sponsorship programs.

• Lead external communication strategies, including media and digital platforms, to strengthen AAE’s profile and advocacy.

People Leadership & Culture:

• Lead, develop, and manage the Senior Management Team (SMT) to work collectively towards organizational goals.

• Promote  ActionAid’s  values,  feminist  leadership  principles,  and  a  culture  of  transparency, accountability, and inclusion.

• Ensure gender balance in staffing, invest in staff development, and promote team innovation and cohesion.

• Encourage a corporate perspective amongst staff and actively promote staff exchange, secondment and  development  schemes,  where  these  contribute  to  the  meeting  of  ActionAid’s  programme objectives and priorities.

Finance, Operations & Risk Management:

• Ensure financial integrity, accountability, and compliance with ActionAid International’s financial framework, donor requirements, and Ethiopian legal obligations.

• Oversee budget preparation, expenditure control, and resource allocation to ensure cost-effective and impactful program delivery.

• Strengthen risk management systems and internal controls to safeguard assets, resources, and reputation.

• Ensure proper procurement practices, asset management, and financial reporting in line with policyand donor standards.

Governance & Federation Engagement:

• Maintain  regular  communication  with  the  ActionAid  International  Head  of  Africa,  International

• Secretariat staff, peer Country Directors, and federation governance structures.

• Contribute to ActionAid International’s global initiatives, campaigns, and task forces.

• Ensure ActionAid Ethiopia complies with national regulations and maintains positive and cooperative relations with government authorities.

• Drive organizational transformation processes in line with ActionAid’s federation priorities and change management initiatives.

Job Requirement

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE REQURED

• Master’s degree in social sciences, development studies, management, international studies, or a related field.

• Minimum of 15 years’ experience in the development sector, including at least 10 years in senior leadership roles with proven record in program design, fundraising, external engagement, and organizational management.

• Demonstrated experience as a Country Director or equivalent leadership role in a comparable organization.

• Strong knowledge of Ethiopian social and economic context and its impact on development strategies.

• Proven record in fundraising and donor engagement, including innovative financing approaches.

• Experience working with social movements, feminist organizations, and youth-led initiatives.

• Proven ability to lead policy advocacy, external communications, and media engagement.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills, with proven ability to influence at the highest levels.

• Strong skills in monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure program quality and accountability.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and diplomatic skills, with proven ability to influence at the highest levels.

• Strong commitment to ActionAid’s values, feminist leadership, safeguarding, and human rights- based approaches.

• Fluency in English is required.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit an application letter (clearly stating salary expectations) together with a recent CV no later than 31 October 2025 through one of the following channels:

• By post to ActionAid Ethiopia, P.O. Box 1261, Addis Ababa, or

• By email to hrod.ethiopia@actionaid.org (please indicate “Country Director – Ethiopia” in the subject line).

Important Notes:

• This position is open to Ethiopian Nationals.

• ActionAid will conduct safeguarding reference checks on the successful candidate.

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

• Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

• Please note that whilst all applicants will be assessed strictly on their individual merits, qualified women are especially encouraged to apply