Country Lead - Ethiopia

Programme SummaryThe Green Cities, Infrastructure and Energy Programme (GCIEP) delivers support to low- and middle-income countries seeking to accelerate the development of sustainable cities and resilient infrastructure. Working across selected countries globally, the programme offers technical assistance, capacity building and policy support, drawing on expertise and capabilities from the UK government, private sector, public agencies, NGOs, academia and business. Ethiopia is a ‘target offer’ country on the GCIEP programme. Thus far, GCIEP has conducted work in Ethiopia to assess the risks, opportunities and potential for UK engagement with regards to the country’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

Future interventions are likely to focus on matters such as Trade, Electricity and Energy, and Infrastructure. Role SummaryCountry Leads are the senior professionals that lead GCIEP delivery. They are ideally based in-country with a deep understanding of the local context, geography and stakeholders. They are the ‘face of GCIEP’ in their respective country – representing the programme to senior FCDO, international, government and local stakeholders. They lead the effective and high-quality delivery of the in-country programme, and its associated interventions. They tend to haveCountry Manager reporting to them, as well as one or two Intervention Leads. DetailsGrade:

Principal Expert (15+ years of experience)Timing: ASAP to March 2026Location: EthiopiaCapacity: Ideally 1. 0 FTE (full-time) but would accept as low as 0. 5 FTE for a candidate with strong experience who can evidence their ability to complete tasks within reduced FTE limitationsEssentialKey SkillsExtensive experience working in Ethiopia, and excellent understanding of the opportunities and challenges that are unique to Ethiopia, including the practical complexities of implementing donor-funded programmes in-countryExtensive programme management experience.

This should ideally include experience as a Programme Principal, Programme Director or Team Leader (or equivalent)Extensive experience managing international, multidisciplinary teams in developing country contextsPrevious experience of leading similar/relevant engagements for FCDO and/or other donor bodiesExceptional interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to quickly establish effective working relationships with different stakeholders including beneficiaries, clients, private sector stakeholders, government stakeholders and donors etc.

Strong existing in-county network, and proven credibility liaising with/working alongside senior stakeholdersExcellent communication skills, including written and spoken fluency in EnglishExperience of leading the development of high-quality deliverables within agreed timelines and to agreed budgets, and conducting quality assurance of work submitted by team membersExperience of swiftly and successfully adapting workplans in fast-moving and changeable environmentsExperience of overseeing international development-funded country office operationsDesirableDeep technical expertise related to one or more of the following:

Green citiesInfrastructure – including low-carbon materials and designEnergy and electricity – including energy transmission, energy distribution and/or carbon capture and storageTrade – including logistics hubs and/or trade dataFinance and/or investment – including leveraging investment for infrastructureData – including data strategiesResponsibilitiesAct as the day-to-day Country Lead, responsible for managing the detailed design and implementation of the country programme. This should include:

Leading/supporting the Ethiopia Strategy and the detailed design of the in-country interventionsLeading the implementation of the Ethiopia programme and the Ethiopia team to deliver against agreed objectivesLeading a multidisciplinary team consisting of technical experts (international and local) and programme managers and support staff (local)Ensuring timely and high-quality delivery against the workplanOverseeing, directing and quality assuring all work delivered by the Ethiopia teamImplementing country team procedures, policies and processes - including governance structures and ways of workingDelivering against the Ethiopia programme’s GEDSI ambitions, Climate, Nature and Environment (CN&E) ambitions and ICF targetDelivering against the country-nested logframes and intervention-specific Theories of Change Providing feedback into central GCIEP learnings, communications and reportingEngaging directly with GCIEP Beneficiaries, FCDO posts, Embassies and other key stakeholdersIdentifying and managing risks and issues and escalating to the central GCIEP team as requiredMonitoring implementation progress and milestone achievements, and intervening to provide corrective measures as requiredOverseeing the Country Office operations through line management of the Country ManagerHolding ultimate accountability for financial, security and personnel management in-countryThe role is required to start as soon as possible and on an ongoing basis to March 2026.

The contract is expected to be extended to 2028.