Country Manager - 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 Managers are the key drivers of delivery for the GCIEP programme in their designated country. They should be based in-country with a good understanding of the local context, geography, and stakeholders. They must bring strong programme management skills and experience. They will be responsible for supporting the development, design and costing of the in-country interventions, and then managing delivery of these interventions during implementation.

Country Manager responsibilities will include programme oversight and results monitoring, risk and issue management, budget management and financial invoicing, reporting, stakeholder engagement and support with office management/logistics as needed. Country Managers are accountable to their relevant Team Leader and Target Offer Delivery Lead. DetailsGrade: Senior Expert (10+ years of experience) to Principal Expert (15+ years of experience)Timing: ASAP to March 2026Location: EthiopiaCapacity: 0. 75 - 1. 0 FTEEssentialKey SkillsExtensive experience working in EthiopiaExtensive programme management experience. This should include:

Risk and issue monitoring, management, reporting and mitigationNarrative reporting, such as monthly highlight reports and quarterly performance reportsBudget management, including invoicing, timesheets and expense approval, and forecastingWork planning and schedulingLocal supplier managementStrong team management and interpersonal skills, capable of guiding an international and multi-disciplinary team. This should include: Oversight of junior staff membersProven ability to contribute to the submission of high-quality deliverables within agreed timelines and to agreed budgets. This should include: Quality assurance of deliverables submitted by team membersStrong stakeholder engagement and management skills. This should include:

Proven experience working with, for and/or alongside donor-bodies (such as the FCDO)Proven experience working with, for and/or alongside national or regional government stakeholdersProven experience managing client relationshipsExcellent communication skills, including written and spoken fluency in EnglishExperience of working in, and adapting to, fast-moving and changeable environmentsUnderstanding of complex security and logistics managementDesirableTechnical 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 Manager, responsible for managing the detailed design and implementation of the country programme. This should include:

Managing the implementation of the GCIEP country programme and team and delivering against agreed objectivesMonitoring progress and quality against the plan and budget and intervening to provide corrective measures as requiredProviding country programme support and coordination with wider delivery teams to ensure timely and effective delivery of the work plan, proactively guiding the team in adapting to changes and identifying solutions to address or mitigate issues and risksRegularly coordinating with and reporting to FCDO stakeholders to ensure streamlined stakeholder engagement and communicationEnsuring effective communication of programme updates to GCIEP central teams through regular reports and meetings and timely input to central programme reporting, processes and communicationsIdentifying and managing delivery risks and issuesSupporting engagement with GCIEP beneficiaries, FCDO posts, Embassies, and key stakeholdersSupporting with the security and safety of staff including through travel and safeguardingOverseeing the collection and dissemination of programme learnings, case studies and success stories for internal and external stakeholdersWorking with FCDO post to strengthen the visibility of GCIEP interventions in the Ethiopia.

The 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.