This is an exciting opportunity to play a crucial role in shaping the British Red Cross’s (BRC) partnership with the Ethiopia Red Cross Society (ERCS) and lead our programme compliance and National Society Development (NSD) efforts in Ethiopia. You’ll be at the forefront of managing a significant FCDO-funded programme, ensuring its successful implementation while supporting ERCS’s capacity building and development.

About the team

British Red Cross (BRC) re-engaged with Ethiopia Red Cross Society (ERCS) in 2021, focusing on humanitarian support through Netherlands RC (NLRC). We aim to develop a longer-term partnership over the next 5 years, emphasizing Localisation and National Society Development (NSD).

By mid-2024, our partnership expanded via the FCDO-funded Ethiopia Crisis to Resilience (EC2R) programme, collaborating with UNICEF, WFP, and REACH. BRC provides technical support and capacity strengthening to ERCS for effective grant management and FCDO compliance.

To support this expanded programme, BRC is establishing a programme team unit in Addis Ababa, hosted within the NLRC Country office. The role will work closely with NLRC, ERCS, and the BRC regional office in Nairobi, reporting to the BRC Head of Programmes, East Africa.

What you will be doing…

As the Programme Compliance and NSD Lead for Ethiopia, you’ll be responsible for all compliance and NSD aspects of the FCDO-funded programme in Ethiopia, working closely with ERCS, IFRC, ICRC, and other International Red Cross Partners. Based in Addis Ababa, you’ll:

• Lead and manage all BRC programme management components of the FCDO funded programme, ensuring compliance with BRC and FCDO requirements.
• Support ERCS in implementing the programme and facilitate the transition of programme management to ERCS.
• Oversee a budget of GBP 13.3M (combined BRC and ERCS funds) and manage up to two direct reports and five indirect reports.
• Work closely with ERCS to address key areas identified in the Due Diligence Assessment, collaborating with other Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement partners.
• Manage relationships with FCDO Ethiopia, ensuring regular meetings and engagement.
• Support the identification and implementation of improvements in ERCS programme management systems and processes.

What we are looking for…

• More than 7 years’ experience in managing large programmes in fragile or conflict settings.
• Strong international experience, especially within emergency response and recovery operations.
• Demonstrated decision-making and risk management capabilities on significant institutional compliance issues for high-value programmes of at least £5-10m.
• Experience in managing multiple and sometimes competing donor interests and demands.
• Excellent knowledge of programme management standards and grant management controls, especially related to FCDO or other large institutional donors.
• Strong National Society Development experience (Organisational Development and Capacity Building).
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to lead and develop a team in a complex security environment.
• Fluency in English (reading, writing, and speaking).

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to humanitarian efforts in Ethiopia while supporting the development of a key Red Cross National Society. If you’re passionate about making a difference and have the skills to navigate complex programme management and compliance challenges, we’d love to hear from you.