Country Manager NEW

Reports to: Country Director

Salary: Competitive. This role will be contracted through our Addis Ababa office under Ethiopian terms and conditions, and salary will be paid in ETB.

Duration: 6 months, with possibility of extension

BBC Media Action:

BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development organisation, and we believe in the power of media and communication for good. We work in more than 20 countries around the world, supporting the independent media essential to democracy and development. Each year our projects and programmes reach over 100 million people facing poverty, inequality and insecurity with information they can trust, helping to improve health, bridge divides, challenge prejudice, and save and change lives. We follow the editorial standards and values of the BBC, but we rely on funding from donors and partners to carry out our work.

Job purpose:

The BBC Media Action office in Ethiopia is looking for a country manager to provide dynamic, inspirational leadership and management to a diverse team delivering a range of development projects. This exciting and influential role will be responsible for the day to day running of our office in Addis Ababa. The country manager will ensure effective office and team management so that finance, operations and administrative functions are carried out in line with donor rules, local regulatory requirements and BBC Media Action guidelines. They will take responsibility for ensuring strong management and high-quality delivery of a range of development projects which use the power of media to tackle issues of governance, media ecosystems/media freedom, youth, media literacy and other areas.

The country manager will work with the country director and other staff to help expand of our portfolio, including identifying future business development opportunities. They will represent BBC Media Action to the Ethiopian government, donors, media partners and other key stakeholders.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Reporting to the country director, the country manager will provide dynamic leadership and management to ensure BBC Media Action meets our commitments to funders, partners and audiences in Ethiopia.
• Manage and develop a diverse team, ensuring that staff are appropriately supported and managed, and that the team is maintaining high standards of performance and professional integrity.
• Ensure effective office management so that finance, operational and administrative functions are carried out in line with donor rules, local regulatory requirements and BBC Media Action guidelines.
• Through effective line-management of team leads, take responsibility for ensuring all activities are delivered within agreed standards, timescales and budgets, and all outputs adhere to BBC editorial standards.
• Contribute to the expansion of our portfolio in Ethiopia, including identifying future business development opportunities, establishing relevant relationships with donors and primes, and supporting the writing of new project proposals.

Ideal candidate:

The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in the inclusive management of diverse teams. They will have experience managing or supporting large-scale, donor-funded projects in Ethiopia, and will have proven ability to deliver complex deliverables to deadlines and within budget. The ideal candidate will have significant budget management experience with overall responsibility for large budgets, as well as experience managing teams to successfully deliver finance, operational and administrative support functions.

They will have a record of forming effective relationships with a range of local and international partners, government and/or media, and some experience supporting the development of new international development or media projects. The ideal candidate will also have experience of working in the media or development sector (preferably both) and demonstrable knowledge of the development and/or media context in Ethiopia.

Requirements

• A master’s level degree (or equivalent relevant experience) is required for the role. In addition, 5 years of experience in leadership/people management positions, as well as 5 years of experience in office management/operations positions, is required.

Safeguarding

This role may involve working with groups of vulnerable children, youth, and adults. For the successful candidate, mandatory training will be provided on BBC Media Action’s safeguarding policy and staff code of conduct. BBC Media Action operates a zero-tolerance policy concerning all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people. A police background check may form part of the recruitment process.

Special requirements:

• Existing right to live and work in Ethiopia. BBC Media Action will be unable to help secure a work permit for this position.