Team Leader (100%)

External Vacancy Announcement

Doing the right thing: We are active in Switzerland and 20 countries across four continents. Join us in our commitment to fostering a more caring society, here in Ethiopia.

Caritas Switzerland (CACH) has been working in Ethiopia for 50 years. Currently, CACH cooperates with four partners in Ethiopia. CACH has successfully registered as an International Non-Governmental Organization in Ethiopia, enabling it to operate at the project implementation level. CACH's main areas of focus are Climate, Income, Migration, and Humanitarian Aid. CACH’s current working areas are in Oromia, SNNPR, and Tigray, where it supports and implements approximately ten projects.

Summary of Duties

The Team Leader will oversee the, managing resources, and ensuring compliance with organizational goals, government regulations, and donor requirements. The Team Leader will also oversee team performance, facilitate communication among stakeholders, and provide technical guidance to enhance project impact and sustainability. Additionally, the role includes supporting efforts to acquire additional funding.

Expected key results

• All project milestones achieved according to the established timeline
• Project activities and intended impacts delivered as per the project design, on schedule and within budget
• Timely submission of highly accurate and clear reports
• Successful development and implementation of initiatives promoting long-term household resilience and sustainable income opportunities along the coffee value chain in Bale, leveraging market linkage and a market system development approach
• Coffee Farmers as well as women and youth, increased their income through better quality coffee production, improved market linkage and job opportunities
• Households of the Harena Forest Coffee Farming communities increased their resilience to economic shocks and sustainability of their livelihoods
• Strong partnerships established and collaboration agreements secured with key Bale coffee stakeholders, including the private sector, government, and community actors, to jointly achieve project results
• Effective coordination of the project team and management of external expert inputs, while maintaining close collaboration with colleagues from the Country Office and Head Office

Main Areas of Responsibility

Executive functions

• Overall responsibility for the implementation, programmatic steering, and financial supervision of the uniqueBean project in accordance with CACH, donor, and GOE requirements.
• Responsible for the further development, fundraising, and oversight of CACH’s Bale portfolio, focusing on the coffee value chain, market development, general livelihood improvements aligned with ecosystem needs, and job creation.
• In addition to these responsibilities, the Team Leader will be specifically accountable for:
  • Managing high-level relationships with GOE;
  • Developing and maintaining private sector partnerships (collaboration agreements, business case development) and business modelling;
  • Overseeing consultancy contracts signed under the project;
  • Coordinating consultancy missions;
  • Leading the project's MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning) processes;
  • Ensuring timely execution of activities and developing project work plans; and
  • Implementing and supervising monitoring and evaluation processes to assess project outcomes and impacts.

Represent CACH in relation to project matter

• Present, explain and defend CACH strategy broadly as well as the project specifically to secure the agreement of regional, zonal and woreda level government offices, and secure the collaboration with indicated offices during project implementation.
• Seek the support of local authorities in case of facing challenges during implementation. 
• Legally and officially represent CACH’s interests in the project area. 

Project coordination/management, implementation and reporting

• Assuming the overall operational responsibility for assigned Programme components/Project.
• Facilitate disbursement of funds for timely procurement, labour mobilization, transportation, and supervision of project activities.
• Translate DIPs into daily and weekly activity plans that can be clearly understood and followed by the project team.
• Ensure that daily activity schedules are respected, and timely actions are taken in case of failure.
• Follow up reporting deadlines in line with the CACH CO internal processes.
• Ensuring that project launching events, and all related and relevant documents and procedures are planned and conducted (MEAL plan, procurement plan, Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) etc.) and that all concerned staff and stakeholders are represented during those events.
• Conducting regular coordination and monitoring field visits to project areas in consultation with the HoP and other concerned staff.
• Conducting and facilitating monitoring visits of donors, government officials and other concerned staff and stakeholders upon need and requirement.
• Ensure adherence to safety and ethical standards in project implementation.
• Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies.

Administration and Logistics

• Support of procurement, storage and distribution of concerned project supplies according to the CACH, government and donor regulations and in line with CACH CO internal processes.
• Provide necessary support for tenders, ensure that tenders meet CACH, donor and government requirements in line with CACH CO internal processes.
• Regularly (usually monthly) reviewing finance progress (expenditures) against the physical progress and controlling correct cost allocations and pro-actively identify expected overspendings or budget savings and making suggestions how to handle this.
• Follow up under guidance of the HR unit that concerned staff plan their leave days adequately without accumulating leave days by the end of the year and according to the national staff regulation.
• Follow up under guidance of the finance unit that concerned project staff settle advances on time and according to the national staff regulation.

Communication

• Proactively inform about donor and government rules and regulations and share the information to all concerned staff and partners.
• Regular direct reporting to the HoP and (Deputy) CD and/or Regional Director (RD) any incidents.
• Reporting to the HoP and/or Deputy HoP or person in charge in case of difficulties, problems and uncertainties regarding operations, finance, HR or logistics.
• Participation and active contribution in the various team-meetings.
• Assume direct communication with the concerned staff at the HO in the scope of her/his assignments.

Other and Special tasks

• Co-signatory on specific contracts and documents as per the demarcation of authority for the CO.
• Staying up to date with internal and donor as well as government standards and tools.
• Key contact person for FAQ.
• Work collaboratively with all departments and units;
• Taking of meeting minutes as required.
• Other duties as assigned to her/him in the scope of his assignment.

Competences/Disciplinary tasks

• Participation in recruitment and dismissal of staff within the assigned projects under her/his responsibility and in close consultation with the HoP, the CD and the HR unit.
• Conducting annual appraisals with assigned subordinated staffs, approval of leave and travel requests.
• Acceptance or dis-acceptance of narrative reports from CO, field offices or partner organisations in her/his responsibility. 

Duty station: Addis Ababa with frequent deployment to field locations in Bale

Required No.: 1 (one)

Start of assignment: October 2024

About you

The ideal candidate should demonstrate expertise in most of the following areas:

• A master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Agriculture with a focus on Coffee, Food Value Chains, Business & Entrepreneurship).
• Senior professional with a proven track record in the implementation, programmatic, and financial steering and supervision of large-scale projects (3-5 million USD).
• At least 10 years of professional experience, with at least 4 years in management roles for similar projects.
• Expertise in livelihood and income generation, job creation, and private sector development and collaboration.
• Proven experience in developing business cases/models for private sector actors, using an MSD approach.
• Skilled in strategic and conceptual development and steering.
• Fundraising experience.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to guide a team of 10 people.
• Excellent command of English (both spoken and written), command of Afan Oromifa is an advantage.

How To Apply

Applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) as PDF including at least three work references. Both must be in the same language as this vacancy note. Application in any other format (word, JPG etc) will be automatically rejected.  At this stage no other documents are required to be submitted.

Applicants Must Fill out the information and send the PDF cover letter and CV through the link: (https://ee-eu.kobotoolbox.org/x/Hw9V2W06)

Deadline for application is September 22, 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Female candidates are highly encouraged.