Country Representative for Ethiopia
ID1304
Reports to
Reports to the Head of Region for Africa based in London
Responsible for
Ethiopia Programme and Ethiopia Staff
Location
Based in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia with extensive travel within the country and
occasional international travel for meetings
Salary and benefits
Competitive package
Hours
Full time/ normal working hours for Ethiopia plus out of hours work as required
Conditions
Two years contract with possibility of extension
Closing date
9am Monday 1 July 2013
Interview date
Provisionally 9-11 July 2013
Departmental structure and position of the role
Director of International
Development
Head of Asia, Latin
America & Egypt
Head of Africa & Jordan
(UK based)
Programme
Adviser (Jordan,
West Africa)
Country
Representative
Jordan
West Africa
Regional
Representative
(UK based)
(Jordan based)
(Senegal based)
Head of Influencing
East Africa Regional
Representative
(Kenya based)
Head of Animal Welfare
and Research
Country
Representative
Ethiopia
(Ethiopia based)
Programme Adviser
(East Africa, Ethiopia)
(UK based)
Background and purpose of the role
The Brooke Ethiopia registered and started operations in Ethiopia in 2007 and today works through
both direct implementation and partnership to bring about a sustainable improvement in equine
welfare. Our approach enables equine owners to access affordable quality health services through
government vet clinics and health posts or through Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs); it
also enables the improvement of equine welfare through the adoption of better equine management
and husbandry practices by communities.
The Country Representative is responsible for providing in-country leadership and overall
responsibility for managing the Brooke’s programme in Ethiopia, which has as its core aim an
improvement in the welfare of working horses, mules and donkeys in Ethiopia. This includes leading
on policy, strategy, and programme design including proposal and budget development and
managing the input of technical support, programme implementation and reporting, and budget
management. In particular the Country Representative is responsible for leading and developing the
national team and for developing an understanding of and promoting the links between working
equines and people’s livelihoods.
The Country Representative will represent the Brooke to the Ethiopian Federal Government, and in
particular to the Ministry of Agriculture and the newly formed Livestock Ministry, regional
governments, donors, and national and international NGOs.
Key tasks and responsibilities:
Programme development and delivery:
 Holding overall responsibility for revision and implementation of the country strategic plan,
ensuring it is in line with Brooke’s International Department strategy and policies;
 leading and managing the Brooke’s Ethiopia programme and partnerships in line with the
country strategy;
 managing the implementation of the Ethiopia programme, ensuring that it is informed by and
incorporates the Brooke’s policies, guidelines and agreed practices.
 overall responsibility for programme development and management, including project design,
proposal and report writing, monitoring and evaluation, and other key areas;
 developing and managing the partnership strategy and influencing strategy for the country
programme;
 establishing partnerships in line with the partnership guidelines and managing the
relationships with these partners;
 ensuring partners are able to access the necessary support in order to plan, implement and
monitor their programmes in line with Brooke policies, guidelines and values including specific
support relating to animal welfare.
Monitoring and reporting:
 Ensuring that the Brooke in Ethiopia complies with all legal requirements in the country of
operation. This includes the Governments’ Charity and Society Organisation (CSO)
Proclamation of 2009 and all directives issued by the Charities and Societies Agency (CShA)
established under this proclamation;
 managing and monitoring programme activities and costs in line with the Ethiopian CShA and
the Brooke’s Minimum Financial Standards;
 preparing quarterly and annual reports against agreed budgets and work plans;
 ensuring the proper use and safe keeping of all Brooke assets;
 ensuring all reports are sent to the Brooke regional desk in the UK in a timely fashion with
high standards of quality and accuracy;
 periodically reviewing the effectiveness of the programme by commissioning and conducting
baselines and evaluations to ensure the ultimate objectives of the programmes are being met.
Finance, operations and HR management:
 Managing the Finance and Operations Manager post within the country programme to ensure
accountability for budgeting, reporting and monitoring of all income and expenditure;
 ensuring audits are carried out and followed up in a timely fashion;
 ensuring that support systems (Finance, HR/Administration, Audit, Health and Safety,
Security, IT systems etc.) are in place and functioning in accordance with organisational
policy and procedures in order to ensure accountability to government, donors and other
relevant stakeholders;
 ensuring that risk and safety management procedures and systems are regularly reviewed
and updated and that all staff are informed and trained in using and applying these system
including first aid and basic risk management;
 responsible for staff management and development and overseeing the HR function, policies
and procedures to ensure these are in accordance with the Ethiopia staff handbook and
reflect global policies and practice;


developing and managing the in-country senior management team and developing and
supporting a high performance team;
ensuring all staff are familiar, engaged with and demonstrate a commitment to animal welfare
in their work.
Networking and building up the external profile of the Brooke:
 Building effective working relationships with relevant Government Ministries and key national,
local and international organisations in order to promote the Brooke as the leading working
equine welfare organisation within Ethiopia;
 liaising with existing and establishing new contacts in potential partner organisations;
 representing the Brooke in Ethiopia actively by promoting the aims and activities of the
Brooke and promoting key animal welfare messages to regional stakeholders;
 ensuring the Brooke’s formal agreements and contracts with the government are realised,
maintained, and updated and that reporting requirements are fulfilled;
 managing the contracts with partner NGOs including agreeing annual budgets and
operational plans with partner NGOs and ensuring that all NGO partners are accountable to
Brooke Ethiopia in respect of expenditure and operations.
Coordination and communications:
 Act as the first point of contact between staff in the UK and staff and partners in Ethiopia and
the region;
 ensuring a high level of information flow that supports the Brooke’s wider fundraising and
influencing work;
 maintaining an awareness of the current economic, political and social situation and other
developments within the country and region which could affect Brooke operations, including
coordination with and through other organisations and networks in Ethiopia, ensuring action is
taken as required in the interest of the Brooke and that developments are communicated to
the regional desk in the UK;
 ensuring all reporting obligations are met and that reports are sent to Brooke UK and the
Government of Ethiopia in a timely fashion;
 maintaining good, regular and open communication with the Head of Region, Programme
Advisor, technical advisors in the UK and partners;
 facilitating visits from Brooke UK and partner staff and ensuring that all necessary logistics
are arranged;
 contributing to organisational learning through liaison with other organisations and sharing
lessons learned.
Other responsibilities:
 Being an effective member of the Senior Management Team both nationally and regionally,
contributing to the overall governance, strategic direction and management of the Brooke as
required;
 performing any other related duties as assigned by the Head of Region.
Person specification
The skills, abilities, experience and knowledge outlined below provide a summary of what is required
to carry out this job effectively. They also form the selection criteria on which the decision on who to
appoint will be made. Please ensure that you show how you meet the criteria outlined below in your
application.
Knowledge and experience
A first degree in a relevant discipline (development studies, social sciences,
1
management, or other related areas);
significant experience working with an international animal welfare/
2
humanitarian/ development NGO, including strong programme development,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation experience;
3
experience of working in the Ethiopian context;
experience of working in Africa and an understanding of the political, social and
4
economic situation in the region;
5
experience of developing and implementing strategic plans;
experience of playing a representational role in an NGO and of building
6
professional external networks at senior level;
7
experience of liaising with senior level government authorities;
8
experience of security and risk management;
strong financial management experience, including developing, managing,
9
monitoring and reporting on programme budgets in an efficient and effective
manner;
10
experience of developing, leading and managing teams;
11
proven experience of establishing and managing partnership agreements;
knowledge of basic animal welfare concepts and an understanding of the
12
importance of working equines to the economies of developing countries.
Essential
Skills and abilities
1
High level of fluency in English;
2
Amharic speaker;
3
culturally sensitive communicator and manager;
4
ability to provide motivational leadership;
good information management skills including the ability to write clear concise
5
reports for a variety of audiences in English;
strong and engaging communication and presentational skills adapted to a
6
variety of audiences;
good interpersonal skills, working diplomatically with people at a senior level to
7
develop trust, shared understanding and motivation;
8
excellent negotiation skills especially in the context of another culture;
9
excellent organisation, planning and follow up skills;
10
strong IT skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook);
clear, strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem solving skills who is
11
energetic, incisive and able to translate vision into reality;
12
ability to travel, live and work independently in country of posting;
13
willingness to work flexibly and sometimes outside of office hours;
ability to prioritise and handle a diverse and heavy workload, working under
14
pressure and often to tight deadlines;
15
a good team player - cooperative, constructive, collaborative
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This job description is a written statement of the key aspects of the above job. This document details
the main responsibilities, tasks and includes a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required
for a satisfactory level of performance. A job description is not intended to be an exhaustive account
of all aspects of the duties involved.
Additional information
The Brooke
The Brooke is an international animal welfare organisation dedicated to improving the lives of working
horses, donkeys and mules in the poorest parts of the world.
There are around 100 million working horses, donkeys and mules across the world and during the
course of their lives, it is estimated that more than half of these animals suffer from exhaustion,
dehydration and malnutrition as a result of excessive workloads and limited animal health services.
This results in suffering for the animals and insecure livelihoods for the people relying on them. These
problems can be avoided.
The Brooke provides veterinary treatment and community programmes around animal health and
well-being, across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.
We work with communities so they understand how to care for their animals, ensuring they have
regular rest, shade and water. Establishing the root cause of a health problem and preventing it from
happening in the first place is the most effective way to ensure sustainable health and well-being.
We train farriers, saddlers, harness and cart makers and show animal owners how healthier animals
can be more productive. Working animals can be happy and healthy if they have the care and respect
they deserve. The Brooke’s goal is to increase the number of working animals we reach to two million
a year by 2016.
Ethiopia has the third largest world equine population with 5.57 million donkeys, 1.78 million horses,
and 380,000 Mules (Agriculture Sample Survey, Central Statistics Agency, 2008). Equines play a key
role in national economy where they serve as a lifeline for 85 per cent of Ethiopians (CSA, 2005).
Despite their significance to both rural and urban livelihoods, equines continue to live under harsh
conditions due to poor handling and management practices, and limited access to quality animal
health services.
Since 2006 Brooke Ethiopia has been working in partnership with local government, community
groups, Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) and private service providers alongside NGOs
such as ORDA (the Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara, since 2007), Send a
Cow, a UK based international NGO (since 2009) and SEDA (Sustainable Environment and
Development Action, in the Oromiya Region since 2012). Currently, Brooke Ethiopia is working under
a regional agreement with the Southern Nations and Nationalities People’s Region (SNNPR),
focusing on strengthening sustainable health and extension services, ensuring their availability,
accessibility, affordability, acceptability and quality. The aim is to reduce disease-related deaths and
disease incidence, and for owners to improve their husbandry practices and the quality of the feed
they provide, alongside access to improved services, such as using appropriate first aid for wounds
and eye conditions, and having access to better farriery services.
Working in partnership with local structures and organisations will visibly increase the sustainability of
the impact we can make. Changes to equine welfare introduced by the Brooke in the areas where we
work are supported by a well-structured and monitored training programme for government vets,
CAHWs and other private operators (e.g. farriers). Brooke Ethiopia has been able to reach more
equines in different geographical areas by working through trained government seconded staff and
NGO partners.