This EU-funded project focuses on supporting supporting the advancing implementation of the AfCFTA in Ethiopia with a focus on a private-led value chain development approach to increasing intra-African trade, promoting greater economic integration, sustainable growth, and creating jobs.

The four specific objectives of the project are:

• Specific Objective 1: The private sector is actively engaged alongside the government to support the AfCFTA’s successful implementation
• Specific Objective 2:  Regional value chains are integrated, and trade/transport connectivity is facilitated with a focus on increasing women's participation in commercial and logistics processes;
• Specific Objective 3: Relevant authorities in the implementation of the AfFTA are supported;
• Specific Objective 4: Academic institutions and research institutions are supported.

The project team will be based in Expertise France’s offices in Addis Ababa, ensuring proximity to stakeholders and beneficiaries.

The Team Leader will oversee the project’s implementation, ensuring all activities align with objectives, timelines and budgets. He/She will be responsible for ensuring that the program runs smoothly by providing overall leadership, management, supervision, and strategic vision for the implementation of the program, while managing staff and resources to ensure that the program meets its targets and deliverables on-time, within budget, and at a high level of quality, in coordination with all relevant stakeholders. The Team Leader will be responsible for technical and financial monitoring of the overall implementation of this project, which will be a continuous process through a permanent internal, technical and financial monitoring system for the activities, with quarterly and final progress reports.

The Team Leader will lead a team, placed under her/his direct supervision, composed of:

• A Team advisor (project management and trade background) will assist the team leader in its daily tasks, mainly on the monitoring of project activities as well as preparation of activities and committees. The team advisor will be the deputy team leader.
• A monitoring and evaluation officer who will be in charge of all monitoring and evaluation activities of the project (review of the logical framework, baseline studies, indicators review, etc.)
•  Two key experts (one specialised in trade and another specialised on legal matters) will be in charge of the implementation of activities in each specific objective (preparing TORs, recruitment of experts, etc).
• An administrative and Financial team (one finance manager and two project assistants, one in charge of procurement and logistics, and one in charge of administrative and financial matters) will be responsible for administrative and financial management of grants and contrats with local partners. They will lead financial reporting, account control, reconciliation and budget monitoring, in compliance with EF procedures, regulations and systems. They will also be responsible for planning and implementing procurement processes, developing a procurement plan, when applicable negotiating contract terms with local partners, monitoring contractual execution and performance, analysing risks associated with specific contract terms, administering, and managing financial records, invoices and final accounts as per EF requirement.

The Team Leader will work closely with government entities, private sector stakeholders, and international partners to achieve sustainable outcomes.

To execute technical assistance activities and support beneficiaries of project calls for proposals, Expertise France will also rely on national and international public and private technical expertise.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.       Project implementation

• Plan, coordinate, and supervise all project activities, including technical trainings, public-private dialogues, and awareness campaigns.
• Oversee the procurement and timely delivery of project resources.
•  Ensure the alignment of all activities with the project's goals and objectives.
• Build strong relationships with government bodies, private sector representatives, and development partners.
• Facilitate public-private partnerships to address trade barriers and enhance Ethiopia’s export competitiveness.
• Act as the primary liaison between Expertise France HQ and local stakeholders.

2. Human and administrative resource management

•  Supervise the project team, including technical experts and administrative staff.
• Manage the project budget to ensure efficient use of resources.
•  Coordinate with the key trade experts to deliver targeted technical assistance.

3. Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (with the help of the monitoring and evaluation officer)

• Supervise the development and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to track progress and impact.
• Validate progress reports, including financial and technical updates.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements and project timelines.
• Validate regular technical, financial, and administrative reports as outlined in the technical proposal.
• Ensure the quality of deliverables and respect for timelines.

4. Communication and visibility

•  Ensure visibility of project activities through communication strategies;
• Represent the project in high-level meetings, conferences and public events.

This job description is not exhaustive. The Team Leader will be responsible for achieving the project's strategic, operational, and contractual objectives and may undertake or oversee any activity required for the program's successful implementation.