The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. We work in two ways – directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world. We help young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections they are looking for to realise their potential and to participate in strong and inclusive communities. We support them to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. Our work in arts and culture stimulates creative expression and exchange and nurtures creative enterprise. We connect the best of the UK with the world and the best of the world with the UK. These connections lead to an understanding of each other’s strengths and of the challenges and values that we share. This builds trust between people in the UK and other nations which endures even when official relations may be strained. We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.

 Role Purpose

To lead the project delivery in Ethiopia and deliver against the programme’s stated objectives. The postholder will be working with the East Africa Arts cluster and the wider British Council team to deliver programmes, audiences and partnerships which contribute to the British Council’s SSA Arts programme.

 Main opportunities and challenges for this role:

The ideal candidate should have experience in implementation and delivery of projects in a similar role, with knowledge of the arts sector in Ethiopia. This role requires a clear understanding of project management and communicating the impact of the programmes implemented.

You should have the ability to communicate across a wide range audience, and facilitate engagement with cross country audiences as you will be responsible to facilitate new engagements between artists in the region as well as artists and audiences in SSA and the UK through supporting region wide programmes.

The post holder should be skilled in partnership development and brokering, driving dialogues and building the capacity of institutions and organisations in contributing towards meaningful participation of young people in the creative sector.

You will also have the responsibility of managing the financial, granting, contracting and operational functions of the programme team, ensuring compliance with the British Council’s policies and project management framework.

As with any business that experiences peaks and troughs of activity, there is likely to be a need to work outside office hours from time to time.

 Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

• The post-holder will be dedicated point of contact for assigned projects managed in Ethiopia, and will manage relationships with project partners, and representing the project to other external stakeholders
• You will support selected British Council cultural partners to deliver their projects across Ethiopia and with UK partners, and maintain records and reports for all programme activities using the British Council tools and processes.
• Oversee the creation and management of contracts for Ethiopia partners and oversee external delivery partners to meet agreed project targets
• Strengthen the British Council’s position as the key organisation for international collaboration between Ethiopia and the UK.
• Identify, build and maintain sustainable relationships with regional cultural partners for the British Council to engage with through the Ethiopia country programme and donor funded activities
• Identify new media partners to maximise the reach and promotion of the Ethiopia programme
• provide market intelligence and information, maintain and develop close understanding of and links with the sector in Ethiopia
• maintain and expand knowledge of the Ethiopian arts sector
• Reach new audiences for the Arts programme through the delivery of digital and print communications strategies across Ethiopia and the UK;
• Work with communication team to establish audiences for the Arts programme including through British Council online channels and Country Facebook and Twitter pages
• Manage the arts programme budget and finances for Ethiopia in compliance with the British Council’s and external financial control frameworks
• Manage the delivery of arts activity to agreed timelines, costs and performance indicators
• Work closely with partners to monitor and support financial planning and reporting
• Manage the input and performance of project personnel including consultants
• To identify, assess, report and monitor progress in addressing risks to the achievement of project objectives.
• Ensure that planning, delivery and implementation of managed projects are executed in line with British Council EDI standards.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality Statement

The British Council is committed to a policy of equality and to valuing diversity and is keen to reflect the diversity of the societies in which we work at every level within the organisation. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We aim to abide by and promote equality legislation by following both the letter and the spirit of it to avoid unjustified discrimination, recognising discrimination as a barrier to equality of opportunity, inclusion and human rights. All staff worldwide are required to ensure their behaviour is consistent with our policies.

The British Council has Disability Confident Employer Status. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. Applicants are encouraged to highlight any specific requirements or adjustments needed to enable participation in the recruitment process.

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

 Pay band: 6

Contract type: – Fixed Term Contract Until 31 March 2025

Location: Addis Ababa, Sub Saharan Africa, ET

Department: Arts

Role specific knowledge and experience:

The ideal candidate should be skilled in the following areas:

• Four years’ experience including two years in a managerial role
• An understanding and appreciation of current trends and practice in at least one art form in Ethiopia
• Experience of managing the delivery of projects including those delivered through partners and / or using outsourced providers.
• Experience in M&E of projects
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively with tight deadlines

Essential Requirements–

The successful candidate will need to possess the following requirements:

• High level of Amharic and English language (IELTS 6 or above equivalent).
• University Degree in Arts, project management, business or social studies including in development studies.

Desirable requirements

• Managing projects within the creative sector
• Experience of working on projects between UK and Ethiopia/Africa

Additional Information: Role holder must have existing rights to live and work in the country the role is based.