Government Engagement Advisor

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises.. Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors.

Position Title: Government Engagement Advisor (BSP)

Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regular travel

Open Position: 1

Risk Level: Level 3

This position is contingent upon confirmation of programme funding.

The Programme - East Africa Land Border Security Programme

The East Africa Border Security Programme (BSP) is a multi-year programme funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The programme works with governments, law enforcement agencies, communities and civil society organisations across East Africa to strengthen border security, disrupt organised immigration crime (OIC), improve protection for victims of trafficking and smuggling, and strengthen community resilience in border areas. The programme combines evidence generation, law enforcement strengthening, community engagement and victim protection through an integrated regional approach implemented through a consortium of partners.

In Ethiopia, BSP is implemented as part of the regional programme, aligned with Ethiopian law and institutions, Government of Ethiopia priorities, and the realities of selected border and migration corridors. Mercy Corps works with relevant government institutions at federal, regional and local levels, consortium partners, Ethiopian civil-society and specialist partners, communities and other stakeholders to strengthen existing systems and locally grounded responses rather than establish parallel structures. Programme implementation is evidence-led, conflict-sensitive, rights-respecting and adaptive to changing border, migration and operational dynamics.

The Position

The Government Engagement Advisor is the principal specialist supporting BSP-Ethiopia's government engagement, institutional coordination and government-facing implementation. Reporting to the Ethiopia Country Lead, the Advisor develops and sustains trusted working relationships with relevant Ethiopian authorities; advises on mandates, government processes, political and regulatory considerations and approval requirements; coordinates structured consultation and co-creation; and ensures government decisions, commitments, approvals and follow-up actions are systematically tracked and progressed.

The Advisor helps translate federal-level agreements into workable regional and local engagements, supports coherent government coordination across the four BSP outcomes, and guides field and technical teams on engagement within approved scope and delegated authority. The role complements, but does not replace, the representational authority of the Ethiopia Country Lead or the technical authority of outcome leads. The Advisor is expected to maintain constructive government relationships while safeguarding programme boundaries, ensuring that responsiveness to counterpart priorities does not result in commitments beyond approved scope, resources or delegated authority.

The position operates within the overall management framework of the regional BSP, working through the Ethiopia Country Lead and in close coordination with BSP Leadership and the Mercy Corps Ethiopia Country Office. Major strategic, programmatic or sensitive decisions and escalations relating to Ethiopia are managed through BSP Leadership in partnership with the Ethiopia Country Office.

Essential Responsibilities

PROGRAMME POSITIONING, APPROVALS AND AGREEMENTS

• Lead the positioning of BSP within relevant Ethiopian government structures, ensuring the programme is understood, appropriately authorised and aligned with relevant government mandates, priorities and coordination mechanisms.
• Track government approvals, commitments, dependencies and emerging bottlenecks, advising programme leadership on follow-up, resolution and escalation.
• Support translation of federal-level agreements and approvals into workable regional and local implementation arrangements, including clarification of institutional roles, focal points and communication channels.
• Provide field teams with stakeholder briefs, engagement guidance, talking points and escalation pathways.
• Advise programme leadership on institutional mandates, government processes and political or administrative developments that may affect programme implementation or positioning

 RELATIONSHIP AND STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

• Develop and maintain strategic, trusted and professional relationships with key government stakeholders at federal, regional and local levels, particularly the Ethiopian Federal Police, the Ministry of Justice, the National Partnership Coalition on Migration and other relevant justice, law-enforcement, migration, border governance and protection institutions.
• Maintain an up-to-date stakeholder map and government engagement approach, identifying decision-makers, institutional interests, priorities and appropriate engagement channels.
• Coordinate government engagement across the programme and partners in Ethiopia to ensure relationships, messaging and commitments are coherent and appropriately authorised.
• Work closely with field teams to ensure regional and local engagement is consistent with federal agreements, and that implementation realities and perspectives inform national engagement.
• Identify emerging government priorities, concerns, relationship challenges and institutional bottlenecks and advise the Ethiopia Country Lead and BSP Team Lead on appropriate engagement, resolution or escalation.
• Support preparation of senior-level government visits, programme reviews, donor-government meetings and other engagements requiring coordinated briefing and representation.

POLICY INFLUENCE AND LEARNING

• Identify opportunities for programme evidence, experience and learning to inform relevant government policy, institutional practice, procedures and coordination mechanisms through appropriate government-led processes.
• Facilitate government participation in programme consultation, joint planning, review and learning processes, providing space to review programme progress and enabling government perspectives to inform programme adaptation and decision-making.
• Work with technical and MRELA colleagues to translate government feedback, institutional-change evidence and policy or practice developments into programme learning.
• Contribute to Ethiopia and regional programme learning and facilitate appropriate cross-border or regional government dialogue where this supports agreed programme objectives.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND CONFLICT SENSITIVITY

• Work closely with security, safeguarding, compliance, MRELA and leadership to identify and manage risks arising from government relationships and programme implementation.
• Ensure government engagement is politically neutral, conflict-sensitive, rights-respecting and consistent with safeguarding, Do No Harm, responsible-data and Mercy Corps compliance requirements.
• Ensure sensitive government requests, commitments or proposed changes to programme scope are appropriately reviewed and authorised before commitments are made.

REPRESENTATION AND DELEGATED AUTHORITY

• Represent Mercy Corps and BSP-Ethiopia in authorised government technical meetings, working groups, coordination forums and consultations, communicating only agreed programme positions and maintaining professional, respectful and consistent messaging.
• Coordinate with the BSP Team Lead and Ethiopia Country Lead in advance of high-level, sensitive engagements to agree purpose, key messages, boundaries and follow-up for particularly sensitive meetings.
• Perform other relevant duties as assigned that are consistent with the purpose and level of the position.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

None. The Advisor provides technical guidance to Field Program Coordinators, Project Officers and other EALBSP colleagues on government engagement and institutional coordination but has no formal line-management responsibility unless assigned under the approved programme structure.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Ethiopia Country Lead – BSP

Works Closely With: BSP Team Lead and Deputy Team Lead,

Works Directly With: Field Program Coordinators; BSP technical and outcome leads; MRELA, Security, Finance and Procurement teams; Mercy Corps Ethiopia programme and support functions; implementing partners; and designated government counterparts.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.