Deputy Country Director

Job Requirement

Main Purpose of Job

You will work with the Country Director as an integral part of the British Embassy commercial team in Addis in pursuit of the objectives set out in UK Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) Regional Trade Plan for Africa and the Embassy’s Country Plan, but with the overriding aim to help UK business to secure commercial opportunities in Ethiopia.

As Deputy Country Director, you will provide leadership to the team’s commercial work, building and managing the pipeline of projects, advising UK investors and exporters to help them realise their ambitions, leading ambitious awareness-building campaigns among UK businesses in priority sectors, holding key relationships within the Government of Ethiopia and supporting UK companies already in the market to continue to operate successfully.

Context

Bilateral trade between UK and Ethiopia was worth £667m in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2025.

The UK has investments in major sector including telecoms, financial services and mining, and has a close development partnership focused on economic reform.

DBT in Ethiopia is based at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Priority projects for the DBT team’s work include airport infrastructure and aviation, and investments in renewable energy.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Encourage UK businesses to trade and invest with Ethiopia.
• Provide leadership to the embassy’s commercial agenda, working with the Country Director to unlock economic growth and job creation.
• Facilitate the development and execution of a pipeline of UK investment and UK export deals to Ethiopia.
• Devise and execute strategies to drive the commercial pipeline forward and achieve KPIs.
• Support UK financiers and aviation supply chain participation in Ethiopian Airlines’ plans to build a new $12.5bn greenfield airport.
• Pursue commercial opportunities as they arise, including those from COP32.
• Map key UK investors’ presence in Ethiopia and manage investor relationships.
• Facilitate dialogue between investors and Ethiopian authorities and regulators.
• Collaborate with the Trade Policy and Market Access regional team to address market barriers.
• Build client-facing relationships with investors and British businesses.
• Work closely with colleagues across Government including British International Investments and UK Export Finance.
• Lead the team’s senior visits work including ministers, trade commissioners, civil servants and delegations.
• Design, pitch for and execute senior visits into Ethiopia and inward visits to the UK.
• Deputise for the Country Director and provide leadership in their absence.
• Support integration of Ethiopia into the wider pan-Africa DBT region and East Africa sub-region.
• Build strong relationships with businesses, embassy colleagues and senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrate strategic thinking, future planning and KPI delivery.
• Resolve challenges and remove barriers to commercial success.

Resources Managed

• Manage the team’s country budget as determined through annual business planning.

Qualification

• Postgraduate degree and/or undergraduate degree and other relevant professional qualification.
• Experience of supporting businesses to win commercial opportunities.
• Relevant professional work experience in the private sector, or within a private-sector orientated part of Government or International Organisation.
• Experience of working in or with government departments, NGOs, and similar institutions.
• Proven track record of leadership as well as cross-team collaboration.
• Proven client-facing experience, for example with an investment promotion agency or professional services firm.
• Fluency in the language of business and investment.
• A positive, resilient, flexible and adaptable can-do attitude.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Ability to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries.
• Excellent drafting skills.
• Fluency in English and Amharic.

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience in business development, investment appraisal, deal pipeline preparation, deal brokering, advisory.
• Knowledge of the UK and Ethiopian economic and business environment.
• Experience in managing budgets.
• Knowledge of the investment services contract and delivery mechanisms.
• Knowledge/experience of international development, or a willingness to learn.

Required Behaviours

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Skills Required:

• Accounting / Finance
• Economics / Statistics
• Sales / Marketing / Business / Management