In-Country Government and Program Specialist

ABOUT YLABS

YLabs is a leading global design and research organization designing technologies that amplify youth power, agency, and opportunity. Founded in 2014 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs partners with young people to co-create inclusive digital products and services that improve their lives. Our design process opens spaces where young people’s ideas can become a reality – where they are the architects of the solutions to their most pressing challenges.

YLabs multidisciplinary team delivers youth-driven innovation and impact at scale. Our team combines expertise in youth-driven design with adolescent health, climate, livelihoods, digital product design, behavioral science, and epidemiology. Based in Rwanda and the USA, we’ve worked in 18 countries to date on projects spanning three focus areas: optimum health and wellness, improved economic opportunity, and increased climate resilience.

Find out more about our projects here: https://www.ylabsglobal.org/work

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a senior In-Country Government and Program Specialist to support our climate-SRHR cost modeling workstream in Ethiopia under our Climate-SRHR project. This position is ideal for someone with strong relationships within Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Finance (MoF), combined with deep knowledge of Ethiopia’s SRHR programming landscape. Over the course of approximately 33 working days, the In-Country Government and Program Specialist will play a key role as YLabs’ primary bridge to government counterparts, enabling access to programmatic, budget, and policy data that is essential to producing a credible, locally grounded cost model. Alongside this, they will work with the YLabs team to support rapid scoping of climate vulnerabilities in Ethiopia’s SRHR system, development of feasible climate-adaptive interventions, ground-truthing cost estimates, and stakeholder engagement throughout the project.

JOB TYPE

This is an independent contractor (Consultancy) position, based in Ethiopia.

LOCATION

This role is a hybrid role, based in Addis Ababa. This is a non-negotiable requirement, as the role depends on active, in-country government relationships and real-time access to local program and policy information.

ABOUT YLABS’ COMPENSATION

YLabs adheres to Project Fair’s principles and standards to establish equity in pay with the overriding principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. All salary ranges are based on level within the organization and are competitive to regional and national salary benchmarks, based on the respective office location.

PAY RATE

The pay rate for this position is $375 USD per day. With an estimated 33 days for a total contract amount of $12,375 USD.

YOU WILL:

Government Liaison and Stakeholder Access - 45%

• Serve as YLabs' primary point of contact with the Ethiopian MoH, MoF, and other relevant government bodies
• Leverage existing relationships to facilitate access to unpublished programmatic data, budget information, and policies in development
• Identify and engage key decision-makers and technical counterparts within government who are best positioned to act on the project's findings
• Support the preparation and co-facilitation of a high-level government and donor stakeholder convening to present costing model results and gather feedback

SRHR Program Mapping and Climate Vulnerability Scoping - 25%

• Collaborate with the YLabs team to complete a map of SRHR service delivery in Ethiopia and a scoping assessment of key climate vulnerabilities in Ethiopia’s SRHR system, drawing on existing literature, national data, and stakeholder knowledge
• Work with the YLabs team to identify a realistic spectrum of climate-adaptive modifications to existing SRMCH programs (light-touch to intensive), grounded in what is operationally feasible in the Ethiopian context

Local Validation and Costing Support - 30%

• Provide Ethiopia-specific unit cost data and programmatic parameters to inform and validate the cost model developed by the Costing & Evaluation Specialist
• Assess the feasibility of proposed climate-adaptive interventions in the Ethiopian context, drawing on practical program implementation knowledge
• Review draft model outputs and tools to ensure they reflect the realities of Ethiopia's health system and are credible to MoH and MoF audiences
• Support with facilitating a high-level multi-stakeholder convening

YOU ARE:

• A skilled relationship-builder with a track record of working effectively with senior government officials in Ethiopia
• Deeply knowledgeable about Ethiopia's health system and SRMCH programming landscape
• Practical and solutions-oriented, with a strong sense of what is operationally feasible in the Ethiopian context
• Collaborative and adaptable, comfortable contributing to an interdisciplinary team working on an emerging body of evidence
• Collaborative and eager to contribute to a team environment
• Self-motivated and reliable, able to manage your time and responsibilities independently

YOU HAVE:

• At least 10 years of relevant work experience with SRHR, public health, or health policy in Ethiopia
• Demonstrated, active relationships with senior officials or technical counterparts within the Ethiopian MoH and/or MoF
• Deep knowledge of Ethiopia’s SRHR service delivery landscape, including key programs, implementing partners, data sources, and financing flows
• Experience accessing and working with government programmatic, budget, or policy data in Ethiopia
• A strong interest in climate adaptation within the health sector
• Strong organizational skills and experience coordinating across government, NGO, and international team stakeholders
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Basic proficiency with Google Workspace

DESIRABLE:

• Experience working at the intersection of climate change and health, particularly SRHR
• Familiarity with Ethiopia’s health policies, as well as Ethiopia’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP), and other climate/environmental policies.
• Lived experience in or deep familiarity with Ethiopia
• Experience with costed work plans, program budgeting, or cost estimation for health interventions
• Prior experience working with international NGOs, research organizations, or bilateral donors (e.g., FCDO, USAID, Gates Foundation)
• Experience facilitating high-level multi-stakeholder convenings
• Training in public health or a related field

All YLabs offers of employment are conditional on satisfactory background check and criminal record clearances.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

YLabs is committed to building teams and policies that promote equity, justice, and belonging at work. We strongly encourage people from all cultures, races, educational backgrounds, socio-economic classes, sexual orientations, age, gender, and physical abilities to apply. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, familial status, marital status, caregiver status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.