Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert - Ethiopia

Aninver Development Partners SL (www.aninver.com) is looking for a Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert - Ethiopia for a finance consultancy assignment financed by UNDP in Ethiopia.

Aninver Development Partners is seeking a Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert for an upcoming assignment in Ethiopia under the Africa Minigrids Program, funded by UNDP. The initiative aims to scale up renewable energy financing and establish robust enabling environments for sustainable private and blended investments in decentralized energy solutions.

The expert will play a crucial role in facilitating extensive stakeholder consultations, supporting field-level engagement, and bridging communication between national authorities, local communities, cooperative entities, and financial institutions to advance renewable energy minigrid development across the country.

Aninver is preparing a proposal for this assignment. The selected expert will be part of the proposed team; the engagement is conditional on the contract being awarded to Aninver. The full Terms of Reference for the position are shared with shortlisted candidates.

Objectives of the assignment

• Contribute meaningfully to scaled-up financing components by strengthening local partnership foundations for renewable energy minigrids.
• Facilitate seamless communication and engagement channels with diverse stakeholders in the Ethiopian energy and cooperative sectors.
• Support the successful execution of structured consultations, workshops, and participatory modeling exercises across target regions.
• Ensure effective outreach to local communities, government counterparts, and private sector players.

Scope of work

• Support the preparation of an integrated inception report and detailed stakeholder engagement workplan.
• Organize and facilitate structured consultations with government ministries, cooperative stakeholders, private developers, and local communities.
• Assist in stakeholder mapping exercises to identify key actors within the financial and energy ecosystems.
• Support the implementation of participatory training modules, dialogues, and high-level dissemination events in Addis Ababa and target regions.
• Contribute local insights and logistical coordination for field-based assessments and pilot minigrid site activities.

Your role as Local Stakeholder Engagement Expert - Ethiopia

• Lead the logistical and operational planning for stakeholder workshops, focus groups, and consultative meetings in Ethiopia.
• Coordinate closely with national authorities, regulatory bodies, and cooperative commissions to secure active participation.
• Engage with local stakeholders across target regions to gather ground-level feedback on cooperative-based minigrid delivery models.
• Assist senior team members in synthesizing qualitative feedback from stakeholder consultations into actionable project reports.
• Support high-level dialogues and dissemination sessions by managing local participant engagement and communication flows.
• Provide cultural and contextual guidance to the international and multidisciplinary consulting team.

Requirements

• Degree in social sciences, communications, development studies, business administration, or another relevant field.
• Demonstrated professional experience in stakeholder engagement, community mobilization, or project coordination in Ethiopia.
• Strong familiarity with the local institutional, administrative, and socio-economic context of Ethiopia.
• Proven ability to facilitate workshops, consultations, and dialogue sessions with diverse groups ranging from grassroots communities to high-level officials.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with fluency in English and relevant local working languages.
• National of, or based in, the project country

Desirable

• Prior experience working on renewable energy, rural electrification, or cooperative development projects in Ethiopia.
• Familiarity with UNDP or international development partner procedures and stakeholder engagement guidelines.

A dynamic local engagement professional with extensive experience coordinating stakeholder consultations, facilitating workshops, and bridging relations between government institutions, local communities, and development partners in Ethiopia's energy sector.

Assignment details

• Location: Ethiopia
• Financed by: UNDP
• Sector: Finance
• Estimated duration: 8 months
• Contract: individual consultancy (conditional on award)

About Aninver Development Partners

Aninver is an international development consulting firm headquartered in Spain. It supports governments, development banks, UN agencies and bilateral donors with feasibility studies, technical assistance, evaluations and capacity building across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia-Pacific, working with a network of international and national experts.

Why apply

• Join a multidisciplinary team on a UNDP-financed project in Ethiopia.
• Individual consultancy: flexible, output-based engagement with an experienced proposal team.
• Your CV stays in Aninver's expert network for future assignments that match your profile.

How to apply

Sign in (or create a free account) and upload your CV in English. Add your LinkedIn profile, indicative daily rate and availability to speed up the assessment. Aninver will contact the shortlisted candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Is the position confirmed? The engagement depends on the contract being awarded to Aninver. Shortlisted experts are included in the proposal with their consent.

Can I apply if I am not based in the country? This position requires a national of, or a professional based in, the project country.

What happens with my CV? It is used to assess your fit for this and future positions and is not shared with third parties without your consent.