Royal Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa

The Royal Norwegian Embassy represents the Norwegian Government in Ethiopia and is also the Permanent Mission of Norway to the African Union. The Embassy has 12 diplomats and 26 local employees.

We are currently looking for a controller responsible for providing financial advice and quality assurance of the Embassy’s development assistance. The controller will be part of the Embassy’s development cooperation team. This is a new and important position within the Embassy. We have an annual portfolio of USD 35-50 mill. The Embassy is not implementing projects ourselves, we provide grants to partners and we have agreements with government, World Bank, UN,  civil society organisations and universities. 

Main responsibilities: 

The main responsibility is to support the Head of Development Cooperation and the programme officers by providing financial advice and quality assurance in support of programme officer’s financial management of the embassy’s development assistance, in accordance with Norway’s regulations. This entails review and quality assurance of key financial documents and contribution of sound financial risk management. The role of controller will entail both operative controller tasks as well as more strategic/management tasks.

Specific tasks:

• Assist and guide programme officers in reviewing relevant documents such as grant agreement partner’s budgets, disbursement requests, financial reports and audit reports for advice and quality assurance prior to entering into agreements and during their implementation phase 

• Help ensure consistency with applicable rules and guidelines for financial management and reporting

• Provide technical assistance to programme officers with audit issues incl. analysis of project audit reports and recommendations on follow-up as well as control of and development of ToRs for audits.

• Perform financial capacity assessment of partners when required in cooperation with programme officers, to assess agreement partner’s capacity and competence with regards to financial management (especially in appraisal stage), and advise on appropriate mitigating and capacity-building measures

• Carry out field visits and "spot-checks" by partners, in close collaboration with the programme officers.

• Participate in donor group meetings for financial management and audit discussion, when relevant.

• Focal person for the Ethiopian government’s Aid Management Platform for data registration and responsible to report on disbursements on quarterly basis.

• Provide quality assurance to procurement process regarding consultancy contracts for grants to ensure the Embassy adheres to the Norwegian MFA procurement rules and procedures.

• Assist the Head of Development Cooperation in financial planning and forecasting

• Any other duties assigned by the Ambassador 

Job Requirements

Essential qualifications, skills and experience:

• Higher Degree in Finance/ Business Administration 

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience from project financing/accounting/controller or similar roles, including at least 3 years in a financial management function

• Experience from similar role at embassy or international organization

• Experience with development cooperation is an advantage

• Knowledge of the grant recipients (civil society, UN, World Bank, Ministries is an advantage

• Excellent English and Amharic (both spoken and written) are essential

• Good communication skills

• Strong problem-solving skills and capacity to work analytically and efficiently independently and as part of a team.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure

• Focused, methodical and able to deliver in a timely manner

• Readiness to take on new tasks and areas of responsibility, if and when required.

Terms of Employment: Full time fixed contract with 6 months’ probation period. We have a friendly and informal working environment. The salary package will depend on experience and qualifications. Some limited domestic travel can be expected as part of the job.

How To Apply

Candidates who meet the stated requirements may forward their application consisting of a short motivational statement of up to 500 words describing why you want this job and CV by 4 May 2026 by sending it to: emb.addisabeba@mfa.no

To be eligible for the position you need to respond to the following questions in the email:

What is your minimum annual salary requirement for the position 

Do you have more than five years of experience, including experience from a role in financial management from a similar position at an embassy or international organization? 

Do you have a master's degree in finance or an MBA?

Please write the following in the subject file: “Application – Controller”. Short-listed applicants will be invited to an interview, as well as a possible written examination. 

The result of the application process will be announced at the Embassy’s website.

Job Requirements Candidates must hold a higher degree in Finance or Business Administration, possess at least five years of relevant experience—including three years in a financial management function—and have proven experience in similar roles at an embassy or international organization. How to Apply Submit your non-returnable application and CV along with supporting documents in Via email emb.addisabeba@mfa.no