Direct supervisor: Engagement Lead

Supervision: Project Implementation

Job Grade: Managerial

Location: Oromia (Addis Ababa), Afar (Semera), Somali (Jigjiga), Sidama (Hawassa)

Quantity: 1 per region

Position Type: Short-Term (1-Year)

Post Deadline: April 15, 2026

Role

Position Overview

ACE Investment and Impact Advisors is a women-owned and led independent advisory firm that is dedicated to promoting innovation for better development outcomes and social change. Our firm brings a strategic cross-domain perspective with deep expertise in driving public-sector delivery capabilities and private-sector development by partnering with government, private-sector, and development partners. We envision becoming the preferred partner to government, private sector, and development partners as a change catalyst to transform investments and impact life and boldly embrace our core values of promoting equity, & inclusion professionalism, meticulousness, partnerships, and impact orientation. With our diverse team of experts and multi-sectoral outlook, we are strategically placed to provide bespoke services across sectors and industries.

Ethiopia's regions face a structural health financing gap. On-budget ODA fell significantly in recent years, with further declines projected. The termination of USAID operations in 2025 accelerated service collapse across health, nutrition, and agriculture. Regional governments have limited fiscal space, and the absence of earmarked health allocations within federal block grants means fiscal pressure diverts funding from essential RMNCAH and PHC services.

The Gates Foundation is funding a 12-month initiative implemented by BKP through its local partner, ACE Advisors, and AMREF across Oromia, Afar, Somali, and Sidama to strengthen regional financing capacity through five result areas: ODA intelligence and early warning frameworks, PFM systems strengthening, alternative financing mobilization, domestic revenue generation, and program management and sustainability. To support this initiative, ACE Advisors as the local lead in this effort is looking to recruit 4 Embedded Public Finance Management Advisors for each respective region.

Role Objective

The Embedded PFM Advisor is placed full-time within a Regional Bureau of Finance as a coach and co-worker, not a conventional technical advisor. The defining principle is shoulder-to-shoulder delivery: the advisor works alongside Bureau staff daily, co-producing outputs, coaching through real tasks and decisions, and progressively transferring ownership until the Bureau can sustain all reforms independently after the project ends.

The advisor bridges BKP's central technical team and the regional government, translating diagnostic findings and reform designs into operational practice through shared work rather than instruction. The specific reform scope in each region will be determined by diagnostic assessments conducted in the project's first phase and calibrated to institutional maturity.

Reporting: Dual - To BKP and ACE Advisors Project Director (primary, for technical quality and deliverables) and Regional Bureau of Finance head (for operational integration and government ownership). Technical guidance from ACE's PFM Reform Expert, Health Financing & DRM Expert, and ODA Analyst. Close coordination with the AMREF Embedded Health Financing Advisor in the corresponding Regional Health Bureau.

Scope of Work

• ODA Intelligence & Early Warning: Work with Bureau staff to map existing tracking systems and data sources. Coach staff through regional data collection for the ODA impact assessment. Facilitate stakeholder validation workshops. Support installation of monitoring frameworks integrated with existing Bureau workflows. Co-adapt fiscal shock response procedures to regional context with Bureau staff. Facilitate training delivered by BKP's central team and provide follow-up coaching.

• PFM Reform Implementation: Facilitate PFM Reform Expert's participatory diagnostics by organizing Bureau access and providing institutional context. Support the Legal & Regulatory assessment with region-specific inputs.

  • Co-design the reform package with Bureau leadership ensuring reforms match institutional capacity.

  • Co-implement reforms shoulder-to-shoulder with Bureau staff, scope determined by diagnostics, ranging from foundational system building to advanced reforms depending on regional starting point.

  • Co-implement fiduciary safeguard improvements. Provide fiscal data inputs for the AMREF-led health expenditure dashboard framework.

  • Co-manage the 2027/28 budget preparation cycle alongside Bureau staff, progressively stepping back as competence grows. All capacity building is delivered through coaching embedded in daily practice, the advisor facilitates formal training events and provides the follow-up shoulder-to-shoulder coaching that turns training into changed practice.

• Alternative Financing Support: Coach Bureau staff through compiling donor program inventories and assessing competitive positioning. Facilitate validation of financing priorities with Bureau leadership. Provide region-specific fiscal data and institutional context for AMREF's proposal development. Support establishment of a Bureau-staffed donor liaison function.

• Coordination & Sustainability: Coordinate with AMREF counterpart. Participate in quarterly reviews with candid progress assessments. Contribute regional insights for case studies and federal briefings. From January 2027, co-develop transition plans with Bureau leadership, conduct joint capacity gap assessments, coach Bureau through policy formalization, and execute structured handover with signed documentation by April 30, 2027.

Key Deliverables

• By May 2026: Regional data contributing to ODA Impact Assessment. Baseline systems mapping co-produced with Bureau staff.

• By June 2026: Regional inputs to PFM Diagnostic Report and DRM Strategy. Validated financing priorities and program inventory co-produced with Bureau staff.

• By July 2026: Monitoring framework installed with coached Bureau staff operational. Fiscal shock response procedures adapted and institutionalized. Fiscal data inputs for health expenditure dashboard.

• By March 2027: PFM reforms implemented shoulder-to-shoulder. Budget cycle co-management completed with demonstrated Bureau staff independence.

• By April 2027: Institutional manuals co-produced with staff. Joint capacity gap assessment. Policy formalization completed. Signed handover documentation.

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS AND APPLICATION

Full-time physical presence in the Regional Bureau of Finance is non-negotiable. Travel to Addis Ababa approximately 2-4 times for monthly and quarterly reviews and workshops. ACE Advisors will provide equipment; Regional Finance Bureaus will provide workspace and institutional access.

Job Requirements

Requirements

• A Bachler or master’s degree in public financial management, economics, public administration, finance, or closely related field.

• Minimum 10 years in PFM, government budgeting, or fiscal policy with direct engagement with government finance institutions in Ethiopia or comparable East African contexts.

• Specific experience in health financing, ODA tracking, domestic resource mobilization, or fiduciary safeguards is a plus.

• Prior embedded advisory or coaching role within a government institution strongly preferred.

• Fluency in English, Amharic and in the relevant regional working language required.

• Coaching orientation instinctively works alongside counterparts rather than for them.

• Relationship building and cultural sensitivity.

• Political navigation within institutional dynamics.

• Practical problem-solving over theoretical perfection. Comfort with ambiguity and adaptive planning.

• Demonstrated initiative, resourcefulness, and sound professional judgment.

• Willingness and ability to travel to project sites and meetings as required.

• Strong computer literacy, including proficiency in MS Office applications and web-based management information systems.

How To Apply

If you are passionate about Public Finance Management and want to make a difference, please submit: CV (max 3 pages), cover letter (max 1 pages), 3 (three) references including at least one government counterpart at info@aceadvisors.org with the e-mail subject line ‘Application to Embedded Public Finance Management Advisor’.

This role offers a competitive financial remuneration, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourage women to apply for this position and are committed to creating a workplace that is inclusive and supportive of all employees.

Job Requirements Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in public finance or related fields and possess at least ten years of experience working with government finance institutions in Ethiopia or comparable East African contexts. The role requires fluency in English, Amharic, and the relevant regional language, as well as strong coaching orientation and political navigation skills. How to Apply Submit your non-returnable application and CV along with supporting documents in Via email info@aceadvisors.org