Hiring of Project Manager for EthERNeT Project under Ministry of Education

Source: World Bank — Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project

Request for Expression of Interest

(Consulting Services – Individual Consultant Selection)

Consulting Service for the Selection of Project Manager at Ethiopian Education and Research Network (EthERNet) under Ministry of Education

Country: Ethiopia

Project: Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project

Project ID: P171034

Credit No.  IDA - 68560

Assignment Title:  Project Manager for Ethiopian Education and Research Network (EthERNet) under Ministry of Education

Reference No.: ET-MINT-324779-CS-INDV

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Finance (MoF), has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project (“Digital Foundations”).  The Ministry of Education, Ethiopian Education Research Network /EthERNet/ is one of the beneficiaries of the project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for selecting of individual consultants.

EthERNet as part of the project is looking for a project manager to provide a managerial and technical assistance in support of the Education Research Network.  Experienced individual consultants who have experience, passionate and innovative ideas for the position of Project Manager are invited to express their interest for the assignment. The Project Manager is expected to contribute to the mission of EthERNet aspiring to connecting Ethiopian education and research institutions with each other, and with peer organizations regionally and internationally.  The Project Manager will work both independently and collaboratively, and will be responsible for formulating policies and strategies for affordable and reliable connectivity. The Project Manager will also work to improve the digital literacy programs at higher education institutions. Moreover, he/she shall assist in the implementation of National Digital Skills Country Action Plan (DSCAP) for Ethiopian Higher Education (HE) and TVET Institutions for the period of ten years (2021-2030).

MInT on behalf of EthERNet now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest to provide the services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services for a period of one year with possibility of extension for additional period subject to outstanding performance of the consultant and availability of budget. The shortlisting criteria include the following;

1. A good understanding of research and education networking.
2. Flexible, self-motivated, adaptable, approachable, and solution-driven
3. 10+ years being part of and/or network/systems engineering experience, leading high-performance technical teams in complex ISP/NREN/Government and/or Commercial markets
4. Demonstrated leadership of the whole of a technology organization, including planning, delivery, and operations
5. Previous experience as a Project Manager or similar technology delivery leadership role, number two to the Project Manager, or VP of Engineering within a major, global NREN or similar organization.
6. Experience in service provisioning
7. Have excellent communication skills, both written and oral: Ability to communicate and convey solutions and technology at an appropriate technical level to a wide range of audiences from end user to internal engineering and executive staff
8. Exposure to complex, highly dynamic environments with the ability to learn quickly and contribute immediately
9. Possess a mix of tactical execution and strategic thinking skills. Bias for action.
10. Strong network and system engineering administration experience in the NREN/ISP/telecommunications field is strongly preferred
11. Knowledge and experience in a broad set of design processes across connectivity and cloud services provision fields
12. Knowledge and experience of telecommunication network architectures, cloud systems, and technology supported education and research solutions
13. Innovative and lateral approach to creating bespoke and commodity solutions to solve end user issues
14. Academic qualifications; Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field required, Masters Degree will be an added advantage.
15. Professional certifications; Industry Certification in one or more of the following technologies preferred: Networking, Cloud solutions, System Design, Project management, Databases, Big Data and analytics, etc.
16. 2 - 3 years of experience in an intergovernmental organization is a plus

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Selection of Individual Consultant (Section V) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Expressions of interest (CV, Cover letter and documentary evidence for fulfilling the qualifications) must be delivered in a written form to the address below in person, or by email, on or before January 10th, 2023. Further information can be obtained, by email at the below address during office hours from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Addis Ababa time: 

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,

Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MInT)

Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project

Attn: Focal Person, Project Implementation Unit (PIU)

Address: Arada Sub-city, off Churchill Road, behind Lycée Guebre-Mariam,

E-mail: digital.foundation@mint.gov.et or zelalem.tadesse@mint.gov.et or mesfin.belachew@mint.gov.et

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia