Government Partnership and Institutionalization Lead

Opian is an Ethiopian health-technology and innovation company building decision infrastructure for stronger health systems. We combine deep knowledge of how care and supply chains operate, human-centred product design, data engineering and responsible artificial intelligence. Our work helps health workers, managers and public institutions turn fragmented data into timely decisions—so essential medicines, vaccines and services are available where and when people need them.

Our philosophy

We believe useful innovation is not novelty for its own sake. It is the disciplined work of understanding a real problem, challenging assumptions, building and testing a better response, measuring what changes, and strengthening the institutions that must sustain the result. Technology is valuable only when it improves a decision, a workflow or an outcome in the real operating environment.

• Start with reality: design around the health workers, workloads, incentives, infrastructure and constraints that actually exist—not an imported ideal workflow.
• Build with people, not for them: government counterparts and frontline users are co-designers, decision-makers and eventual owners, not passive recipients.
• Strengthen the system, not a standalone application: connect workflows, data, institutions and incentives so information can lead to action across every level.
• Push boundaries responsibly: make ambitious but testable bets, protect safety and privacy, and change direction quickly when evidence contradicts the original idea.
• Make capability local and durable: transfer knowledge, product ownership and operational responsibility so progress continues without permanent dependence on an external project team.
• Be honest about impact: distinguish deployment from adoption and activity from results; make claims specific, measurable and open to verification.

What this means for candidates

Opian is looking for accomplished specialists who are also builders. Candidates should bring exceptional depth in their discipline, intellectual courage, practical judgment and the humility to learn from users and evidence. We value people who can move from ambiguity to a testable approach, from a workshop to an operating routine, and from a promising pilot to an institutionally owned system. The standard is simple: show not only what you know, but what you personally built, changed, tested, learned and left stronger.

• Work across public health, supply chain, policy, product, technology and field implementation boundaries.
• Turn expertise into usable products, processes, decisions and measurable improvements—not reports alone.
• Operate with urgency while preserving quality, public trust, data protection, service continuity and government ownership.
• Government Partnership and Institutionalization Lead

Recruitment under this vacancy is subject to donor approval

Vacancy Summary

Role purpose

Build and sustain the government co-leadership, governance, accountability and institutional arrangements required for the program to operate within Ethiopia’s health system and continue beyond external implementation support.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a stakeholder and political-economy map covering national agencies, lead executive offices, programs, regional authorities and implementation partners.
• Establish and facilitate steering, technical working group and operational review mechanisms with documented mandates and decision rights.
• Coordinate with the Ministry of Health, EPI, RMNCH, digital-health and planning functions, EPSS, EPHI, EFDA and regional health bureaus.
• Translate technical proposals into institutionally feasible roles, policies, SOPs, accountability mechanisms and approval pathways.
• Embed government counterparts in assessment, product prioritization, architecture, implementation, evaluation and transition decisions.
• Lead capacity-transfer plans covering product ownership, system administration, data governance, support, supervision and performance management.
• Track institutional commitments, policy decisions, unresolved ownership issues and readiness for transfer.
• Coordinate sustainability and recurrent-cost planning with relevant institutions and development partners.
• Identify duplication, mandate conflicts and partner dependencies and facilitate resolution through agreed governance channels.

Expected results

• Functional governance bodies with documented decisions and consistent participation.
• Clear institutional ownership of systems, data, integrations, support and performance-review processes.
• Approved SOPs, accountability arrangements and transition milestones.
• Government counterparts able to perform progressively larger shares of operational functions.