[2] Before assuming power as chief administrator, he was a longtime advisor to the former president of the Tigray Region, Debretsion Gebremichael.

Before taking a government position in 2009, he served as a professor of law at Mekelle University, located in the capital city of Tigray Region.

Getachew, in an interview with Tigray TV, urged young people and others in the region to "rise and deploy to battle in tens of thousands.

[11] However Billene Seyoum, the spokesman for Abiy Ahmed, disputed this claim and asserted that the announcement was a cover-up for military setbacks.

[12] On 2 November 2022, Getachew was the Tigray representative present for the signing of the agreement to permanently cease hostilities with the Ethiopian central government.