Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Turnover intention is a contemporary burning issue of management and business literature. Turnover intention is the early sign of employee turnover. The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting employees’ turnover intention by considering job satisfaction as an intervening construct in Ethiopian Higher education institutions with evidence from Raya University. A survey of 200 respondents was conducted by employing self-designed five-point Likert scale questionnaires. The research used quantitative research approach with cross sectional research design. Stratified sampling technique was employed considering number of colleges as strata. Descriptive and inferential data analysis was undertaken. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis using SMART-PLS version 4.0 and SPSS version 27. The study found a significant positive effect of compensation, career development, and perceived organizational support on job satisfaction. In addition to this, the study found a significant negative effect of job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, and compensation on employee turnover intention. Contrary to the existing literature, the study found a positive but not significant effect of career development on turnover intention. This study reveals the mediating role of job satisfaction in the causal relationship of factors affecting turnover intention. Based on the findings, this study provides foundational directions to policymakers and academic leaders of Ethiopian higher education institutions. Theoretically, the findings of this study are aligned to Herzberg’s Two Factor and social exchange theory. Practically, the finding of this study significantly helps human resource decision makers of Ethiopian Higher Education institutions decide employee motivating schemes like compensation, organizational support, and career growth opportunities to make employees satisfied and reduce the intention to quit. The finding of this study is equally applicable and important in all governmental and public organizations.</p>