Job Vacancy For Governance Advisor

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change we are dedicated to making globalisation work for the many, not the few. We do this by helping countries, their people and their governments, address some of the most difficult challenges in the world today – beginning with those where we think we can break new ground, offering leaders new thinking and new approaches. Our staff – over 200 of them, based all over the world – are working on some of the most intractable problems around issues of co-existence, governance, the peace process in the Middle East and renewing the centre.

Focus of the Role:

Our Governance work supports the governments and leaders of fragile, developing, and emerging states to enhance their effectiveness. We are focused on helping governments and leaders make their vision for the development of their country a reality. We work in the centre of government and key line ministries and our work is shaped by national priorities.To support this work we currently have a number of opportunities to expand our support to African governments seeking to secure inclusive economic growth through private sector development, trade investment in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and services. As such, we are developing a pool of candidates to fill a number of Governance Adviser roles in these areas in countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Kenya, Togo, Mozambique and Nigeria.

Several (but not all) roles are subject to confirmation of funding streams and as such, we are seeking applications to expedite the process of securing funding and ensure a speedy commencement of work if fundraising efforts are successful.

In many cases, these roles will be in support of country-level economic diversification and job creation strategies.. TBI works with governments to support the President’s vision for development through best practice delivery systems. TBI  has a track record supporting private-sector led growth with relevant agencies of government and is now seeking to expand that support.

Each role will differ in their specifics, but in general the common duties of these roles will include:

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with senior government counterparts and other internal and external stakeholders, including investors, business leaders and development partners, to help counterparts in government drive their inclusive growth agenda into place
• Achieve high impact in the relevant area of work (eg. investment, industrial development, agriculture, ) for the counterpart government which demonstrably contributes to improving people’s lives. This will be delivered against an agreed set of objectives developed with the TBI Country Head and funding partners where relevant.
• Conduct data analysis, stakeholder mapping, external consultations and targeted secondary research to support project design, policy recommendations and related strategic advice for senior government counterparts.
• Use this policy analysis to support implementation of improved ways of working to drive policy and project implementation in a low-capacity public sector environment in Africa
• Contribute to the work of others in the TBI team, pillar or organisation as required, to achieve cross-team or cross-pillar key objectives. This may include contributing analysis, lessons, writing case studies or policy papers and contributing to TBI fundraising, partnership, policy influencing or broader communications activities.
• Assist the Country Head with recruitment, performance management of staff and team safety and security as required.
• Be an active member of the Inclusive Growth and Private Sector Development Practice
• Ensure effective implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities, including data collection and analysis, in line with the project’s M&E strategy.

What We Look For in Our People:

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:

• Relevant subject matter expertise, eg. Private sector development, trade and investment promotion and facilitation, economic development, agriculture value chain analysis etc.
• A savvy relationship builder and communicator, able to work with, consult, relate to and influence senior decision makers from a range of cultural backgrounds.
• Experience of living and working in Africa, and with governments is desirable, but not essential.
• Demonstrated ability to take considered risks with policy advice and actions to achieve high impact for government partners.
• Adept at conducting policy analysis and clearly communicating recommendations to senior policy makers, reflecting an assessment of the political context.
• Familiar with techniques for effective stakeholder mapping, engagement, consultation and influencing.
• An understanding of and patience for engaging with the challenges of low-capacity public sector environments, and able to adapt ways of working to suit the working environment.

 PERSONAL SPECIFICATIONS:

• Ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into delivery plans on the ground, with particular emphasis on attention to detail
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication and management skills
• Ability to deliver results in complex and challenging environments (especially in a developing world context). A creative and entrepreneurial approach to overcoming barriers and making change happen
• Excellent inter-personal skills. A team player with an ability to develop and foster relationships with counterparts across a large organization and with external stakeholders;
• A Master’s Degree in a relevant field, e.g., private sector development, trade and investment promotion or facilitation, international development, economics, public policy, business or social sciences, from a recognised university
• Demonstrated experience in a relevant field
• Experience in investment or market system development is desirable, as is experience supporting governments to play their role in facilitating the development of markets.
• Experience of living and working in Africa is desirable, but not essential, as is experience working with governments