Digital Public Services, Senior Advisor

Focus of the Role

We don’t just talk, we do. Lead the change with us.

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere. 

We are a global team of nearly 800 changemakers, operating in more than 30 countries, across five continents. We are political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages. We are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re all here at TBI to make a difference. 

In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you’re from or who you are, if you’re passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.

The Sr. Advisor, Digital Public Services is part of a team of expert advisors in TBI’s Global Client Solutions (GCS) team in Government Advisory. GCS is a hands-on center of excellence bringing the best of the Institute to our clients through valuable counsel, technical input, and quality assurance for our country teams and embedded advisors.  GCS also leads the development of our offers and solutions, methods, and tools to ensure we have the means to support senior political leaders on their biggest challenges.

One major challenge is the increasing cost to run government, coupled with decreasing quality of public services. It is unsustainable for citizens to pay higher taxes while getting less in return. Technology can help break this cycle – not just improving, but fundamentally redesigning Government to enable a more efficient, data-driven, and agile State. Leveraging technology, a successful redesign of public services can deliver user-centric and user-friendly digital services, connected by an interoperable architecture, to improve service delivery while also spurring private sector innovation.

The Senior Advisor, Digital Public Services, with the Director, Digital & Tech Transformation and the Sr. Advisor, Digital Government, will lead the evolution of TBI’s offer and solutions supporting senior political leaders with transformational tech solutions to improve public service delivery and government operations.  You will work in close collaboration with TBI country teams and our clients to lead scoping and partnership discussions, identifying areas of catalytic potential aligned with Head of State priorities.  

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­This is a crucial role for the Institute at the senior-most level of our expert track and will be held by an exceptional candidate with deep and extensive experience in digital government, public service, and senior political advisory.  Travel is significant; expected approximately 30% of the time to work hands-on in support of teams delivering initiatives with senior political leaders and governments.

We encourage early application as we reserve the right, if required, to close this role ahead of the date advertised.

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities will include: 

Offer and solution development

• Offer Strategy: Develop, enhance, and continually evolve our offer strategy and solutions for our support to senior political leaders on topics of digital public services, working collaboratively with other senior experts to seamlessly integrate various aspects of digital transformation (e.g. Digital Identity, National Digital Infrastructure, Data for decision making, AI, etc.) into a comprehensive offer for Governments.
• Solution Development: Maintain relentless focus on developing practical, implementable solutions, tools, frameworks, and models which enable and enhance our teams’ delivery. Proactively identify and translate insights from upcoming trends to generate new solutions to enhance our support to senior political leaders for digital public services.
• Best Practices: Galvanise the collection and sharing of lessons and best practices from across the portfolio and draw on and represent evolving global best practice leveraging your network and knowledge and working with Policy & Politics (P&P).  

Subject matter expertise in client service

• Client Service: 70% of time dedicated to advancing client service priorities, ensuring we are bringing the best of TBI in digital government.
• Work collaboratively with regional and country leadership and their teams. Draw in and foster strong linkages between advisory, P&P, and Strategy & Partnerships teams (S&P).
• Scoping and opportunity development: identify opportunities, propose solutions to senior political leader priorities in improved public service and functioning of government, generate innovative solutions to client problems, and frame them in a compelling way.
• Delivery:  Support teams to create viable project designs, delivery plans, as well as identify risks and challenges to implementation including digital readiness assessments, and suitable Government enterprise architectures.
• Government Relations: Support strengthening of client and senior government relationships as a trusted and reliable expert advisor in line with project strategies.

Internal leadership

• Internal Communications: support the Director Digital & Tech transformation to effectively capture and cascade key developments, successes, and learnings from our portfolio of work.
• Represent aggregate client need and opportunities to wider institute to ensure key stakeholders are able to work towards both client and institute priorities.
• Learning and Development: support the training and enablement of TBI country teams and wider institute to understand our offer and utilise tools and best practices to improve capacity and impact of our work.

External engagement and partnerships

• Thought leadership: Provide senior-level representation as a global subject matter expert, including presentations, for TBI at strategic, high-profile external fora and events.  
• Partnerships: Working with S&P, develop and enhance our network with leading innovators and implementation partners in the digital government space for wider client impact.
• Business development: Bring subject matter expertise to conversations with key donors, clients, and income opportunities as required to support TBI financial health . 

Person Specification

Required Experience & skills:

• Significant experience in consulting, government, or government advisory related to digital transformation and delivery of digital government and public service provision
• Experience in developing a digital strategy, services, or driving digitalisation effort, including establishing an interoperable data exchange layer that connects all services (i.e. broader enterprise architecture vision, with interoperability rules and norms & standards for open data)
• Familiarity with the policies and regulations needed to foster and enable technology transformation for the public good and the ability to make recommendations and propose specific solutions to senior political leaders (e.g., data privacy, data sovereignty)
• Experience in project identification and strategy development, preferably in the tech sector, or linked to government advisory
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of government and non-government actors, including the private sector and development partners
• Effective communicator able to effectively convey complex or technical topics to senior political leaders or nontechnical parties.
• Bold thinker equipped to be a thought partner and peer to cutting-edge technology companies as well as government leaders to think towards the future of innovation
• Able to work independently, whilst drawing on expertise from colleagues globally
• Outstanding management skills and the proven ability to build and inspire teams to achieve exceptional objectives and contribute directly to outcomes hands-on
• Experience in developing and emerging economies, and sensitivity to a diverse range of cultural and regional norms.
• Willingness to travel internationally – 30%

• Proficient in the use of key Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and able to represent complex, technical ideas in easy to understand and compelling ways
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English, proficiency in another language is an asset

#LI-Hybrid