Country Head (Maternity cover) - Sierra Leone

Focus of the Role

TBI is working with the Government of Sierra Leone to provide support on delivery of Presidential priorities, including managing the current COVID19 crisis and delivering the President’s Human Capital Development Flagship.  The Institute team works with a variety of Ministries and agencies, including the Office of the Chief Minister and the Directorate of Science Technology and Innovation in the Office of the President, the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry, Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Energy and Finance.

Job Introduction

The Country Head role is a critical role in TBI’s government advisory work: it provides leadership and management to the project, sets and delivers project goals, maintains relations with top counterparts in partner governments, up to and including the President, manages the project budget and impact of work, drives in-country fundraising, and provides the link between the Sierra Leone Project team and the rest of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Understand and engage with principal stakeholders

• Build a clear understanding of wider context, including role of development partners, private sector and other players;

• Build relationships with the President’s office, his direct team, and other senior stakeholders to understand the country’s priorities, build TBI’s credibility, and spot and exploit opportunities;

• Build relationships with Ministers and other critical government counterparts to understand their priorities, needs, and ensure effectiveness of TBI’s support to key deliverables;

• Deploy resources outside of the team – wider TBI colleagues, including Mr. Blair’s office, the TBI sector practices and strategic partnerships within TBI’s network etc – to support the partner government where appropriate.

2. Set the strategic direction of the project and, together with executive management, lead the annual project strategy setting, quarterly performance reviews and measurement of impact

• Set the strategic direction for the project based on TBI’s mission and approach within the particular country context;

• Lead the annual strategy setting process for the country project and the quarterly review process;

• Using the organizational Theory of Change and impact tools to ensure the project has a clear measurement framework.

3. Contribute to wider leadership and development of TBI

• Contribute to the wider leadership and development of TBI as an organisation by contributing to corporate decisions both within the Advisory practice and the wider organisation;

• Contribute to organisational learning by identifying innovations and factors which contribute to or inhibit success and impact.

4. Build and Maintain a license to operate

• Ensure that risks to the project and staff are spotted and managed adequately and emergency protocols are in place to maximise the safety and well-being of their team, including ensuring all security and safety protocols are upheld and kept up to date

• Ensure timely completion of financial processes e.g. invoices and country tracker and review and approve all services and suppliers relating to new project set up

• Set and manage the project budget, including putting in place appropriate financial controls.

• Ensure that all legal requirements are met for operating in country, including initiating and supporting all legal status activities relating to the project and TBI staff in country

• Ensure policies, procedures and the Code of Conduct are adhered to at all times.

5. Delivering through your team

• Lead a team that is bought into the shared strategy, is aligned across workstreams, solves problems together and holds each other accountable for impact;

• Performance manage staff effectively, including building a culture of feedback and nurturing the next generation of TBI leaders;

• Supervises TBI staff, including participating in the hiring, professional development and evaluation process. Sets specific goals and provides ongoing performance feedback;

• Oversee a planning and evaluation cycle to regularly assess whether the strategy is ‘working’, and adapt rapidly in response to new challenges and opportunities;

• Be the interface between the Project team and the rest of the organisation by representing the team’s views and communicating issues and priorities from the rest of the organisation to the team.

6. Fundraising

• Understand the project country’s fundraising and business development market by mapping donor opportunities;   Build and maintain intelligence and relationships to inform project and/or pillar-wide fundraising strategies and ultimately to secure project funding;

• Manage existing and new donor relationships in country, including to ensure proper reporting and accountability;

• Input to the development of marketing materials, presentations and bids as required.

Person Specification

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change aims to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an interconnected world. We do this through developing policy and advising governments.

The successful candidate for the role should be able to display the majority of the following:

• The ability to work and interact at the highest levels of public life in Sierra Leone; have strong political acumen; being able to develop an understanding of the needs of senior officials;
• An ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans; an acute attention to detail with excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills;
• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to work both independently and as part of a wider team;
• Proven strong abilities and experience leading and managing people and teams
• Experience with project development and project management.
• Ability to liaise with partner governments, the private sector, and key stakeholders (e.g. donors) to deliver the requirements of the role, including a realistic fundraising strategy for the project
• A sufficient understanding of deliverology
• Experience of identifying and resolving project implementation bottlenecks;
• Strong sense of ethics, discretion and perseverance required;
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is strongly desirable;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and perform other duties as reasonably required to achieve the goals of your team and the Institute.

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) aims to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies in an interconnected world. We do this through our Policy Futures ideas and our Government Advisory Practice.  What we believe in as an organisation:

• Open and Progressive – you’ll believe in the value of teamwork
• Bold and Pragmatic – you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity
• Optimistic Changemakers – you’ll be focused on results

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you're successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.