Human Capital Development Specialist Health, Population, Nutrition & Education

Job Introduction

The Government of Burkina Faso (GoBF) is committed to seeding, translating and scaling sustainable innovations at a national level leveraging on existing technologies and partnerships. 

Its Human Capital Development (HCD) is one of the priorities of the National Development Plan. 

This role will work shoulder-to-shoulder with counterparts in the HCD Project Team and across the Office of the President to drive the delivery of the HCD agenda, specifically in areas related to existing human capital development. A key prioirity of our work and this role is to support and ensure the effective functioning of collaborative cross-functional teams to achieve the desired human capital outcomes, working closely with counterparts across the several line ministries and agencies who are accountable for delivering results.

The Specialist will support the development of good delivery practices through adaptive management processes that support prioritisation, planning and performance management, the development of skills and systems for the wider Government HCD Team, as well as coordination mechanisms and structures needed with implementing ministries, agencies and partners.  

To be successful, the Specialist will need to apply a combination of political savvy, management consulting approaches, strong relationship building, and sectoral expertise.   There will be a strong focus on the utilisation of innovation and technology to improve service delivery, as well as to ensure improved data is available for informed decision-making.

The Specialist will be a member of an established  team in Burkina Faso and will supervise a team of 1-2 Analysts who are supporting the HCD priority.  S/he will be responsible for building and maintaining good relations with potential partners and funders for TBI’s support to the GoBF on Human Capital Development.  The Specialist will report to the Lead Advisor and will be expected to actively contribute to the Institute’s Practices on Centre of Government and Education.

Key Responsibilities

• Support Burkina Faso HCD Project Team to :
  • Innovatively accompany the progress of Burkina Faso towards universal health coverage, demographic transition and food & nutritional security;
  • Identify and roll out innovations that will improve teachers qualifications, teaching quality, and children and youth’s learning outcomes starting from pre-school to higher education with emphasis in primary and secondary schools together with vocational training
• Support the design and roll-out of a cross-functional teams approach to coordination, implementation, problem-solving and reporting across the key Government Ministries, Agencies and partners responsible for delivery
• Advise the Government on the design and utilisation of data systems for informed decision-making, including supporting the development and ongoing utilisation of automated dashboards and data tools
• Support the development and implementation of an effective system for tracking implementation progress and managing performance of those accountable for delivery
• Support the HCD Project Team in its efforts to increase investment in HCD and to build fruitful partnerships
• Support strong working relationships between the Centre of Government, Ministries & Agencies, and partners in the HCD space
• Apply practical communications, teamwork and interpersonal approaches and routines in the execution of all duties
• Contribute to the development of TBI's workstreams in Burkina Faso, including strategy development, monitoring & evaluation, reporting, coordination and organization-wide engagement 
• Work closely with TBI’s international network of expert strategy and delivery advisors and contribute to TBI’s practice areas
• Build strong collaboration with relevant TBI colleagues and GoBF departments/agencies to track and report on project targets and indicators
• Develop a deep understanding of knowledge landscape, and proactively propose solutions to address the delivery unit opportunities and challenges
• Develop and implement internal protocols and processes together with relevant cross-functional team members
• Propose improvements in existing workflows, internal processes and external cooperation for better efficiency and scalability
• Actively identify new projects opportunities and share them with the Burkina Faso Management Team
• Identify cross project trends in order to enable effective strategic decision making
• Proactively identify workstream risks and work with relevant colleagues across the Institute and externally to mitigate these

Other duties and/or tasks may be assigned by the Lead Advisor in line with project goals and/or in response to crisis or emergency situation

Person Specification

The successful candidate will thrive in an environment where the importance of personal initiative coupled with teamwork is critical. Above all s/he will build effective relationships, win trust, and help shape and influence change in government.

This is a role in a fast paced team, working within complex policy areas that are highly scrutinised.

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

• Between 1-5 years of experience working on the delivery of innovative programming and policies, in areas related to health, population, nutrition, and education
• An MA in Public Administration, Public Policy, Education, Public Health, Business, International Development, Data Science or related fields (or equivalent practical experience)
• Experience working or engaging with senior public officials
• An ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into delivery plans on the ground, with emphasis on attention to details; with excellent analytical, organisational, communication and management skills
• Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice
• Experience of identifying and resolving project implementation bottlenecks
• Strong sense of ethics, discretion and perseverance required
• Fluency in both French and English is required; Burkina Faso local languages (moore, dioula, etc.) a plus.
• An ability to mentor, coach and build capacity of national counterparts
• Ability to deliver results in complex and challenging environments
• A creative and entrepreneurial approach to overcoming barriers and making change happen
• High levels of enthusiasm, resilience, and a can-do attitude
• Empathetic listener used to working with and incorporating diverse perspectives, able to distil new insights and knowledge from unexpected sources

Desirable

• Experience designing and implementing programming to promote human capital development in Africa is highly desirable
• Relevant experience in the digital economy, technology for improved service delivery, and/or seeding innovations (either for public or private sector) is highly desirable
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is desirable

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a purpose-driven, not-for-profit organisation, with a mission to equip leaders to build open, prosperous and inclusive societies. We believe that politics done well has the power to transform lives. When governments work well, they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We are optimists, and we work relentlessly to support leaders and governments with the challenges they face: giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people.  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Advisory Practice works directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. We are currently in a rapid expansion phase from c. 18 countries at present, to 30 by December 2022.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

• 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 Changemaker: 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.