Regional Director, East and South Africa

Focus of the Role

A significant part of our Advisory Practice compromises our long-standing work in Africa. We work in 14 countries across East, West and Southern Africa with c. 130 employees. 

Our work supports leaders to incubate and deliver their visions for their countries and supports their governments to build institutional capacity and resilience. Our work in Africa is funded through a mix of philanthropic sources, grants and contracts and our high-performing teams seek to combine ambitious talent from the private, public and NGO sectors recruited both locally and internationally.  In 2021 and 2022, we have exciting growth plans, both expanding into new strategic geographies e.g. the Sahel, and DRC and rolling out an ambitious new tech-based partnership. 

To support this growth we are looking to strengthen and build on the existing regional management structure. Reporting to the Institute’s Executive Director, Africa, this senior management team will be responsible for the successful growth and delivery of the practice’s work across the continent.

Specifically we are looking to recruit:  

• An East and South Africa Director, based in Nairobi or Addis 
• A West Africa Director, based in Accra 
• A Sahel Director, based in Senegal or the Sahel region

The Regional Director for East and South Africa will manage Country Heads and provide oversight and direction to the relevant teams and work in their regions. They will build and maintain deep relationships with political leaders across the countries they manage and will contribute to the overall leadership of TBI requiring close working relationships with the Institute’s Executive Chairman, CEO, Middle East Government Advisory practice, new Tech for Development programme as well as Policy Futures, External Relations and Institute Resources teams.  

Key Responsibilities

• Strategically lead and manage a portfolio of 4-6 country programmes, ensuring the delivery of high-quality advice and programmes in support of partner governments and the leaders we support
• Drive and deliver the further expansion of our work within the East and South Africa region, and in particular bringing to bear a new focus on tech transformation, working with the newly created Global Director for Tech for Development 
• Establish effective and trusted relationships with senior politicians in government, including Presidents, PMs, Ministers and Special Advisors, securing mandates with multiple key counterparts as a regular point of contact
• Develop and position the TBI Government Advisory value proposition to increase market share, reputation and sustainability
• Build, lead, coach and direct their direct reports of Country Heads, working collaboratively with the Executive Director Africa, Global Director Tech for Development and Executive Director Middle East to: 
• Establish, review and maintain the strategy, objectives and key results for each country programme, with a clear measurement framework; 
• Ensure our work is strategic, relevant and technically excellent, and delivers our mission to equip leaders to build open and inclusive societies in an interconnected, global world;
• Act as a thought partner to teams to help provide innovative solutions to government and leadership problems and frame them in a compelling way;
• Be propositional with our growth tech for development initiative and ensure that the work delivered across our practice supports and complements our initiative  
• Ensure the growth and development of a high-performing culture and provide a continued focus on learning and development
• Shape and embody a positive culture that drives ambition, innovation and delivery  
• Oversee and be accountable for recruitment within the region, supporting Country Heads to hire, manage and develop, critically providing quality control of new hires and mentoring 
• Build and utilise regional level networks, including with relevant multilateral fora, and act as a representative of TBI including public-speaking and media engagements 
• Contribute to fundraising strategies, donor mapping etc across a wide group of stakeholders in close collaboration with External Relations. Engage with key donors, relevant external stakeholders such as other not for profit organisations, media, suppliers and agencies. 
• Manage and be accountable for the regional budget (c$5m, together with future growth)  
• Ensure expenditure is utilised in line with budget, with robust management accounts and accountability established amongst budget delegations 
• Ensure all necessary risk, legal and financial processes are in place for the successful delivery of work and safety and security of employees  
• Be an active member of the TBI leadership cohort, building strong, collaborative relationships across TBI and actively champion TBI’s values
• Provide direct advice to the TBI Executive Chairman as well as CEO, Board and wider leadership team 

Person Specification

The Regional Directors will be experienced and successful leaders: 

• With a minimum of 8 years’ experience in government, government advisory, management consulting or other organisational leadership
• With extensive experience in government, government relations and understanding of the workings of politics in government
• Who are strategic, entrepreneurial, can challenge the status-quo and develop plans for successful delivery of challenging objectives 
• With strong leadership experience in government, consulting or advisory functions 
• With a track record of success in generating new business and developing an organization
• With demonstrable expertise in economics, public policy, or international relations 
• With outstanding leadership and management skills and the proven ability to build and inspire teams to achieve exceptional objectives
• Who are skilled communicators and influencers, from executive office level through to technical level, are adept at speaking to senior leadership, know how to navigate ambiguous environments and are comfortable at managing up and beyond hierarchy  
• Who have worked or consulted in developing and emerging economies and are sensitive to a diverse range of cultural and regional norms, and fosters a positive spirit of collaboration  
• Experience in technology enterprises or programmes is advantageous.  

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader 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 Government Advisory teams work 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.

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 Changemakers: you’ll be focused on results