Country Head, Burkina Faso

Focus of the Role

TBI has been working with the Government of Burkina Faso since 2019, providing advice on performance management and facilitating the implementation of priority reforms and projects, with a current focus on human capital development, economic transformation, and digitalisation.

TBI’s embedded advisors focus on delivery, which is a specialised approach to designing, managing, and monitoring the implementation of government priorities that are intended to have a significant effect on development outcomes and is an anchor function of the Centre of Government. It supports the systems and structures that channel the leader’s authority throughout the rest of government, reinforces their priorities, and gets them the right information at the right time to drive progress.

At the outset of his second term and building on the model and achievements of the Presidential Delivery Unit (BSPP), President Kabore has mandated Prime Minister Dabire to embed delivery principles and systems into the wider administration of government and implementation of a new national development plan.

Important to note is the new focus of our support to the Government’s digital transformation journey aimed at harnessing technology to solve problems for citizens. The Country Head will also be responsible for driving our Tech for Development initative in country, working closely with the Head of Tech (and his/her team) who will manage TBI’s Tech for Development work in Burkina Faso, and TBI’s Global Director, Tech for Development and her team.

This is an initial fixed term role for two years. 

Key Responsibilities

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The Country Head role is an important role in the TBI Government Advisory Division.

The Country Head provides leadership and management to the project, sets and delivers project goals, maintains relations with the Heads of State as well as senior government counterparts, manages the project budget and impact of work, drives in-country fundraising, ensures a successful technology for development programme, and provides the link between the Burkina Faso project team and the rest of the organisation.

The Country Head is ultimately accountable for project success and delivery as per agreed upon mandate between the Government of Burkina Faso and TBI. This is a demanding role, which calls for strategic leadership, innovative thinking, management skills and diplomacy.

The key competencies that we look for in our Country Heads are set out within the duties below:

Understand and engage with principal stakeholders

• Build a clear understanding of the wider country context, including the role of development partners, local and international private sector and other key players
• Build relationships with the President and the Prime Minister, their direct teams and advisors as well as key officials in charge of priority sectors TBI is involved in, with a view to enhancing delivery as well as converting emerging opportunities that are beneficial for the country
• Be propositional and support the development of transformational technology solutions that are at the core of the President’s development vision, particularly in the areas of digital services, health tech, and ag tech among others

• Deploy resources outside of the team – including TBI’s leadership, sector practices, relevant central teams and strategic partnerships within TBI’s network – to support government priorities where appropriate

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

• Develop a strategic direction for the project based on TBI’s mission and approach within the particular country context
• Look at how the wider TBI model can be applied in the Burkina Faso context using an agile methodology to test, learn and iterate quickly to meet government needs
• Lead the annual strategy setting process for the country project and the quarterly review process to assess whether the strategy is ‘working’ and to adapt rapidly in response to new challenges and opportunities
• Using the organisational Theory of Change and impact tools to ensure the project has a clear measurement framework

Contribute to wider leadership and development of TBI

• Contribute to the wider leadership and development of TBI as an organisation by engaging in corporate decisions both within the Governance pillar and the wider organization
• Contribute to organisational learning by identifying innovations and factors which contribute to or inhibit success and impact

Build and maintain a license to operate

• Ensure that risks to the project and staff are identified 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 the project
• 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

Delivering through your team

• Build and lead a high caliber advisory team that is bought into the shared strategy, is aligned across workstreams, solves problems together and holds each other accountable for impact
• Supervise TBI staff, including participating in the hiring, professional development and evaluation process, setting specific goals and providing ongoing performance feedback
• Performance manage staff effectively, including building a culture of feedback and nurturing the next generation of TBI leaders
• Ensure strong teamwork across the team at all times and provide support as needed to team members

Person Specification

We are looking for outstanding individuals with a proven track record of leadership and delivery in the public or private sectors. All candidates will be required to have at least 10 years of experience in a leadership role, managing medium to large teams and project budgets.

Above all, we are looking for individuals with high levels of enthusiasm, resilience, adaptability and a can-do attitude. We seek to create international and multi-disciplinary teams and are looking for individuals with a solid background in public/civil services worldwide, strategy consulting, private sector or international development.

• The ability to work and interact at the highest levels of political life in Burkina Faso; 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, organisational, 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 strong understanding of deliverology
• Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice
• Experience of identifying and resolving project bottlenecks by thinking creatively
• Strong sense of ethics, humor, discretion and perseverance required
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is strongly desirable
• Fluency in English and French is required

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 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.