COGv 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 Constitution of Kenya 2010 (CoK) established two tiers of government—the National Government and the forty-seven (47) County Governments—through decentralisation, CoK assigned functions to inter-governmental relations (IGR) to enable the government to interact, consult, coordinate, and collaborate in the delivery of services.

Several legislation, notably the County Governments Act (CGA), the Intergovernmental Relations Act (IGRA), the Urban Areas and Cities Act (UACA), and the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA), have been adopted to enable the devolved form of governance (PFMA). Among the institutions established by IGRA  under section 19 was the Council of Governors (CoG) with its function outlined in Section 20 as among other things:

1. a platform to facilitate dialogue amongst County Governments
2. facilitates sharing information on the performance of the Counties in the execution of their tasks to learn and promote best practice and, where required, implementing preventative or corrective action
3. evaluating areas of common interest to County Governments
4. coordinated the capacity development for governors and;
5. serves as the repository for all reports and monitors the implementation of inter-county agreements on inter-county projects. 

With this, the CoG coordinates and facilitates County Government policies, legislation, administrative activities, and general sector growth. CoG created the Maarifa Center to exchange best practices from the County execution of functions and knowledge products from CoG Committees. The council explores opportunities to build partnerships with strategic stakeholders to support them in actualising their Mandate. 

It is under this context that TBI and CoG signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the council in strengthening governance and delivery for County Governments through modelling interventions to enhance information sharing, adopt best practices to improve counties' performance, support governors' capacity development, and provide technical expertise in undertaking a study on Service Delivery Units (SDUs) in selected counties to catalyse transformative changes for prosperity.

Please note, it is essential you have an existing right to work in Kenya to apply for this role.

Key Responsibilities

To support the CoG Secretariat in the establishment and utilization of delivery structures to support delivery of its mandate.

The Consultant will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Lead a study of Service Delivery Units (SDUs) in 7 select counties (Nyandarua, Kwale, Isiolo, Makueni, Bomet, Kakamega and Siaya – representative of each of the Country’s economic regional blocs) to establish whether the SDUs in those counties were able to catalyze transformation or not; and provide recommendations
• Design, establish and operationalise a Delivery Unit for the Council of Governors Secretariat to include expert advice on how to operate delivery units, including organisational structures, relevant competency requirements, as well as relevant processes, tools and methodologies for tracking and advancing the delivery of specific priority projects
• Develop a strategic framework to support implementation of the counties development agenda through a structured delivery approach
• Develop and operationalise the approach to support identification and prioritisation of the key focus areas
• Develop the strategic framework for alignment of the national and county government development priorities to enable coherence in the development agenda, collective impact, and overall transformation of the country’s economic development agenda to achieve the desired impact of the citizens
• Provide training and facilitate skills transfer to CoG and TBI colleagues on delivery tools and methodologies    
• Drive the team’s internal knowledge management efforts on delivery and avail it for others

Person Specification

• Significant experience in a leadership role, cutting across centers of government, governance, delivery and management consulting in Africa
• Experience working with African governments, particularly Kenya; prior experience engaging with leaders at the devolved level would be an advantage
• The ability to work and interact at the highest levels of political decision-making structures in Government and to support emergence of trusted relationships
• Strong political acumen and judgment coupled with the ability to rapidly develop an understanding of the needs of senior officials in government
• Proven track record of delivery – whether policy, operational or functional – is essential, as is relevant experience of working in a project and programme management environment in devolved systems of governance
• Good understanding of the National and County Government levels of devolved structures in Kenya. Prior work with the Government of Kenya highly desirable.
• An ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans; strong attention to detail with excellent analytical, organizational, communication and presentation skills.
• Strong sense of ethics, resilience and excellent inter-personal skills
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is highly desirable
• Fluency in English is required. Swahili would be advantageous.
• Right to live and work in Kenya required

Functional Skills

• Sound devolution knowledge in line with the 2010 Constitution of Kenya and County Government Structures and functions
• Exceptional problem-solving and analytical skills and high-quality communication, drafting and presentational skills
• Excellent in building and managing effective relationships including the ability to navigate complex political environments
• Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the governments and key partners and stakeholders
• Ability to work under pressure and to coordinate with multi-disciplinary stakeholders
• Ability to present information in a concise, insightful, and structured manner, written and oral

Duration of the Assignment

The duration of the engagement will be one (1) year subject to availability of funds.