Senior Manager, (Maternity Cover)

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.

TBI has been working in Nigeria since 2011, supporting political leaders with strategy, policy and delivery and leveraging technology as an enabler across these three areas. The Institute currently provides delivery support at the national level in the Power, Health, Agriculture and Technology sectors. Additionally, we are working with state governors to provide delivery support at the sub-national level.

TBI is looking to recruit an experienced and strong Senior Manager, Deputy Country Director to support the Nigeria Country Director with all aspects of team management and to drive the country project’s engagement to strengthen governance and delivery at the State level. The role reports to the Nigeria Country Director while working closely with the in-country Ops and Project Teams. As part of the country’s leadership team, the successful candidate will support business development and design and implement strategies to engage with the new governments in Nigeria following the recent elections at the national and sub-national levels.

This is a 6-month fixed term contract.

We encourage early application as we reserve the right, if required, to close this role ahead of the date advertised.

Key Responsibilities

The focus of this role will be to set a strategic direction for the Institute’s work in the Southern region, and support the Country Director with team management, business development, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning for the overall work of the Institute in Nigeria.

• Federal Level Strategy and Planning: As part of the Nigeria leadership team, contribute to the identification of opportunities with the new Nigerian presidential administration, and support scoping, proposal development, deployment of resources and problem solving as needed;
• Sub-national Level Strategy and Planning: Develop a business development strategy for increasing the Institute’s project footprint in the Southern Nigeria region and work with the Country Director to identify and allocate resources to implement the strategy;
• Business Development: Effectively leverage network to establish effective and trusted working relationships with senior politicians in government, such as the President, State Governors, Ministers and Commissioners at the Federal and State levels, in line with the country project growth strategy;
• Project Execution: Provide strategy, policy and delivery support to government counterparts and provide leadership on scoping engagements and on live projects that support the priorities of the government at both the national and sub-national levels;
• Monitoring: Ensure internal monthly team reporting is collated and submitted in line with the region’s guidelines and develop and implement project monitoring guidelines to ensure programme expenditure and resource utilisation is in line with an agreed budget;
• People and Team: Recruit, manage and mentor a team of Managers and Associates working on projects in Southern Nigeria, and in other sectors as needed in line with the Country Director’s vision; provide onboarding of new hires and develop tools to support their ongoing development and mentoring; work with the Country Director to ensure that a Team Nigeria is created and adopted by existing and new hires;
• Project Funding: Work with the Country Director, the central fundraising team and other team members to build relationships with government counterparts and funders in pursuit of project delivery and business development opportunities;
• Thought Leadership: Identify opportunities for thought leadership at the country, regional and global level to contribute to the development of the country project;
• Support to Leadership: Work with the Country Director on all aspects of team management, thought partnership and team strategy design and implementation as required.

Person Specification

We are looking for an experienced leader:

• With proven experience in government advisory, management consulting, project management or other organisational leadership in Nigeria
• With in-depth knowledge and experience of Nigeria’s political and government system, ideally both at Federal and State levels
• Who is a skilled communicator and influencer, is adept at speaking to senior leadership, knows how to navigate ambiguous environments and is comfortable at managing government stakeholders
• With strong presentation skills and the ability to prepare and present PowerPoint decks for clients, TBI colleagues and leadership
• With the ability to build trusted relationships with senior leaders
• With a track record of building and leading high-performing teams and a proven ability to manage and inspire teams to achieve program objectives
• With excellent project management, people management, and strategic planning skills
• With the ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans
• With undergraduate and graduate degrees from globally reputable institutions
• Who has full right to reside and work in Nigeria

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