We are looking for a a Senior Delivery Advisor with extensive experience in our CoGD (Centre of Government and Delivery) practice central team. The role will primarily support our in-country TBI advisors, partner governments, and other key stakeholders on strengthening CoGD delivery in Africa. The candidate will drive implementation of our work in the 16+ countries we work in.

This is a senior role requiring an exceptional candidate with relevant expertise, deep networks with governments, development and technical partners active in centre of governments in Africa.

The CoGD Practice provides technical leadership and support to TBI’s work with governments in Africa, and the application of our delivery methodology. Our mission is to be a centre of excellence for learning and innovation on CoGD effectiveness. The team supports TBI’s embedded advisory work in 16+ countries in Africa. The practice team supports:

• quality assurance and training;
• the mainstreaming of context-appropriate tech and non-tech;
• and the development of productive partnerships to facilitate cross–country learning and exchange; and our engagement in the global debate on effective government in low income and emerging countries.

Key Responsibilities

1. Support Regional Directors and Country Heads in CoGD project scoping and setup

• Lead socio-economic scoping exercises and develop a clear understanding of governments’ overarching vision, implementation challenges and opportunities
• Lead diagnosis of centre of government capability and key drivers to deliver on governments’ national development priorities
• Facilitate high level discussions with senior government counterparts on TBI’s support areas and jointly define and agree on TBI’s scope of work through the available options to ensure delivery
• Coordinate capacity building efforts for CoGD counterparts, including implementing the establishment of institutions

1. Capacity Strengthening and Quality Assurance:

• Provide thought partnership and strategic advisory support to Regional Directors, Country Heads and Advisors
• Provide high impact advisory support to country teams to help projects ensure end to end impact
• Demand-led implementation of delivery and centre of government training, delivery labs and other delivery tools
• Support the product development of our CoGD offering in areas like delivery, strategy and policy, strategic communications and international relations
• Assess existing capability gaps and support project teams to build the capacity of centres of government to effectively implement their transformation agenda, including technological transformational initiatives

1. Strengthening and innovating our product offering

• Work with the Technology for Development (T4D) team to design centre of government and delivery tech offerings fit for the digital age
• Work closely with the T4D team to integrate e-government and T4D into our CoGD approach, while ensuring our e-government efforts remain anchored to our CoGD and Delivery model
• Work with other the sector practice leads (e.g. industrialisation) to strengthen our CoGD offering when a sectoral lens is required.

1. Business development and partnerships

• Support fundraising efforts in collaboration with the Fundraising Team, Regional Directors, Country Heads and other sectoral team leads for our CoGD offering to governments
• Identify and scope business development opportunities
• Support the development of relationships with strategic partners, both existing and potential
• Maintain intelligence on market needs, competition and market gaps

1. Contribution to TBI’s Broader Mission

• Contribute to wider TBI activities
• Quickly become a valued and supportive team member of the Africa Advisory team on matters of CoGD
• Support the Centre of Government and Delivery Lead in overall strategy development and implementation, thought leadership and management of the practice team.

Person Specification

This is a role in a fast paced virtual team working out of different geographies and in complex policy areas. We are looking for someone with a proven track record of leadership and delivery in the public or private sectors, who can demonstrate the following:

• Extensive experience in a leadership role, cutting across centre of government, governance, delivery and management consulting in Africa
• Ability to work and interact at the highest levels of political decision-making structures in Governments and to support the emergence of trusted relationships
• Strong political acumen and able to rapidly develop an understanding of the needs of senior officials
• Highly developed analytical skills that can be deployed in a range of contexts
• The ability to work in the face of a range of competing views and priorities, possessing highly-developed negotiation skills
• Exceptional communication, drafting and presentation skills
• Be a strong team player with excellent soft skills as well as flexibility to help where needed
• An ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans; an acute attention to detail, as well as organisational and communication skills
• Proven ability and experience leading and managing people and teams
• Experience with project development and project management
• Able to motivate and influence others, including TBI country specific roles, as well as funders, government counterparts and partners
• Willingness to travel extensively, sometimes at short notice, in particular to TBI’s countries of operation in Africa
• Strong sense of ethics, discretion and perseverance required
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is strongly desirable
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in French is desirable