🇸🇱 Job Vacancy @ Tony Blair Institute for Global Change – Delivery Manager – Sub National

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 over 800 changemakers, operating in more than 40 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.

Role Summary

This role entails providing advisory and technical support to the Freetown City Mayor's Delivery Unit and is focused on providing overarching support to the Mayor for the delivery of key objectives of the Freetown City Council (FCC). We are looking for an exceptional candidate with technical expertise in project management preferably in education and skills development, job creation interventions or digital economy. The successful candidate will report to the Country Director and will be permanently based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Manager should have a passion for public service and Freetown and will ensure timely and efficient delivery of objectives and impact across identified priority areas.

Key Responsibilities

The FCC Manager will have the following accountabilities:

Client relationship and subject matter expertise in client service

• Provide direct shoulder-to-shoulder advisory support to the Freetown City Mayor and the Mayor’s Delivery Unit Lead
• Provide technical support and problem-solving for the enhanced delivery of the Transform Freetown – Transforming Lives agenda. This will include working directly with donor partners to design funded projects and making necessary funding applications on behalf of Freetown City Council
• Generate innovative solutions to client problems and frame them in a compelling way
• Develop and implement project plans, monitoring progress and performance against objectives Lead cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration and driving results Assist FCC in managing the implementation of its externally and own-funded projects, ensuring alignment with Council priorities and strategic objectives
• Pro-actively monitor ad report on project outcomes, making recommendations for improvement to maximise impact

Reporting and project tracking

• Ensure robust project management processes are in place, including reporting and legal/policy documentation (including security, legal, financial) and effective implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) activities, including data collection and analysis in collaboration with the Mayor’s Delivery Unit lead
• Support the Delivery Unit lead in the daily management of the unit

Relationship and capacity building

• Capacity building and skills development activities with the Freetown City Council to ensure sustainability and increase ownership
• Day-to-day management relationships with critical stakeholders and partners.
• Build and maintain a relationship of trust with the sub-national government officials.

Support the Country Head and build and maintain Sub-national Government relationships

• Provide high quality advice to the TBI leadership. Ideate, troubleshoot to ensure we are bringing the best of TBI to our work at sub-national level.
• Constantly review the political and democratic landscape to channel this knowledge into project decision-making, with a focus on sub-national level.
• Identify and develop new strategic opportunities with subnational counterparts.

Person Specification

We are looking for an outstanding individual:

• An MA in International Economics, Public Administration, Business, or related fields.
• Extensive experience working on the delivery of innovative programming and policies and leading team to deliver results.
• Broad and comprehensive experience in holding an advisory function to senior government officials is desirable.
• Strong experience working in strategy development, particularly in management consulting, is highly advantageous.
• Expertise in a topic and/or function salient to public sector advisory (i.e. public policy, environmental management, government administration, etc).
• Experience working or engaging with private sector players and development partners.
• Ability to work independently, think strategically and produce well-structured client-ready deliverables.
• A skilled communicator and influencer, adept at speaking to senior leadership, knowing how to navigate ambiguous environments and comfortable at managing up and beyond hierarchy.
• Excellent writing, presentation skills and verbal communication skills in English
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills, and close attention to detail
• A high level of comfort working in a fast-paced environment and handling multiple diverse workstreams at once while maintaining the ability to prioritise effectively.
• Ability to operate within sensitive political contexts.
• A hands-on attitude, drive, motivation and ability to consistently achieve results.
• Experience of living and working in developing countries is desirable.

We encourage early applications as we reserve the right, if required, to close this role earlier.

Closing Date: 2024-12-20