Senior Consultant – Public Sector Governance at OPM | June 2024

The Governance Practice at Oxford Policy Management is currently seeking a Senior Consultant (Public Sector Governance) on a permanent basis.  The position will be located in Tanzania.

Indicated annual salary range on appointment: TZS 97,600,000 – 122,000,000 (gross)

We are an international development consultancy working to improve lives through sustainable policy change in low- and middle-income countries. Our vision is for fair public policy that benefits both people and the planet. 

Through our global network of offices, we work in partnership with national stakeholders and decision makers to research, design, implement and evaluate impactful public policy. We draw on our local and international sector experts to provide the very best evidence-based support. We deliver projects with expert knowledge and experience, and can be relied upon for excellence in all aspects of project delivery. We work collaboratively, with ambition, to help deliver impactful public policy that will bring about lasting change.

Our established and experienced Public Sector Governance team supports governments in Low- and Middle-Income Countries to build the capabilities, systems and practices required for policy development, implementation, evaluation, and reform.  We work to strengthen systems of i) public management and civil society, ii) accountability and inclusion, iii) service delivery, and iv) digital governance, at all levels of government and across sectors.

Our team currently works in the following areas:

• Systems strengthening and capacity development
• Decentralised governance and service delivery
• Nutrition governance
• Democracy, conflict, and peacebuilding
• Political Economy Analysis and Thinking and Working Politically

Position Summary

The Senior Consultant will be a core member of the Governance Practice and of the Public Sector Governance hub within it, with exciting opportunities to contribute to impactful policy reform, build relationships with governments and partners, and the freedom to contribute to strategic thinking and growth in key governance areas. The role offers the opportunity to work with OPM’s multi-disciplinary global teams, and develop OPM’s strategic positioning for the future delivery of governance opportunities.

As Senior Consultant – Public Sector Governance at OPM you will:

Technical delivery

• Support the acquisition, and technical delivery of Governance projects by supporting appropriate approaches. For example: governance needs mapping, institutional reviews, capacity assessments, process reforms, political economy analysis, technical assistance, sectoral governance interventions, among others
• Review evidence and offer strategic insights on the drivers of change, from design through to implementation and evaluation. This could involve research, secondment to governments, facilitating workshops, providing capacity strengthening support, managing relationships with government partners, analysing data, evaluation and learning, report writing and presentations
• Ensure project inputs and deliverables are delivered on time and to quality standards, in close consultation with other team members.
• Contribute to OPM’s wider programming in governance contexts.
• Manage small to medium projects independently; provide timely regular reports and updates on project performance and progress towards agreed milestones to the appropriate Team Leader(s)
• Develop and implement appropriate strategies and approaches – including adaptations to existing strategies – to achieve the Practice vision. 

Client and partner management

• As a core member of the Governance Practice, pro-actively build, support, and maintain client and partner relationships.
• Identify new market opportunities and lead the pre-positioning, bid preparation and partner management for new governance opportunities. 
• Promote and champion governance reforms externally through thought leadership and knowledge management to deepen OPM’s external reach and impact.

Team contribution

• Develop strong and effective working relationships with other members of the Practice and other OPM colleagues.
• In close consultation with the Practice Lead, support technical and peer-learning on Governance-related issues
• Contribute to technical development activities by writing articles and participating in research and publication activities.
• Participate, through practice meetings and by other means, in the general development of the work of the Practice and OPM in general.
• Model OPM’s values, and share its passion for social impact.

Key qualifications/experience/skills/behaviours:

• At least 8 years of professional experience working with governments. For example: prior experience in design and delivery of technical assistance, advisory support to multilateral and bilateral development partners or prior work with civil society.
• Degree/post-graduate qualification in relevant discipline (for example, public policy, public administration, international development, economics, politics, conflict studies or related disciplines)
• Proven experience or active interest in at least 1-2 of the following technical areas: Systems Strengthening and Capacity Development, Decentralised Governance and Service Delivery, Nutrition governance, Democracy, conflict and peacebuilding, Political Economy Analysis and Thinking and Working Politically, Accountability and Inclusion, Digital Governance
• Experience contributing to and/or delivering complex and adaptive technical assistance projects in any context.
• Ability to influence governance-related policy, strategy, and interventions.
• Deep understanding of the drivers and challenges associated with government reform, particularly, the inadequate resources, incomplete information for decision-making, political incentives for change. 
• Previous experience in delivering small to medium projects to client satisfaction, including project and budget management, setting up workplans and timelines, and risk management.
• Good working knowledge of and ability to communicate findings to governments in simple and meaningful ways
• Experience of working in multi-cultural teams in politically sensitive and complex environments, and a willingness to continue to do so
• Analytical rigour and excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to learn and apply new approaches, policies, and tools in difficult and complex environments.
• Ability to switch between detailed and big picture thinking in developing approaches and solutions.
• Able to prioritise changing and competing demands and tasks, while consistently delivering quality work.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally as the need arises (travel restrictions permitting)
• Excellent problem solving, organising and management skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and clients, both verbally and in writing, including experience of negotiation with government officials, civil society, and staff of international aid agencies.

Our offer:

• We enable colleagues’ capacity to grow professionally through enhanced learning resources, opportunities to work cross functionally, and space to engage with a range of internal and external industry events.
• Our non-hierarchical culture values support, collaboration, intellectual curiosity, and a rich diversity of perspectives.
• We provide an exceptionally generous annual leave entitlement and a hybrid working model to encourage and enable healthy work/life balance.
• Wellbeing resources including a global Employee Assistance Programme and access to the UnMind app.
• Competitive salary and contributory pension scheme.

We are strengthened by the diversity of colleagues across our global business and are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace for all.  Our recruitment practices reflect our ambition to make the international development sector more inclusive and firm belief that our work delivers the best outcomes when we actively include a diversity of perspectives and experiences. 

Application

If you share our vision for fair public policy that benefits both people and planet, we would love to hear from you.  Please submit your application through our careers’ site Careers | Oxford Policy Management (opml.co.uk) by the indicated closing date.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role and candidates must have a pre-existing right to work in Tanzania for their application to be considered.

Oxford Policy Management is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of the business.  Should you require adjustments to make the application process more accessible please contact us via: recruitment@opml.co.uk.