Countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America

Organization: Results for Development Institute

Closing date: 9 Feb 2024

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

The Governance Action Hub

The Governance Action Hub seeks to explore what is possible by connecting different people and networks, focusing on targeted action that complements or strengthens existing efforts.

The Action Hub understands governance as the ecosystem needed to achieve common, desirable, societal goals, necessitating a reconsideration of our strategies. This rethinking requires the agency of local stakeholders, and engaging them in the solutions of challenges they face. We plan to do this through strengthening collective action strategies, elevating and supporting local stakeholder ideas, promoting cross-learning, and facilitating the coordination of local and global action. These will occur at the country and global levels.

At the country level, the Action Hub fosters coordination with national or international partners to support radical collaboration, elevate voices, and support problem-solving by testing solutions proposed by local stakeholders. At the global level, the Action Hub aims to progressively build a global community that promotes exchange and cross-learning between and among local and global level actors, leveraging new voices and connecting actors with different perspectives and experiences.

Opportunity

The Governance Action Hub is looking for an Associate Director with significant expertise in the field of governance and an entrepreneurial mindset to lead our country engagement. The selected candidate will support country stakeholder involvement in the pursuit of governance objectives they deem important by engaging local organizations, promoting collaboration, eliciting cross-learning and identifying collaboratively promising ideas for seed funding.

We dub this Associate Director role as Lead in collaborative exploration because the selected candidate is expected to be an active convener of different players in each country, identify opportunities for collaboration between local organizations, as well as connecting them to international initiatives that can support those efforts or increase their impact.

The Lead will manage a team of staff, consultants and interns, local and international, that will identify and elevate ideas from local stakeholders serving as a connector between local and global action. They will coordinate work with our local partners that leads to the collaborative generation of solutions to concrete challenges, the testing of those solutions, pursuing impact through changes in policy and the bridging of implementation gaps in existing efforts.

The Lead will coordinate deep dive program engagements in at least four countries, and support the Governance Action Hub director in global engagement and thought leadership efforts. The successful candidate will need to be comfortable actively engaging government officials, private sector leaders, civil society organizations with broad and diverse perspectives, and be able to leverage the Governance Action Hub’s global partnerships for larger in country impact.

Experience working in governance, anticorruption, climate action, public revenue management, or energy transition processes is strongly desirable. Familiarity with the context of one or more of these topics in the following countries: Peru, Philippines, Ghana, Colombia or the Southern Africa region are desirable.

Rather than a program manager or lead, we are looking for someone with a startup mindset in the exploration of new ways to pursue better governance and control of corruption, focused on impact, rather than project implementation. An active and empathetic listener, willing to constantly review their priors, and willing to sustain existential flexibility to better support local stakeholders in achieving the impact they pursue.

The Associate Director must be a highly-motivated self-starter, a creative problem solver, have strong analytical, communication and collaboration skills, and will have a commitment to excellence and producing results.

You will join a small team of non-specialists that is resourceful, responsible, tenacious, high-energy, and with a positive attitude—a team with a mission to explore what is possible in governance reform and action.

The position requires willingness and availability to travel internationally on a regular basis. The position reports to the Governance Action Hub director.

This position allows for a hybrid office/remote work environment and may be based in the US or one of R4D's registered offices such as Abuja, Accra, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, or London. Salary will be based on experience, equity analysis against similar roles within the organization, and cost of living in the country/region of residence. For reference, the salary range for candidates based in the United States will be between $115,000 and $135,00. Shortlisted candidates may request an estimated salary range adjusted for the cost of living in their country of residence at the beginning of the interview process. Please note, R4D does not currently sponsor work visas to the United States, and this position does not include international relocation or expatriate benefits.

Responsibilities

• Strengthen The Governance Action Hub networks and influence in relevant communities at the country, regional and global levels.

• Manage key partner relationships to build the Governance Action Hub’s position and credibility wherever it works.

• Actively brokering and building relationships between country stakeholders and partners, allies in other countries in the Global South, or global level organizations and resources.

• Coordinate and collaborate remotely with global and country teams and experts, providing leadership and input on activities specific to each place, including undertaking or coordinating research or synthesizing /facilitating access to resources, tools and innovations; draft strategies, and related policy advice.

• Overseeing the delivery of technical assistance and products through coordinating workstream and personnel.

• Develop and facilitate workshops and/or participate in events where key stakeholders (government and development partners) may be present in order to support capacity development and/or program and policy design; these may be virtual or in-person.

• Provide internal and external technical and thought leadership by:

• representing Governance Action Hub at events, conferences, workshops, and speaking engagements, both in-person (international travel expected) and virtually contributing to technical guidance.

• coordinating and collaborating closely with country partners/stewards to provide technical input and expertise, quality assurance reviews, and strategic insight as requested.

• Manage high level stakeholder relationships including with governments, donors, development partners, and others.

• Work closely with Governance Action Hub director to expand the program globally, building relationships with government and development partners and co-designing partnerships.

• Manage and coach staff and specialist consultants to provide high quality technical assistance in the region.

• Participate fully as a member of R4D by contributing, assisting, and participating in projects, activities, and initiatives as requested by management.

Qualifications

• Successful candidates are likely to have the following qualifications:

• 12+ years of relevant work experience in the fields of international development, governance, business administration and/or public policy.

• Proven cultural sensitivity and listening skills, including extensive experience living and working in the Global South, or working with civil society, private sector, and /or government agencies in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, or Latin America.

• Start-up mindset and experience managing experimental / proof of concept portfolios in international settings.

• Experience in business development to scale up or adapt proof of concept portfolios.

• Exceptional oral & written communication skills.

• Ability to deliver high-quality outputs and results within tight timeframes.

• Comfort working with a diverse team of colleagues from many different countries, cultures, and backgrounds.

• Proven thought leadership in relevant themes to the Governance Action Hub, such as governance, anti-corruption, climate action, energy transition, development entrepreneurship, or revenue management.

• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English, with Spanish and/or French highly desirable.

• Productive, energetic, creative, and task-oriented.

• Adept at exchanging constructive feedback.

• Equally comfortable and capable of working independently and in teams.

• Highly collaborative and approachable.

• Enthusiastic about joining a diverse and inclusive work environment.

How to apply

Please click here to apply.