Job Summary
Reporting to the Country Head, Kenya, the post holder will drive the Kenya Tech for Development programme, leading a tech team based in country. The post holder will also work closely with TBI’s Global Director Tech for Development and his/her team to deliver our global plan.
Minimum Qualification:Bachelor
Experience Level:Senior level
Experience Length:6 years
Job Description/Requirements
Focus of the Role
Are you excited by the prospect of transforming developing
and emerging nations in Africa through the application of technology and
innovations across public services, agriculture, health and climate? Do
you have experience of consulting or working in the tech field and of
leading teams to drive systemic and transformative change in an emerging
or developing country?
Our main objective in this strategically important role is to rapidly
deploy a tech for development initiative in Kenya, which has been
enabled by a dynamic external partner across existing and new operations
in our Government Advisory and Tech & Public Policy divisions. This
landmark initiative will be delivered in 30 countries, with activity in
Kenya starting immediately.
We have an advisory team embedded in Kenya focusing on supporting the
delivery of government priorities that are intended to have a
significant effect on development outcomes as an anchor function of the
Centre of Government. Within this framework, an exciting opportunity
exists to work with the relevant ministries to implement a suite of
technology products to support the health response and more.
Reporting to the Country Head, Kenya, the post holder will drive the
Kenya Tech for Development programme, leading a tech team based in
country. The post holder will also work closely with TBI’s Global
Director Tech for Development and his/her team to deliver our global
plan.
This is a senior role requiring an exceptional candidate with
relevant expertise, deep networks with government and/or industry in
country or other peer countries.
Job Introduction
Key outcomes of the role
Under the direction of the Country Head and in line with the Kenya
project’s strategy and positioning, establishing and/or maintaining
effective and trusted relationships with senior politicians in
government, such ministers and special advisors, supporting the mandate
with at least one key counterpart as regular contact;
Delivery of our tech for development country programme plan created and staffed with engaged and results oriented people;
Tangible results delivered in tech for development, such as
deployment of solutions ranging from the current pandemic response and
digital health offer, to proximate use cases such as digital payments,
digital ID and other identified opportunities;
Thought leadership recognised in country/regionally/globally and
contribution to our tech for development global offer and playbook; and
Expenditure in line with budget.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy and Planning: Design, maintain and
continually improve: (i) the country strategy for tech for development;
and (ii) plans and tools to roll out the strategy from one tech domain
to another, within one ministry or across government.
Government Relations: As agreed
with the Country Head, maintain trusted relationships with senior
politicians in government at key loci including key ministers and
special advisors in line with the country project strategy and
positioning. Secure mandates with at least one key counterpart as
regular contact (as indicated by the current country project and
positioning), in service of our mission to support political leaders to
achieve results that benefit the people of the country and in service of
our tech for development initiative.
Execution and Monitoring: Establish, review and
maintain project goals, plans, proof points and KPIs. Serve as the focal
point for tech for development in country, project and output quality
control and design tools to support execution. Report and engage with
Country Head Kenya, and the Global Director Tech for Development and
his/her team to drive delivery, ideate, troubleshoot and manage the
initiative across TBI. Ensure expenditure is utilised in line with
budget with robust management accounts and accountability established.
Ensure all necessary risk, legal and financial compliance and processes
are in place.
People:Recruit, manage and develop a country team
(incl. Project Manager and sector experts as required). Shape and
embody a culture that drives innovation and delivery. Provide quality
control of new hires and ongoing development and mentoring. The post
holder and his/her team will be expected to play a key role in the
broader community at TBI and will be expected to build strong working
relationships.
External Relations (non-governmental):As agreed
with the Country Head and in line with the country project strategy and
positioning, engage with relevant external stakeholders such as tech
hubs/incubators, investors, other not for profit organisations, media,
suppliers and agencies.
One TBI:The post holder will formally report into
the Country Head Kenya and form part of the wider team and country
programme. They will be matrixed on deliverables and work with the
Global Director, Tech for Development based in London and his/her team.
Other key relationships will be with the Executive Directors for
External Relations, Government Advisory, Tech & Public Policy, and
our Legal, HR and Finance support teams.
Person Specification
We are looking for an experienced team leader:
With experience in business operations, technology, consulting or
advisory functions and demonstrable experience in technology enterprises
or programmes;
With a minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in management consulting or government advisory;
With prior experience in emerging markets, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa;
With a strong understanding of the Kenyan ICT eco-system and the
Government of Kenya machinery, its structures and operating environment;
With the ability to navigate complex political environments and
network capability with Kenyan private sector technology firms (domestic
and international) and within Government of Kenya;
Who is strategic and can challenge the status-quo and develop plans for successful delivery of challenging objectives;
Who commits to business objectives and pulls out the stops to make sure they are met;
With outstanding management skills and the proven ability to build and inspire teams to achieve exceptional objectives;
With the ability to work under pressure and to coordinate with multi-disciplinary advisors;
With exceptional communication, problem-solving, strategic planning, and project management skills;
Who has worked or consulted in developing and emerging economies
and is sensitive to a diverse range of cultural and regional norms, and
will foster a positive spirit of collaboration between our countries and
our tech development offer;
Who has educational experience in economics, business
administration and management, technology/engineering or other related
fields (Master's degree or equivalent bachelor’s with experience); and
Prior work with the Government of Kenya is highly desirable.
Fluency in English required. Fluency in Swahili an advantage (oral and written)
About The Institute
The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for
profit organisation. It exists to equip political leaders and
governments with the tools to create open, inclusive and prosperous
societies in a globalised world.
We do this within two connected divisions:
Government Advisory
Our Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders
and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the
lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client
base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across
countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.
Policy Futures
Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas:
Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic
policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics;
Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and
Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world.
What we believe in as an organisation:
Open and Progressive – you’ll believe in the value of teamwork
Bold and Pragmatic – you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity
Optimistic Changemakers – you’ll be focused on results
TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place
to work. It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively
welcome applications from individuals and groups who are
under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it
ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation
or disability.
We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role.
We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level
playing field during recruitment and, if you're successful, discuss any
adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.
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