Application Deadline: 31-03-2017
Description
Job Description
Oxford Policy Management (OPM) are recruiting for a full time Country
Director for OPM Tanzania, based in Dar es Salaam. This is a unique
opportunity for an individual enthusiastic about leading and growing a
high performing, values-based organisation that supports public policy
research, evaluation and reform in Tanzania.
This document has
four sections: an introduction to OPM, an outline of the key
responsibilities of the Country Director, a description of the key
capabilities that the successful candidate requires, and a summary of
the recruitment process.
OPM Tanzania
OPM’s network of
international offices brings together the best global and national
expertise to deliver responses that are appropriate to local
circumstances. These offices enable us to generate deep insight into
contextually specific policy problems and develop meaningful long-term
partnerships with clients and stakeholders.
OPM opened its
Tanzania office in 2013, with an emphasis on implementing high quality
and complex data collection exercises. We now employ nine full-time
staff, who work across multiple projects, focused on generating high
quality policy-relevant research and evaluation.
Some of these projects include:
Mixed-Methods Impact Evaluation of the Education Quality Improvement
Programme (EQUIP-T), Tanzania (DFID)
(http://www.opml.co.uk/projects/improving-primary-education-assessing-impact-education-quality-improvement-programme)
Mixed-Methods data collection for the impact evaluation of mNutrition,
Tanzania (DFID)
(http://www.opml.co.uk/projects/evaluating-innovative-mnutrition-programme)
The Sensors are Here! A High-Resolution Application on Understanding
Individual Travel Patterns in African Cities, Tanzania (World Bank)
(http://www.opml.co.uk/projects/sensors-are-here-high-resolution-application-understanding-individual-travel-patterns)
Key responsibilities of the Country Director
The key responsibilities of the Country Director are as follows:
Lead strategy development and implementation according to targets. The
Country Director will oversee and manage a collaborative process for the
development and implementation of the Tanzania office strategy and
alignment with the overall company strategy.
Lead on business
development activities and represent OPM externally. As a representative
of OPM, the Country Director will be expected to engage with potential
clients and partners, secure new projects and explore new areas of work
for the Tanzania office. This will include the management of OPM’s
interests in dealing with government, development partners, coalition/
bidding partners, networks and media. The Country Director will also
represent OPM in strategic meetings, conferences, forums and other
public events and contributing towards consolidating and raising the
profile of OPM.
Provide technical leadership to enable and support
the successful delivery of projects. The Country Director will be
responsible for managing, and supporting the management of, projects in
the Tanzania office. This will involve ensuring outputs are of high
quality and building systems to ensure effective project delivery.
Support the successful development staff. The Country Director will be
expected to manage staff in a way that enables successful project
delivery, as well as meaningful career progression. This will involve
building capacity for project management and technical inputs amongst
staff.
Drive organisational development. As OPM grows and evolves,
in Tanzania and globally, in a changing market and external environment,
our systems, structures and processes also need to continually adapt.
The Country Director will play a key role in envisioning and supporting
organisational development within Tanzania and globally, especially in
terms of how networked arrangements with Oxford and other offices can be
optimised.
Promote a modern, positive, gender-sensitive working
culture. OPM is a non-hierarchical, informal organisation. All staff and
their inputs and opinions are valued equally. The Country Director will
play an important role in safeguarding and sustaining this culture.
Key capabilities required for the role
Below, we outline the knowledge, skills and values that we believe are
required for the role. Rather than codify years and type of experience
required, we will look to candidates to demonstrate to us that they
possess these capabilities as well as others that they identify as
predicates for success. We welcome candidates from non-traditional
backgrounds.
Knowledge and experience
At its core, OPM
is a public sector consulting company that relies on project work for
its funding. To successfully set strategic direction and support and
enable domain leads, the Country Director requires an understanding of
the market that OPM operates in and the structural characteristics of
what kind of organisation can be successful in that market. The
successful candidate will need to demonstrate to us that they have the
experience and capabilities to fulfil this requirement, which might
include experience working with government, donors, international
organisations, or other non-government actors that engage with the
public sector.
It is also expected that the Country Director
may come from a particular technical background and he/she will be
expected to demonstrate how he/she has developed knowledge, experience
and legitimacy in this field.
Skills
The Country Director needs to demonstrate the following skills:
Strong leadership skills, including the demonstrated ability to inspire
staff to be committed, encourage them to continuously strive for
improvement, ensure they focus on achieving OPM’s mission, strategy,
goals and priorities, and mobilise the resources they require to
succeed.
Strong management skills, in terms of organising people,
structures, systems and processes to deliver plans efficiently and
effectively, managing performance and motivating teams.
Strategy
development and capacity development skills, which will involve creative
thinking and collaborative planning on how to best deliver on OPM’s
mission in Tanzania.
Senior technical consultancy skills, preferably
in the area of research methods and data collection and/or monitoring
and evaluation. Experience working in social policy, economic policy,
and governance will also be a strong asset.
A flexible and
problem-solving working style, including the ability to adapt to
changing circumstances, as well as comfort working in a fast-growing
matrixed organisation.
Interpersonal and communication skills, in
order to externally represent OPM successfully to diverse stakeholders
to positively advance the reputation of the organisation.
Fluency in English is required; Kiswahili skills will be highly advantageous.
Values
OPM’s success is predicated on the maintenance of a values-based
working culture, focused on maximising the impact of our work, not the
bottom line. The ideal candidate will demonstrate understanding of what
it takes to build and maintain a positive, inclusive, and gender
sensitive working culture. They will have high levels of integrity, and
act with consistency and respectfulness at all times. They will be
empathetic, with strong communication and interpersonal skills.
As a mentor and leader, the ideal candidate will be relentlessly
positive with a can-do attitude, constructive and supportive, yet be
able to challenge and take hard decisions where required. They will be
able to juggle multiple competing priorities and be able to deliver to
tight deadlines. They will also be ambitious for the potential for OPM
to continue to grow and achieve impact in Tanzania.
Application Instructions
Online application, click APPLY below