Senior Policy and Strategy Adviser

Do you want to be part of an innovative and impactful social enterprise? Do you have a strong policy and strategy skillset? Would you thrive in a small, highly motivated team? If so, this position with Kivu International is an ideal opportunity for you.

About us

Kivu International is a specialist advisory organisation dedicated to improving the policy responses to social and economic challenges in low- and middle-income countries. Our approach is locally-led: we do not dictate to others how to solve policy problems; instead we help local institutions to develop their own effective solutions. 

Since 2015 we have developed a strong reputation in the international development sector. We are proud of our track record of supporting partners to deliver lasting positive change in countries across Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

About you

This role will suit you if you have strong policy analysis skills and demonstrable political acumen. You also need excellent people skills, since the work involves developing and maintaining strong working relationships, sometimes in difficult contexts.

This is an ideal opportunity for an established policy influencing or policy development professional who wants to lead and work on projects that are both intellectually stimulating and involve plenty of hands-on delivery, as part of a small and high calibre team.

It’s OK if you haven’t worked in international development before. Many of our colleagues have joined us from roles in think tanks, public affairs, policy research, or the civil service. If you have a track record of achieving change in any political context, then we would love to hear from you.

About the role

The position offers a unique opportunity to develop a deep understanding of a range of interesting issues in different country contexts.

For non-government organisations Kivu’s work includes advising on policy influencing strategies, strengthening our partners’ approach to policy analysis, and to influencing and informing public debate. For government institutions the focus of our work is to strengthen our partners’ policy development, strategy, and implementation capabilities.

Day-to-day this involves relationship management, technical support on policy design, advice on strategies for achieving policy change, and programme management. As a Senior Adviser you will lead have responsibility for leading projects, working with local partners with a high degree of autonomy to achieve impact.

Every Kivu project is different, but you will find yourself working on are things like: 

• Providing trusted ongoing advice to senior local partners – from Presidential Advisers in Zambia to Executive Directors of Think Tanks in Myanmar.
• Supporting mid-career think tank researchers to develop practical policy solutions to difficult policy challenges – from tax reform in Bangladesh to public health in Sri Lanka.  
• Deepening Kivu’s understanding of the local political and economic landscape through interviews with local partners and experts. E.g., for a new project in Sierra Leone or ongoing work in Myanmar 
• Responding creatively to demands from local partners, for example giving rapid advice on analysing Government Budget announcements.  
• As well as your work on client projects, you will also get to contribute to the intellectual and organisational development of Kivu. We want you to help shape Kivu’s future evolution.

The position could either be as a Kivu employee or carried out on a secondment basis. The salary is up to £60,000 + benefits. You can be based in London and spend some of your time in our office here, or you can be fully remote based in the UK or overseas. In any case there will be significant international travel. 

To apply, please send us a CV and short cover letter via Escape the City. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Will Paxton on [email removed - click apply for more details]