Senior Policy and Strategy Adviser - Supporting Developing World Partners

About us

Kivu International is a specialist international development organisation based in London. We are 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.

We work with think tanks, interest groups, civil society organisations and the private sector to inform and influence policy, or hold governments to account. We also provide support direct to government, focusing on the strategic centre including several Presidential Offices

Since 2015 we have developed a strong reputation in the international development sector. Our unique approach means we have had a disproportionately large impact for such a small organisation. We are proud of our track record of supporting partners to deliver lasting positive change in countries across Africa and South East Asia. In 2022 we expanded our work into the Asia Pacific with a significant multi-year project in Papua New Guinea.

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, or policy research If you have a track record of achieving change in a political context, then we would love to hear from you.

About the role

The main focus in this role will be to lead the delivery of our project in Papua New Guinea. 

As part of the Building Community Engagement Partnership, Kivu have already begun to build local coalitions and identify issues to work on, including youth unemployment and gender-based violence. 

The position offers a unique opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the social, economic and political issues in a country that few people are familiar with. And to work with and support local PNG organisations respond to the many varied challenges the country faces. 

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. International development can be difficult at times, but it is also highly rewarding, and offers the chance to support lasting improvements in peoples’ lives.

Although a lot of your work will relate to PNG, you will have opportunities to get involved in other projects. Every Kivu project is different, but the sorts of issues that 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 a difficult policy challenge – from tax reform in Bangladesh to public health in Sri Lanka.

• Responding creatively to demands from local partners, for example giving rapid advice on conducting post-Government Budget analysis.

• Convening policy influencing between several civil society organisations – from local coalitions in Malawi to large-scale public campaigns in Nepal.

• Deepening Kivu’s understanding of local context through interviews with local partners and experts. E.g., for a new project in Sierra Leone or ongoing work in Myanmar.

• 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 salary is up to £60,000 + benefits.

You will be spending at least half your time in PNG for at least two years. We're open to a variety of ways of making that work. You could choose to relocate to PNG full time, or to spend a block of time there (1 - 2 months) and then the same period at home in the UK. You might even be interested in relocating to another part of the Asia Pacific as your main base, or exploring the region as a ‘digital nomad’. 

For an informal conversation about the role, please send a CV to Will Paxton on [email removed - click apply for more details]