Palladium
About the job
Are you a political animal, well connected with diverse networks and a good knowledge of who is who in key sectors of government in Malawi?
Are you a strong driver with emotional intelligence – task oriented but happy to explain your reasoning and methodology to your team with excellent relational awareness?
Are you conversant with the key development issues facing Malawi and keen to try new ways of approaching old problems in the emerging and changing context?
Do you have the ability to manage several disparate iss ue-based programmes with their varied implementation pressures on tight timelines with quality delivery?
Do you have the self assurance to give issue based programme facilitators the space to experiment, to take informed risks to be prepared to fail fast and change direction when necessary?
Are you comfortable navigating uncertainty, not knowing precisely what the endgame is but with the confidence to take that first step into exploring the unknown with an expectation of identifying several pathways of change as you proceed?
Are you familiar with Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation and Thinking and Working Politically, which is what makes Traction so different?
Can you quickly connect activities with financing and communicate changes in real time which may affect financial management?
If so this role, ideally for a Malawian national living in Malawi, is for you. Palladium seeks an Issue Based Programme Manager for the Transparency and Accountability to improve Economic Development and Service Delivery (Traction).
Project Overview And Role
Traction tackles solvable elements of the complex problems that hold back growth and effective public service provision in Malawi. We seek out and bring together individuals and organisations with the motivation, influence/credibility, and experience to find solutions, then support them to deliver change. Our partners come from across society: citizen groups, private companies, entrepreneurs, traditional leaders, academics, civil servants, and politicians. We have two key components:
- Issue-based Programmes: providing tailored, practical support to groups of partners (coalitions), to develop, test and deliver innovative, workable solutions.
- Political Economy Analysis Fund: understanding the realities of power and relationships in Malawi to build a solid knowledge base for key stakeholders and to select appropriate issues and achievable solutions.
Traction represents a new approach to development: risk-taking, adaptive, and agile. It delivers systemic change through tangible improvements to Malawi’s operating environment. We do not provide grants in support of donor defined agendas and we do not have a pre-defined policy agenda. Palladium works with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With teams on the ground in over 90 countries, our clients rely on us to bring local knowledge, unparalleled technical expertise, and an impact-focused precision to bear on their most complex projects. We manage large-scale, global social and economic change initiatives, and delivering on-time and on-budget in any context is a given. Every program we take on is delivered flawlessly while safeguarding those we serve. In this programme we are seeking to harness our global as well as rich local expertise to engage various stakeholders in Malawi.
Traction takes an agile, iterative approach to delivering development, with a particular focus on service delivery and economic growth that requires involvement of all interested stakeholders from government, civil society and private sector.
Overview Of The Role
The Issue-Based Programme Manager (IBM) will oversee the programme management of the issue-based workstreams. The role of the IBM will be to provide day to day management including planning and reporting and staff performance and oversight of issue-based work including overseeing the work of Issue-Based Facilitators (IBFs) and any Short Term advisors contracted directly to work on specific IBPs. Since Traction is a Governance programme knowledge of governance is important to this role, but above all it requires strong leadership and management skills to build and then manage an issue based team to deliver.
Primary Duties And Responsibilities
Design and implementation of the issue-based approach
- With support from the Governance Lead and the Coalitions and Advocacy Advisor, and the Monitoring Learning and Adaptation Lead, develop and deliver the Traction issue-based approach, develop cross-cutting tools and mechanisms/processes for the diagnostic work, embedded Political Economy Analysis (PEA), relationship and network building and strategic communications and advocacy to guide issue-based activities and interventions to support achievement of programme objectives
- Lead on the development and refinement of the Issue Selection Criteria and consultation with key stakeholders including our client the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Malawi, the Programme Advisory Committee and private and public stakeholders, and take overall responsibility for the portfolio of issues on which Traction is working.
- Oversee the maintenance of a long list of issues from which short lists of issues for deeper exploration will periodically be produced. Manage appropriate analysis and consultation processes including deep dive PEA work. Apply an economic understanding & business experience to specific problems to help contribute towards Malawi’s economic development, part of Traction’s mandate.This will include liaising closely with the Private Sector Advisor and drawing on your own private sector networks and those of the wider Traction team.
- Set up processes and mechanisms to deliver the issue-based approach to ensure a culture of adaptive management which responds to learning throughout the programme.
Management of the Issue Based Programme team
- Operational oversight of the issue-based work including management and coordination of the planning and reporting related to the issue-based scoping and projects activities and interventions.
- Oversight and management of the diagnostic work and embedded PEA to support the issue-based team undertake issue-based work, including identifying and managing technical inputs.
- Support the issue-based team to build effective networks and leverage relationships with a broad range of private and public sector institutions including media and advocacy organisations.
- Supervise the Issue Based Programmes Coordinator in their supporting role with the IBFs
- Contribute to and oversee the development of issue-based project strategies and action plans in collaboration with other Traction core team members and advisors.
- Mentor and coach the issue-based facilitators to develop the skills necessary to problem solve & strategise in an entrepreneurial way with the aim of building a strong, locally-led team capable of delivering a politically smart issue-based programme.
- Encourage innovative thinking within the team, including in leading by example.
- Apply a human centred lens to problems and coaching and mentoring the issue-based facilitators to do the same.
- With support from the Coalitions and Advocacy Advisor, the Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion Advisor and the
- Communications Advisor, develop skills in the IBFs and coalitions in the use of media and advocacy within the issue-based programmes.
- Provide oversight and liaison between issue based facilitators and the Traction team to analyse problems to get to the root causes, drawing on support from the core and wider Traction team, including the PEA team and private sector advisors.
- Liaise with the Governance Lead to drive the implementation of the Test, Learn, Adapt cycle of all issue-based projects including analysis of results and process with clear learning and recommendations
- Work with the Monitoring, Learning and Adaptation (MLA) Lead and Governance Lead for ongoing revision of the technical approach based on learning from Issue Based Projects.
Strategic Partnerships
- Support the Team Leader to develop close working relationships with other donor funded programmes related to the issue work
- Attend meetings with other relevant organisations to build strategic relationships, and share learning opportunities between such programmes and Traction.
Programme Management
- Input into the development of workplans and milestones for FCDO, submitting all necessary plans and budgets in a timely manner
- Manage IBP related risks on the Risk Register to minimize exposure to schedule delays, quality issues, and cost overruns which could impact the work of the IBPs and the overall Traction programme. Review on a quarterly basis and flag key risks into regular client reports.
Timeframe And Level Of Effort (LoE)
This is a Full Time position. The contract period will be in line with the project year ending in July 2023.
Location:
The post is domiciled in Lilongwe but will be required to make some travel within Malawi, and occasionally internationally. The IBM will work as part of the core Traction team at the Traction Office in Lilongwe. Traction takes a flexi-working approach with core days/hours in the office mixed with working from home. Work location is flexible around core meetings that will be determined by the Team Leader.
Reporting Lines
The IBM reports to the Team Leader and liaises closely with the Monitoring, Learning and Adaptation (MLA) Lead, Governance Lead, and Finance and Operations Manager. The IBM directly line manages the Issue Based Programme Coordinator. The IBM is also supported by the Coalitions and Advocacy Advisor Private Sector Advisor, the GESI Advisor and the Communications Advisor.
Company Overview
About Palladium – Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people’s lives.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.
Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.