We are recruiting a SEO Governance Adviser to lead our work on social accountability, civil society, and governance policy engagement. You would be expected to provide high quality, reliable, timely and relevant policy and governance advice to the British High Commission in these areas. You will provide political economy analysis and governance advice to enable the British High Commission to develop appropriate policies and programmes across our portfolio.

You will lead the British High Commission Kigali’s work on accountability and citizen engagement. This includes managing the implementation and monitoring of the UK Policy Engagement and Social Accountability programme, which uses a mixture of civil society grants and technical assistance to Government of Rwanda to address barriers to policy development and accountability. You should be able to identify, design, manage and lead clearly defined projects.

We are looking for someone with excellent awareness and judgment on issues around public sector governance, civil society, and accountability in Rwanda and with very strong influencing and negotiating skills. You will need to be comfortable working on governance and political analysis issues with a wide range of stakeholders, including with the British High Commission in Kigali, with the Rwandan Government, civil society and other development agencies. This is a senior role within the British High Commission Kigali, and requires strong leadership skills.

FCDO Governance Advisers support governance processes and reforms that enable development, stability, and inclusive growth and improved opportunities for the poorest and marginalised groups. In so doing, they play an important role in helping BHC Kigali address the underlying causes of poverty, which is central to Rwanda’s development vision, the UK Aid Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Roles and responsibilities

• Work as a senior member of the Political and Governance team in the British High Commission Kigali to contribute to our understanding of the governance, institutional and political context of Rwanda through regular reporting, engagement and analysis.
• Lead on advice across the office on public sector governance, civil society, and accountability, and other technical governance and political issues. Support other teams in conducting and using political economy analysis, ensuring that this is in line with best practice.
• Lead our bilateral programme and policy influencing portfolio on accountability, including through the Policy Engagement and Social Accountability component of our governance programme, working closely with the Senior Responsible Owner. Work closely with teams across the High Commission to ensure that we focus policy engagement on the issues that matter most to our wider development objectives. In 2023/24, the PESA programme is focused on accountability and policy advocacy in the areas of gender, climate change and planning.
• Contribute effectively to policy dialogue with the Government of Rwanda, and development partners on public sector governance, civil society, and accountability issues by building effective and working relations with a wide range of national and international stakeholders.
• Feed into the monitoring of governance trends in Rwanda and the reporting of governance results in BHC Kigali’s Country Business Plan, in close collaboration with the team leader, governance advisers and the results adviser.
• Work collaboratively within the Political and Governance team, and the broader High Commission, to achieve team objectives including providing cover and support to other team members where the need arises, and engaging in strategic planning, financial and corporate management.
• Engage actively with FCDO’s broader governance agenda, including sharing learning across the Governance cadre and Network. The job holder is required to contribute 10% of their time where feasible in support of the Governance cadre and Network.

• Experience of leading on development programmes with full understanding of the programme lifecycle.
• A proactive approach and a focus on continuous improvement of self and service, with an appetite to work with others to simplify processes and improve efficiency.
• Strong analytical and writing skills with attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively with counterparts, and influence policy
• Proven leadership experience
• The Successful candidate will need to show expertise in the following three Competencies: 
  • Governance Technical Primary Competency: Applied Governance and Political-Economy Analysis (or equivalent).

You understand governance evidence, policy and practice in a range of settings. You demonstrate knowledge of political systems, core governance concepts and drivers of governance change. You apply political and institutional analysis to influence planning, dialogue, policy and programming decisions

• • Governance Technical Competency: Accountable and Inclusive Politics (or equivalent):

You demonstrate knowledge on how to foster inclusive political systems—including on elections, parliaments, political parties, civil society and media, while managing the risks. You are able to influence and provide advice, set policy direction and programme leadership on political governance and accountability, working with HMG, and partners

• • Governance Technical Competency: Public Sector Governance and Service Delivery (or equivalent):

You demonstrate knowledge of public sector governance at national and local levels and application in particular sectors. You are able to influence and provide analytical, advisory and programme support to civil service and sector reform processes that contribute to the sustainable improvements in service delivery.