Poverty and Social Protection Consultant

Join our dynamic team at OPM's Poverty and Social Protection team, where we lead impactful projects spanning the global policy cycle. Collaborating with diverse experts across Kenya, Tanzania, Germany, Pakistan, and the UK, we tackle challenges from data-driven poverty analysis to building resilient social protection systems. We seek a Senior Consultant to lead business development, technical leadership, and strategic delivery, fostering fair, inclusive, and sustainable social policies. If you're an experienced professional with a passion for driving positive change, adept at client engagement, and skilled in project management, we invite you to contribute to our mission and grow with us.

As a team, we implement a range of different projects that span the policy cycle and different aspects of social protection and social services. We work globally, supported by a wide network of trusted associates. Our current work includes largescale data and poverty analysis to end extreme poverty, conducting regional analysis of social protection across 17 countries, looking at shock responsive or adaptive social protection, anticipatory and forecast based action, and nutrition sensitive social protection, and research to understand the impact of social assistance mechanisms in Rwanda.

As part of our growth strategy, we are looking to hire a senior consultant for OPM’s Poverty and Social Protection team to take on business development, technical leadership, bidding ownership, client relationships and contributing to strategic delivery. Our experienced team supports governments, donors and development partners in  low- and middle-income countries to develop social protection systems that are fair, inclusive, effective and efficient, nationally-owned, sustainable, and tailored to the local context.

We are looking for a colleague who has strong research skills, analytical rigor, a solid technical understanding and experience of working on social protection in multiple countries and with various development clients. We are seeking someone who possesses a well-established reputation within the social protection sector. You will have the opportunity to work across and lead a range of projects that are on-going within the team and later, to build a pipeline of work through bidding for new projects.

We are looking for someone who is technically competent but who is also able to develop and deliver projects by mobilizing specific and cross-cutting expertise from across the company and external networks. Project management expertise, including team and budget management, as well as experience with client management, engagement and networking is essential, as is experience in developing and implementing projects. We are looking for an individual who wants to further develop their profile and reputation as a thought leader for OPM. The ideal candidate would also have some experience of leading the delivery and implementation of social protection projects in a team leader role.

This role requires demonstrable line management experience, supporting the development and expertise of junior colleagues. The candidate will actively participate in developing the team’s strategy and taking responsibility for growing and overseeing an area of our work. 

If this sounds like an interesting challenge to you, come and join us!

What we do 

Our areas of expertise include:  

• Poverty, inequality, and vulnerability measurement and analysis, including the use of big data and new techniques to improve the granularity and frequency of measures;
• Mapping and diagnostics of existing social protection policies and systems;
• Supporting the development of financially and politically feasible social protection strategies, encompassing social assistance, social insurance, social services, and labour market policies;
• Supporting the design of integrated national programmes and their delivery systems;
• Supporting effective programme implementation with a focus on operational elements of delivery, (including targeting mechanisms; information systems and digitisation; monitoring and evaluation frameworks; service standards, accountability mechanisms and performance management; and institutional reform); 
• Supporting shock-responsive social protection including a focus on humanitarian linkages and building resilience; 
• Supporting economic inclusion or graduation approaches which combine social assistance with support to strengthening human capital and livelihoods; and
• Strengthening programme implementation and the global evidence base through rigorous independent monitoring and evaluation of impact, process, and costs.

What we are looking for

• Business development – You can lead on or contribute to bidding for medium / large PSP projects (often cross-country or cross-practice), by effectively collaborating cross-business with OPM’s Bid, Finance, Legal, HR and Implementation Teams.
• Client engagement - You know how to engage with senior government officials and development partners and how to build and sustain good relationships. Supporting the market development initiatives, including fostering good relationships with lead / prime organizations, clients including donor agencies and partner government ministries, taking an active role in developing new areas of work and potential new relationships through existing or new networks and contacts.
• Technical - You bring experience in research methods (quantitative, qualitative and/or mixed methods). You will also have experience in delivering and managing effective and evidence-driven approaches to ensure high quality policy advice and technical assistance.
• Strategic - Leading social protection projects, comprising the direct provision of technical inputs and/or managing inputs from other sectoral or cross-cutting specialists, as required.
• Line management – You have demonstrable experience managing junior team members, supporting their development and career progression through constructive conversations and performance management.
• Interpersonal skills – You can flex your working style to meet the needs of the client, colleague or partner to achieve desired outcomes. You are a confident communicator, able to get complex ideas across in simple terms. You have attention to detail and can quality assure deliverables to meet expectations. You work collegiately.    
• Risk management – You are comfortable and experienced with compliance and risk management requirements, adhering to internal policies, processes and procedures including reporting, HR and financial management systems.
• Reputation management – You have done or are willing to participate in the practice’s external influencing activities, such as delivering seminars, both internally and externally, publishing in peer reviewed journals, and presenting at conferences.
• Flexibility – You are comfortable undertaking other duties reasonably required by the Practice lead.

Qualifications and essential experience

• Business development - Demonstrable and successful experience in business development and competitive bidding across a variety of clients, with proven experience of bidding, bid management, and client engagement is a must;
• Technical - Track record of leading and delivering high quality and impactful research, evaluation and technical assistance projects in low- and middle-income countries focusing on the development, strengthening and implementation of policy relevant to social protection;
• Communications - Excellent writing and communication skills in English, with sound attention to the quality of written or visual materials, reports and documents, strong stakeholder engagement ability and excellent interpersonal skills particularly in handling challenging situations and people;
• Client - Experience of working with/delivering project with/for a range of clients, which may include UNICEF, WFP, UNHCR (and other UN agencies), development banks (such as WB and ADB), FCDO, EU/European donors, and private foundations;
• Academic - Post-graduate degree in a relevant discipline.
• Sector - Proven experience in a relevant social policy area with at least 7 years’ directly relevant experience in social protection;
• Project management - setting up workplans and budgets, delivering projects within time and budget constraints, and managing teams of consultants, both internal and external;
• Flexibility - Ability and willingness to travel internationally (travel restrictions permitting); and
• Location - The right to work in OPM’s country office. Please note this role is situated in our Indonesia office and bi- or multi-lingual ability is required.  

Desirable additional experience

• Network - Extensive and active professional profile/networks with stakeholders working in this domain internationally, including consultants, potential partner organisations and client/donor institutions;
• Profile - Evidence of relevant publications (e.g., research/evaluations, articles, blogs, books)

Our work bridges the gap between evidence and practice. We produce high-quality, leading thinking that addresses the drivers of poverty and barriers to sustainable growth to help bring about change where it is needed most. Working at OPM allows each of us to play our part in that over-arching mission.

Above all of this, we are committed to helping all our employees to develop personally and professionally. Build your career with us and you’ll benefit from training and learning opportunities, internal knowledge sharing, and a network of experienced colleagues. We encourage a healthy work-life balance, and our working environment is informed by an open, supportive culture. OPM also offers a very generous holiday allowance and contributory pension scheme, as well as a highly competitive salary.

Application Process:

If you possess the necessary skillset, we invite you to upload your CV on our recruitment system. Please note that we reserve the right to interview on a rolling basis and close the advert when a suitable candidate has been recruited.

Background Check:

As members of the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, we conduct broad screening checks including suitable employment references related to conduct during previous employment.

***Please note*** Previous applicants need not apply.