Senior Government Policy Adviser – Supporting Centres of Government in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (Zambia)

About us 

Kivu is a specialist international development organisation dedicated to improving policy responses to economic and social 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 develop their own effective solutions. 

As part of our work Kivu provides strategic and technical advice to political leaders and senior government officials and advisers to enable them to bring about meaningful and politically feasible change.  

Since 2015, we have built a strong reputation for supporting local partners to deliver positive and lasting change in several African and Asian countries. We have extensive experience of supporting centres of government achieve strategic reform. This includes working with the centres of government in Malawi and Zambia and supporting strategic policy reforms in Egypt. 

About you 

This role will suit you if you have direct experience of advising governments on policy, strategy and implementation, or if you have skills and experiences that mean you would be well placed to do this. It will require strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and demonstrable political acumen. You also need excellent people skills since the work involves developing and maintaining strong working relationships. 

This is an ideal opportunity for an established policy adviser professional who wants to lead and work on intellectually stimulating projects that involve plenty of hands-on delivery. 

We welcome candidates who have experience of working as advisers in governments in low to middle income countries, or for governments in other contexts. However, prior government experience while desirable is not essential. What is essential is a proven track record of being able to drive and deliver change.  

The role will entail providing advice on key economic development issues and associated social policy issues in Zambia. It will therefore suit people with strong economic policy expertise, though formal training in economics is not essential.  

About the role 

The role’s core focus will be supporting the day-to-day delivery of our centre of government policy advisory team in Zambia. This team includes a mix of Zambian and International experts. It is tasked with providing policy advice on key economic reforms in Zambia. Recent examples include developing policies to stimulate job creation, agricultural reform, and private sector growth.  

The work involves engagement at a high level within government, working on the Zambian government’s top economic policy priorities. The work will be intellectually engaging and challenging—it can be difficult at times—but it is also highly rewarding and helps to achieve real and lasting improvements in people’s lives. 

Day-to-day, it will involve relationship management, technical support on policy design and advising partners on how to deliver policy change, and programme management. The role would entail working with government partners with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility to achieve impact.  

In addition to your work in Zambia you will contribute to Kivu's intellectual and organisational development. We want you to help shape Kivu’s future evolution. You would also have an opportunity to contribute to other future Kivu projects supporting government policymakers.   

Salary and Practicalities  

The salary is £60,000 + benefits, with more for exceptional candidates.  

The position would be based in Zambia, with in-country costs covered by Kivu, including relocation costs, but there is flexibility on these arrangements and we would consider other options of making it work for the right person.  

Please submit a cover letter along with your CV.