The Poverty and Social Protection (PSP) team at Oxford Policy Management is currently seeking an Assistant Consultant on a permanent basis.

The position can be located in any of the following OPM offices: India, Pakistan or Tanzania.

We are an international development consultancy working to improve lives through sustainable policy change in low- and middle-income countries. Our vision is for fair public policy that benefits both people and the planet.

Through our global network of offices, we work in partnership with national stakeholders and decision-makers to research, design, implement and evaluate impactful public policy. We draw on the expertise of our local and international sector specialists to provide the very best evidence-based support. We deliver projects drawing on expert knowledge and experience and can be relied upon for excellence in all aspects of project delivery. We work collaboratively and with ambition to help deliver impactful public policy that brings about lasting change.

The PSP team at Oxford Policy Management is looking for a new colleague to provide technical inputs to ongoing projects, manage projects, lead bids and contribute to business development. We are looking for an individual with an emerging interest in poverty and social protection who is keen to develop their technical skills in this area, has strong project management skills, and has experience of leading, or substantially contributing to, bids in the area of poverty and social protection.

Our current work includes supporting national social protection programmes and systems development, including digital systems; developing innovative techniques to better understand and respond to poverty; supporting the design and development of shock-responsive or adaptive social protection; and advising on how to improve gender equality and social inclusion through new or adapted programmes. We also have a growing body of work relating to capacity building, from frontline workers to senior policymakers.

We are also increasingly working across OPM’s sectoral teams to provide ‘whole-system’ and cross-government advice, including with colleagues in Climate Policy and Finance, Public Finance and Health.

The Assistant Consultant will contribute to this work by providing defined technical inputs to projects, managing projects to a high standard, and substantially contributing to, and, where appropriate, leading, bids for our core clients.

As an Assistant Consultant in Poverty and Social Protection at OPM, you will:

• Provide defined inputs to contracted projects. Examples may include undertaking literature reviews, conducting project interviews and carrying out data analysis.
• Manage projects, taking ownership of budgets and workplans and working alongside internal and external team members.
• Lead small bids, including commercial tenders, by identifying and negotiating with experts and drawing on broader and more senior expertise on methodology and approach, as required.
• Build on your experience of working with our key clients, including the UN system (UNICEF, UNHCR, ILO and WFP), as well as BMZ and FCDO.
• Support the development of PSP technical hubs by contributing to and helping drive forward key initiatives, including those relating to communications and capability statements, as well as expanding and strengthening networks and developing our offer.
• Contribute to strategic decisions on team development, workplans and resource management. This will include taking on additional tasks as required under the direction of the Senior Technical Lead, in accordance with an agreed annual performance agreement and associated financial and other targets.
• Demonstrate OPM’s values and a passion for social impact.

• Educated to at least bachelor’s degree level.
• An initial understanding of, and interest in, poverty and social protection, alongside a strong desire and motivation to develop further knowledge and expertise. This may include areas such as adaptive social protection; the humanitarian-development nexus; inclusive social protection; digital social protection; or social protection financing.
• Experience of working on projects for a range of clients, which may include UNICEF and other UN agencies, GIZ, development banks such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, FCDO, the EU and other European donors, and private foundations.
• Project management experience, including developing workplans and budgets, delivering projects within agreed timeframes and budget constraints, and managing teams of consultants.
• Strong client and stakeholder management and engagement skills, including experience of managing challenging situations, such as project delays, changing terms of reference or evolving client requirements.
• Understanding and experience of contributing to bids for our core clients, particularly those requiring rapid responses, such as bids within the UN system, including UNICEF, ILO and WFP.
• Ability and willingness to be flexible and take on new challenges.
• A motivated self-starter who is comfortable making decisions with limited guidance.
• Ability and willingness to develop the role in ways that help improve systems and ways of working.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• We enable colleagues’ capacity to grow professionally through enhanced learning resources, opportunities to work cross functionally, and space to engage with a range of internal and external industry events.
• Our non-hierarchical culture values support, collaboration, intellectual curiosity, and a rich diversity of perspectives.
• We provide an exceptionally generous annual leave entitlement and a hybrid working model to encourage and enable healthy work/life balance.
• Wellbeing resources including a global Employee Assistance Programme and access to the UnMind app.
• Competitive salary and contributory pension scheme.

We are strengthened by the diversity of colleagues across our global business and are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace for all. 

Our recruitment practices reflect our ambition to make the international development sector more inclusive and firm belief that our work delivers the best outcomes when we actively include a diversity of perspectives and experiences. 

If you share our vision for fair public policy that benefits both people and planet, we would love to hear from you. 

Please submit your application through our careers’ site. We review and interview applicants on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply by way of CV via our careers site at the earliest. 

We may close this advertisement before the published closing date, should a suitable candidate be identified.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role and candidates must have a pre-existing right to work in one of the countries in which the position could be based (India, Pakistan or Tanzania) for their application to be considered.

Oxford Policy Management is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of the business.  Should you require adjustments to make the application process more accessible please inform us through completing this form or scan the QR code below.