Skills Programme Adviser, Prosperity Fund at the British High Commission (BHC)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Skills Programme Adviser, Prosperity Fund

Ref Id: 19/18 LOS
Location: Lagos
Grade: C4 (L)
Type of Position: Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
Duration of Post: 12 months
Start Date: 15th November, 2018.
Job Category: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Policy & Political roles)

Main Purpose of Job
This is a great opportunity to deliver a key component of the £1.2bn cross-government Prosperity Fund. New and innovative, the Fund represents a step change in HMG’s approach to promoting economic development and prosperity overseas. You will help define and deliver a £4 to 7m multi-year Prosperity Fund programme to improve Higher Education (HE) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria which will:

• Reduce poverty and stimulate inclusive, sustainable economic growth
• Address skills gaps and open new markets for international businesses, including UK companies
• support regulatory and policy development in line with the  Nigerian Government’s education agenda
• Establish international collaborations between Nigerian and UK partners in the HE and TVET sectors to refresh these curriculums and ensure content is relevant to industry needs.
• Be coherent with wider High Commission/HMG efforts to build education links with the UK
• Be aligned with equivalent UK education programmes and UK organisations (e.g. British Council) to ensure maximum benefit for Nigeria and the UK
• Open new markets for international businesses, including UK companies to provide technical assistance and support for educators.

Roles and Responsibilities
The cross-government Prosperity Fund was established under the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) with the primary aim of supporting growth in recipient countries and thereby reducing poverty. As such, it represents a key component of the prosperity pillar of the UK Aid Strategy. But the Fund uniquely focuses on promoting growth in ODA-eligible middle income countries, which are home to nearly 70% of the world’s poor and where the development challenges remain significant, but at the same time are important business partners and drivers of prosperity. By delivering high impact, strategic multi-year programmes, across high opportunity countries, regions and sectors, the Fund will help create opportunities for international business, including UK companies. As the UK leaves the EU, an even more outward-looking global Britain investing and trading with the fastest growing markets will become increasingly important.

Around 25 multi-year programmes have so far been endorsed by the Ministerial Board. These cover trade, anti-corruption, infrastructure, business environment, health, future cities, education, financial services, energy and outward investment. For more information, see the Prosperity Fund Annual Report 2016/17.

We plan to invest in a circa £5-7m Prosperity Fund programme in Nigeria on TVET development, which is a priority sector for Ministers. You’ll need to be mindful of interest at the very top of UK Government in this agenda, the permeation of skills agenda throughout all areas of economic development work, and the need to collaborate with a network of UK Government departments working on this area with Nigeria.   Your job will be to help design and implement that programme, which will run until 2021. Broadly speaking this will take place in three stages:

Stage I: Transition. We expect this stage to last until June 2019:

• Work closely within the Prosperity team in Nigeria, DFID Education team and Prosperify Fund programme leads in London, you will provide local analysis and evidence  for the global Business Case that supports Nigeria’s needs and education ambitions
• Run small-scale transition activity designed to promote the programme and build a strong network amongst higher education stakeholders in Government, civil society and business
• Develop strong relations with education leads in London and other priority Prosperity Fund countries, particularly in Kenya and South Africa who are also involved in this programme.
• Use this network and knowledge to define how the Prosperity Fund programme will feed into the HMG’s wider Education strategy, including education sector opportunities for UK companies.

Stage II: Inception. (to begin once global implementers have started after June 2019):

• Connect the global programme implementers and their local partners with the strong network you have developed, particularly Nigerian Government education experts and officials and education providers
• Assist the implementers in defining and developing an in-country programme of activities that supports the wider programme objectives and aligns with Nigeria’s education need
• Assist with any local procurement that may be required.
• Ensure that programme activity in-country aligns with and supports other Prosperity Fund work in Nigeria on areas such as digital access, financial services, future cities and the business environment where education/skills gaps may also be identified.

Stage III: Implementation. (We expect this stage to last until March 2023)

For the duration of the programme:

• Ensure in-country activity run by the global implementers and their partners is effective, remains align with progamme objectives and provides good value for money.
• Provide monitoring oversight, flagging up risks and helping to mitigate them appropriately.
• With delivery partners, develop evaluation methods to measure and report the programme’s impact
• Continue to work with DFID and Department for International Trade (DIT) Education Advisors and British Council colleagues in country to ensure policy coherence on education and promote opportunities to UK businesses
• Ensure that the HMG gets due credit for successes, and that Nigeria’s contribution to the overall programme’s annual reviews has impact and showcases best examples of work in-country.

In all Stages, you will need to:
ODA (Official Developent Assistance) activity - 90% of role:

• Ensure the Nigeria programme complies with the International Development Act, including the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014; meets the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC)’s criteria; is untied; meets UK government transparency commitments on ODA spend; and complies with HMG audit requirements.
• Identify and manage risks to successful programme implementation.
• Keep abreast of skills policy developments in Nigeria and the UK, using this knowledge to spot opportunities for programme interventions which support better skills in Nigeria.
• Support gender equality act compliance and support PF’s policy and guidance on gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and inclusive growth.
• Maintain a strong network with your colleagues in the UK, and counterparts in other countries in the Skills programme, adapting the programme on the basis of lessons learnt (this will involve international travel).

 Non-ODA activity - 5% of role:

• Support the wider Prosperity team, and take on High Commissions corporate roles.

Corporate activity - 5% of role:

• Oversee a small non-ODA fund to build UK/Nigeria trade/investment links in education.

Job Requirements
Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• We are looking for a proactive, creative self-starter with experience of the Nigerian education system who can work largely unsupervised but also as a team player, working alongside other prosperity colleagues in London, Abuja and Lagos, and reporting to the Prosperity Manager. 
• The successful applicant will have excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build strong relations with important stakeholders, previous project management experience and the leadership skills to build strong connections and influence others.
• There may be some possibilities for travel within the country and to London and development in support of delivery will be actively encouraged. Job related training will be given as required.
• Knowledge of the higher education sector in Nigeria from having worked in the public/private sectors and
• Experience in developing or provide policy advice/analysis;  or experience in delivering successful programmes and managing budgets
• Excellent standard of English, spoken and written
• Computer literate, working with Microsoft Windows and able to manage information effectively with available computer systems.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Experience of working in an international development context, including managing/working with development programmes
• Experience of working in or with government.

Required Competencies:

• Seeing the Big Picture, Leading and Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering, Delivering Value for Money.

Other Benefits and Conditions of Employment

• We place a strong emphasis on learning and development.  You will be encouraged to undertake developmental training and get involved in corporate activities. 
• This role provides an excellent opportunity to build up programme knowledge and expertise and gain exposure to working across government. 
• You will have access to existing and new Project & Programme Management L&D as well as wider job-relevant L&D and support for your own personal development.
• You may have the opportunity to participate in annual reviews to assess the performance of CSSF / PF programmes. This may require travelling to London and or/an African regional L&D centre.
• Working patterns: Mon - Thursday 7:30am - 3.30pm; Friday 7:30am to 13:30pm.   Within these working hours, managers will do everything possible to support flexible working arrangements

Additional information 

• Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
• Employees recruited locally by the British High Commission in Lagos are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law in Nigeria.
• All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
• The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to:
  • Obtain the relevant permit
  • Pay fees for the permit
  • Make arrangements to relocate
  • Meet the costs to relocation
• The British High Commission does not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
• Employees who are not eligible to pay local income tax: e.g. certain third-country nationals and spouses/partners of UK diplomats will have their salaries abated by an equivalent amount.
• Information about the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Competency Framework can be found on this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework Please note: AA=A1, AO=A2, EO=B3, HEO=C4, SEO=C5
• Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.

Application Closing Date
16th October, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: The British High Commission will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.