Job Description
Project Management Jobs. Oxford Policy Management Jobs
As OPM’s Policy Practice Lead, you will:
Strategic leadership
- Work with the Director of Consulting and Director of Strategy and Growth to set and communicate a strategic vision for the Policy Practice, aligned with OPM’s strategy and responsive to evolving client needs.
- Partner closely with the Practice Lead for Research and Evidence as well as OPM’s country leadership to design modes of engagement across practice teams and geographies.
- Determine the policy and technical assistance strategic direction and long-term opportunities to best meet clients’ evolving needs in a changing market.
- Create and communicate the vision to align people, processes, and structures.
- Be a respected part of the OPM leadership group; positively influence the scope and direction of the organisation through cross-functional collaboration.
- Shape a balanced portfolio of technical assistance and advisory work.
- Lead adaptation to market shifts, donor priorities, and emerging challenges.
Foster innovation, learning, and adaptive delivery.
- Inspire and motivate teams, promoting values of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Lead change management through trust-building and clear communication.
Practice management and project delivery
- Oversee practice operations and ensure delivery of impactful, high-quality projects.
- Manage financial performance and annual planning.
- Build and lead a global team with support from HR and Senior Technical Leads.
- Ensure outputs are technically robust, politically informed, and useful.
- Promote consistent quality assurance and learning across delivery models.
- Support professional development and team building.
- Ensure the Policy Practice delivers high-quality projects that exceed client expectations and meet OPM standards.
Business development and client engagement
- Strengthen market position and build resilient pipelines through global collaboration.
- Lead strategic business development across diverse funders.
- Guide proposal development aligned with client priorities.
- Build trusted relationships with clients and partners.
- Ensure inclusive, locally grounded business development.
- Maintain strong networks and identify priority service areas.
- Mobilise delivery partners and lead competitive bid preparation.
Governance, risk and corporate responsibility
- Ensure that operations are safe, compliant, and cost effective across all technical areas of the Policy Practice, mitigating risk and upholding legal, corporate and client standards.
- Support global strategy and corporate culture by contributing to policy development, evidencing and promoting OPM values, and representing and promoting the organisation externally.
Key Qualifications / Experience / Skills / Behaviours
- Educated to post graduate degree level (or equivalent experience); a post graduate business or economics qualification would be desirable e.g. PGDip, Masters or MBA.
- Demonstrated success in leading a technical consulting function with responsibility for strategy, delivery, and team performance; managing technically broad and complex portfolios of work with a range of small to large budgets.
- A strong technical background aligned with the core technical areas – poverty and social protection, governance, climate and nature, public finance, health, and education with evidence of thought leadership (e.g. publications, speaking engagements, innovation in methodology or tools).
- Demonstrable experience of operating effectively within a global, matrix structure, influencing and driving value across international and emerging markets (including across Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia) – including managing cross-functional teams and navigating complex stakeholder environments.
- Extensive experience in managing utilisation, margin, pipeline, and delivery quality at portfolio level – with a track record of improving commercial performance and operational efficiency.
- At least 15 years of experience working within a consultancy environment focused on international development, with a strong understanding of donor and client expectations (e.g. FCDO, BMZ, EU, WB, UN, and a range of foundations), programme cycles, and impact measurement.
- Proven ability to win work – including leading successful bids, building strategic client relationships, and securing contracts valued at £10 million+ across multiple regions.
- Excellent people management skills, with demonstrated experience of leading globally dispersed teams; creating positive environments that stimulate mutual understanding and cross-collaboration between teams, functions, and departments.
- Deep personal and evident professional affinity with OPM’s mission to create positive social impact, at scale.
- A commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of team leadership and project/programme management.
- Ability to work effectively from any of OPM’s permanent offices in Pakistan, India, Kenya or Nigeria, with willingness to travel internationally as required.
How to Apply
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