United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Senior Social Policy Specialist

Organization: Development Pathways
Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Closing date: 30 Jan 2015

Position:Senior Social Policy Specialist

Reporting to:Director

Location of work:Dartford, Kent

Salary:Up to £45,000 (plus benefits, annual bonuses and shares in the company).

Deadline:Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Development Pathways Ltd. (http://www.developmentpathways.co.uk/) is recruiting a Senior Social Policy Specialist. Founded in November 2010, Development Pathways has grown rapidly into an internationally respected consultancy business, providing expert advice to clients in areas including: social protection, social development, gender, livelihoods, financial inclusion and management information systems. We are committed to innovative, progressive and evidence-based social policy and aim to influence international debates on social policy through our website and participation in international fora. In the past three years we have worked in a range of countries – including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mauritius, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Pakistan, Laos, Bangladesh, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Viet Nam, Philippines, Fiji, Kiribati and Haiti – and for a range of clients including Australian Aid, DFID, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, GIZ, KFW, the Nike Foundation, the Girl Hub, HelpAge International, Action Against Hunger and Save the Children. We are also consortium members of three major DFID Frameworks – the CEILS PEAKS, the Wealth Creation Hub, and the Global Evaluation Framework – and are part of Australian Aid’s Expert Panel on social protection.

Development Pathways currently has 5 staff and 2 Directors, both of whom are consultants and technical specialists in their fields, putting all their work through the company. Our office is located in Dartford and, as an employer, we try to put our staff first and are committed to flexible working practices and developing our staff’s professional capabilities.

We are now recruiting a second in-house consultant, to help us continue to grow the company and influence social and economic policy internationally. While we are well known for our work in social protection, we do aim to continue to broaden our engagement in other areas, such as food security, social development, gender, livelihoods and financial inclusion as well as building our profile in the humanitarian sphere. The successful candidate will contribute to a range of policy areas and we are committed to building her/his knowledge and experience across a range of social policy areas, although a key focus will be on social protection.

Since Pathways is growing rapidly, we expect the role to evolve as the company develops further. We will, therefore, review the job description every six months. The position will require someone with an excellent ability to work in a team but also, as required, to manage themselves and work independently.

The position will pay a basic salary, alongside other benefits such as pension contributions. But, as a part of our ethos, Pathways is committed to sharing profits with its staff. Therefore, the position will also include incentive payments and bonuses linked, potentially, to performance, reaching targets and the profitability of the company. The Senior Social Policy Specialist will also be offered a small share in the company – rising to 5% of ownership over 4 years depending on the commitment demonstrated – and be supported to develop their career and professional expertise.

The successful candidate will be able to mainly work from home though s/he will be expected to visit the office regularly, potentially every week. The position will involve international travel, up to a maximum of three months per year.

Purpose

To play a leading role in the growth of Development Pathways by: strengthening our reputation as technical specialists in the fields of social protection, social and economic development and broader social policy; identifying and successfully bidding for related projects; providing technical advice to projects and clients; building relationships with key clients and partners; and engaging actively in debates on social policy in international development.

Responsibilities

1. Provide consultancy inputs on assignments contracted by Development Pathways; some will require overseas travel while others will be desk based.
2. Oversee the technical implementation of contracts for social policy assignments. This will include timely and high quality delivery of inputs, and contributing to project outputs (e.g. production of reports, training materials, etc.)
3. Identify opportunities for Development Pathways to undertake work on social protection, social development and other sectoral areas of interest (i.e through procurement searches and building relationships with key clients and organisations).
4. Lead on developing bids and proposals that will provide Development Pathways with opportunities to work on social development, social protection and other sector areas of interest. This will require providing technical inputs as well as the ability to coordinate inputs from partners, external consultants, the Business Development Manager and other staff.
5. Actively participate in the Pathways technical team and help to build a cadre of highly competent and trusted social policy consultants whom Development Pathways can engage to work on various assignments, including a team of associate consultants.
6. Build the reputation of Pathways as a research organisation and undertake research on social policy and publish papers that provide innovative, cutting-edge insights. This includes producing regular contributions to “Pathways’ Perspectives,” Development Pathways own publication series, as well as working papers.
7. Identify social policy experts to author Development Pathways’ publications, and oversee production of these articles.
8. Build relations with a wide range of stakeholders (i.e. governments, development agencies, consultancy firms, etc.) to strengthen Development Pathways’ international reputation, and identify opportunities for further business. This will include representing Development Pathways in international fora.
9. Support business development by ensuring high quality website content. This is likely to include identifying inputs for the website, such as blogs, news stories, sourcing key resources etc. This remit is to turn www.developmentpathways.co.uk into a dynamic and leading e-knowledge centre on social protection and broader social policy.
10. Lead on and/or support the design of training programmes on social protection and broader social policy and deliver training on specific topics.
11. Continually build self-knowledge and awareness of current trends in social policy in developing countries. This will include attending relevant training courses, staying up-to-date with the literature, and feeding knowledge back into the company.

Reporting arrangements

The Senior Social Policy Specialist will work closely with all members of the company. The role will require a high level of flexibility, self-motivation and use of initiative. We envisage that reporting arrangements will be as follows:

The Senior Social Policy Specialist will report to the Director with regard to:

• Performance based on agreed work plan and success criteria
• Contribution to business development/tenders
• Technical inputs to tenders/projects
• Publication development including company website development such as new blogs, news stories, publications and other resources
• Contribution to the design and delivery of training/workshops
• Personal learning and development

Currently there is no position reporting to the Senior Social Policy Specialist position. However, as we grow, reporting arrangements may change and include a responsibility to manage a junior specialist position.

Experience, skills and qualifications

· At least a Masters degree in a subject related to international development, social policy or Economics.

· At least ten years experience of working in international development, with a focus on technical assistance, research and analysis and/or socio-economic policy.

· A good understanding of social development issues, in particular social protection, gender and social inclusion. Technical understanding of other sectoral areas outlined above is desirable.

· Excellent demonstrable writing and communication skills in English.

· The ability to work independently and be confident to take initiatives, but also to be an effective and collaborative team member.

· A commitment to innovation and evidence-based policy and programming.

· Excellent team-working and leadership skills.

· Professional experience of writing bids and research proposals

· An extensive network in the international development or humanitarian field would be advantageous.

How to apply:

Please send your CV along with a covering letter that explains why you are applying for this position, how your skills and experiences are relevant to the job and why you would be a good fit for the position of Senior Social Policy Specialist.

Applications should be sent to: recruitment@developmentpathways.co.uk

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.