The International Budget Partnership (IBP) focuses on government budgets because they are at the core of development. Budgets are the government’s most powerful tool to meet the needs of its people, especially those who are poor and marginalized. Whether it’s about health, education, or pensions, the most well-meaning public policy has little impact on poverty until it is matched with sufficient public resources, and those resources are used effectively to provide public services. Our experience shows that when ordinary people have access to comprehensive and timely budget information, skills, and opportunities to participate, broader public engagement in government budget processes can promote substantive improvements in governance and poverty.
- Job Type: Full Time
- Qualification: MBA/MSc/MA
- Experience: 8 years
- Location: Lagos
- Job Field: Finance / Accounting / Audit
Essential duties of the job include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Supports and advises the Nigeria Country Manager (CM) in directing the implementation of the IBP’s in -country strategy, including identifying managing relationships with key program partners, and providing the optimum mix of support that partners require to increase the impact of their strategic engagement.
- Leads strategic planning and priority setting at country-level and SPARK entry points’ level, while applying strong gender lens, in a manner that sufficiently ensures that IBP’s work in Nigeria best contributes to the realization of IBP’s mission and over-all global strategy.
- Maintains current knowledge of social movements and citizen-led campaigns across priority sectors, as well as firm understanding of fiscal governance and political economy issues within the country.
- Provides quality and timely support to SPARK social movements, community groups, and their coalition partners to strengthen the enabling environment for their campaigns, as may be required from time to time. She/he will also support partners in the processes of applying for, and overseeing the use of their SPARK grant resources, as appropriate and/or required.
- Serves as a mentor to the country-level SPARK program officers and program assistants on strategy
- Liaises with the global SPARK Gender Advisor/Senior Program Officer to ensure the provision of timely and demand-driven technical assistance to the design and implementation of high-quality gender transformative programmes in Nigeria.
Education
- Master’s degree in economics, political science, public policy management, public administration or related fields is preferred.
Experience
- 8+ years of experience working in civil society campaigns and budget advocacy, including substantial time working with grassroots groups, social movements, or women-led pressure groups.
- Experience in implementing and managing programs that support social movements and civil society organizations to engage and advocate for greater transparency, accountability, and participation in policy decisions.
- Firm understanding of the political economy nuances of service delivery and public financial management in Nigeria, especially from a systems-change perspective.
Skills
- Strategic thinker, focused on identifying and addressing problems
- Strong, tested managerial skills, with capability to manage multiple projects and teams simultaneously, efficiently, and on time
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; high-level ability to communicate effectively with partners, colleagues, consultants, and representatives of government, multilateral organizations, and other donors
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to thrive in and contribute to a culture of collaboration and teamwork in a diverse work environment
- A high level of organization; a strong ability to prioritize tasks to meet multiple deadlines and to develop a new area of work
- Ability to establish, maintain and grow networks
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office package required; proficiency with other specialist software applications desirable
Attributes
- Passion and deep commitment to build civil society capacity for effective reform campaigns and advocacy
- Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and passion for IBP’s mission
- Commitment to high quality work, efficiency, and timeliness
- Flexible and able to adapt to shifting environments and works well under pressure
- Motivated to learn and willing to contribute to learning initiatives.
- Physical Demands
- Duties are generally carried out in the field supporting partners, and within a normal business office environment – i.e., working while sitting at a desk, at a computer, for extended periods of time
- Significant local (and sometimes regional) travel required.