Technical Advisor, Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative

Career with BRAC International

BRAC is an award-winning international non-governmental development organisation, with the vision of a world free from all forms of exploitation and discrimination, where everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential. BRAC is a leader in developing and implementing cost-effective, evidence-based programmes to assist poor and disadvantaged communities in low-income countries, including in conflict-prone and post-disaster settings. It is an organisation of and for the people of the Global South, pioneering new development and social enterprise approaches to equip communities to achieve prosperity. As well as being the world’s biggest NGO by number of staff and people directly reached, BRAC has regularly been ranked the number one NGO in the world by the Geneva-based NGO Advisor, an independent organisation committed to highlighting innovation, impact and governance in the non-profit sector. BRAC retained the top spot in 2020 among the top 500 NGOs for the fifth consecutive year.

BRAC was founded in Bangladesh in 1972 by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. It started its first programme outside of Bangladesh in Afghanistan in 2002, and has since reached millions of people in 11 countries in Asia and Africa. BRAC has a holistic approach to development that uses a wide array of programmes and social enterprises, including in microfinance, education, health, agriculture, gender and human rights. BRAC believes that every person has inherent potential, and when an enabling environment is created and that potential is unleashed, even the poorest can become agents of positive change in their own lives, for their families and their communities.

BRAC is seeking a competent, dynamic and self-motivated individual to fill the following position:

About the Position

About the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative

The BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (“UPGI”) is a global Initiative of BRAC that was founded in 2016 to build off of the success of BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation programme in Bangladesh. UPGI is positioning the Graduation approach as a key driver to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide. It does this by advocating for global and national uptake of the Graduation approach by policymakers, national governments, multilateral institutions and non-governmental organisations; and by enabling effective adaptation and implementation of the Graduation approach through technical assistance to government and local partners. In 2020 UPGI was selected as an Audacious Project by TED, and received a catalytic investment to scale its strategy.

About the Opportunity

Qualifications

UPGI seeks to hire a Technical Advisor for a growing team that provides advisory services, and technical assistance around the Ultra-Poor Graduation approach to a variety of partners, ranging from governments, multilateral institutions, NGOs and in-country technical team members.

Reporting to the Head of Program Design and Impact, the Technical Advisor will lead and support technical assistance engagements to partner organizations including governments, multilateral institutions, and BRAC entities; ensure satisfactory service delivery to technical assistance partners and clients; contribute to business development; and mentor junior technical staff. The Technical Advisor will also play a critical role in supporting the Head with strategy development and strengthening the technical capacity of a globally dispersed team. The UPGI team is globally located and the position may be based in many possible locations, though preference will be given to candidates with the right to live and work in one of BRAC International’s hubs in Washington DC, New York, London, the Hague, Nairobi, or Dhaka.

Key responsibilities of the Technical Advisor include but are not limited to the following:

Primary Responsibilities:

Technical Assistance

• Provide central oversight, expertise, and support to Country Engagement Teams, once established, on graduation program design and adaptation, program operations and implementation (e.g., with UPG and BI), technical thematic areas, and government capacity building:
  • Ensure countries’ graduation program design and implementation aligns with UPGI overarching strategy and goals
  • Ensure quality assurance, consistency, and standardization across country graduation program design and implementation, such as through templates where possible, review of critical deliverables, and regular touchpoints
  • Provide toolkits and training to Country Engagement Teams on program design and adaptation, program operations and implementation, technical thematic areas, and government capacity building
  • Create tools for assessment and implementation support of government and potential partner programs
  • Facilitate cross-country sharing of learnings and best practices on program design, adaptation, implementation, and government engagement for Technical Assistance team members and broader UPGI, in coordination with Impact Monitoring Lead and Knowledge & Learning Lead
  • Provide specialized expertise and input on technical areas such as labor and jobs, microfinance, agriculture and value chains, gender, natural resource management, potentially migration, and fragile contexts
• Strengthen the capacity of global technical assistance team members and other BRAC colleagues to deliver effective services and support to our partner organizations.
• Deliver timely and accurate reporting to relevant partners for existing engagements.
• Oversee and contribute to the development of technical assistance systems, processes, tools, and products, including capacity assessments, market assessments, program design reports, operations plan, training curriculum and tools, budgets, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and client partner reporting.
• Lead discrete technical assistance engagements and manage partner relations with governments, multilateral institutions, and NGOs implementing the Graduation approach through overseeing contract teams conducting assessments, program design, planning, implementation oversight, and monitoring and learning from program implementation.
• Provide technical inputs in knowledge products and represent UPGI in global and local events to disseminate knowledge, enhance learning and adaptation of the Graduation approach, as needed.
• Travel (estimated 30%), at times in locations with limited amenities when safe to do so pending impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business Development

• Support the Head of Program Design and Impact with business development as needed:
  • Technical inputs to scopes of work and concept notes for prospective partners
  • Proposal development for multilateral partners and relevant donors
  • Cultivation of new and existing relationships with key stakeholders

Organizational Development

• Contribute to the expansion of UPGI’s global and country teams by providing inputs into the operationalization of a new operating model strategy and emerging structure
• Provide inputs in country landscaping and relevant team change management activities
• Support internal capacity-building of new staff through onboarding and training activities

Team Management

• Manage direct reports where assigned including Technical Officers and/or Senior Associates
• Oversee contract project teams for discrete technical assistance engagements
• Support the recruitment and onboarding process, train and mentor a team of dedicated and enthusiastic Technical Officers, Senior Associates, and Associates, providing guidance and technical insight on partner engagements as needed

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Ensure the safety of team members from any harm, abuse, neglect, harassment and exploitation to achieve the programme’s goals on safeguarding implementation. Act as a key source of support, guidance and expertise on safeguarding for establishing a safe working environment.
• Practice, promote and endorse the issues of safeguarding policy among team members and ensure the implementation of safeguarding standards in every course of action.
• Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place, encourage others to do so.

Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in social sciences, international development, monitoring and evaluation or another related field required
• 8-10 years of experience in international development, including program design and management, and/or capacity building with governments or large NGOs preferred
• Sector expertise in livelihoods and economic inclusion, social protection, gender, or financial inclusion required; Graduation, cash-plus, or similar experience highly preferred
• Experience working on behalf of or partnered with multilateral institutions, such as the UN or World Bank, NGOs, or government-led initiatives highly preferred, particularly experience with the Asian Development Bank.
• A proven track record in new business development with experience supporting proposal development and fundraising or new contract acquisition efforts
• Proactive leader with ability to prioritize and effectively manage competing work streams
• Exceptional ability to communicate with partners and clients
• Experience managing teams and mentoring young professionals
• Diplomatic, with strong interpersonal skills, and a high degree of cultural sensitivity
• Excellent writing skills in English required. Fluency in French, Swahili, or Arabic, a plus