View Vacancy - Higher Education Policy / Programme Manager

The British Embassy in Cairo is seeking to recruit a Higher Education Policy / Programme Manager, grade C4 (L) to start immediately.

Main purpose of the 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 implement a £5m multi-year Prosperity Fund programme supporting Higher Education and Skills development in Egypt which:

• Reduces poverty and stimulates inclusive, sustainable economic growth

• Opens new markets for international businesses, including UK companies

• Is aligned with equivalent UK programmes in other middle-income ODA-eligible countries

• Is coherent with wider Embassy/HMG efforts Education Strategy

• Has impact in Egypt and is good value for money

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Prosperity is one of the UK’s three Foreign Policy Priorities. We seek to ‘build the UK’s prosperity by increasing exports and investment, opening markets, ensuring access to resources, and promoting sustainable global growth’.

One tool for achieving this is the Cross-Government Prosperity Fund (PF), which 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.

In Egypt the Embassy’s objective is to support an inclusive economy for all achieved through focusing our programmes on Enterprise, Education and Equality. As part of this, we plan to invest in a £6-9m multi-year Prosperity Fund programme on higher education and transnational education, a priority sector for Ministers.

The job involves technical leadership, team working, and provides experience across a range of policy and programme issues. Broadly speaking this will take place in three stages:

Stage I: Transition. We expect this stage to last until December 2018.

• Work closely with the Education Advisor at post to help finalise a global Business Case

• Run small-scale transition activity

• Contribute to a London-led procurement exercise to contract lead global implementers

• Build a strong network for the Embassy amongst higher education stakeholders in Government, civil society and business

• Develop strong relations with education leads in London and other priority Prosperity Fund countries

• Use this network and knowledge to define how the Prosperity Fund programme will feed into the Embassy’s Education strategy

Stage II: Inception. We expect this stage to last until June 2019.

• Connect the global programme implementers with the right organisations in Egypt

• Ensure that the programme is de-conflicted with other Prosperity Fund work in Egypt on areas such as energy, financial services, future cities and the business environment

• Secure buy-in from partners through working up the programme details with beneficiaries

Stage III: Implementation. We expect this stage to last until March 2021.

• Ensure that the programme is run effectively, monitored intensively, and that risks are mitigated appropriately

• Continue to work with the Education Advisor to ensure policy cohesion across the UK PLC offer on education in Egypt

• Ensure that the HMG gets due credit for successes, and that Egypt’s contribution to the overall programme’s annual reviews has impact

Throughout this period you will also need to:

a) Ensure the Egypt Prosperity Fund 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.

b) Identify and manage risks to successful programme implementation.

c) Keep abreast of higher education policy developments in Egypt and the UK, using this knowledge to spot opportunities for programme interventions

d) Maintain a strong network with your colleagues in the UK, and counterparts in other priority Education Prosperity Fund countries, adapting the programme on the basis of lessons learnt (this will involve international travel).

e) Support the wider Education work and take on Embassy corporate roles.

f) In your role as Programme Manager, support gender equality act compliance and support PF’s policy and guidance on gender equality, women’s economic empowerment and inclusive growth.　

Key Competencies:

• Leading and Communicating - At all levels, effectiveness in this area is about showing our pride and passion for public service, leading from the front and communicating with clarity, conviction, integrity and enthusiasm. It’s about championing difference and external experience, supporting principles of fairness of opportunity for all and a dedication to a diverse range of citizens.

• Seeing the Big Picture – Seeing the big picture is about having an in-depth understanding and knowledge of how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives and the wider public needs.

• Collaborating and Partnering - People skilled in this area are team players who create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done.

• Delivering Value for Money - Delivering value for money involves the efficient, effective and economic use of taxpayers’ money in the delivery of public services. It means seeking out and implementing solutions which achieve the best mix of quality and effectiveness for the least outlay.

We are looking for a proactive, creative self-starter who can prioritise to operate in a fast-paced environment, largely unsupervised, delivering to deadlines. S/he will need excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build strong relations within the Embassy; in Egypt; and with stakeholders in around HMG. 

• Qualified to degree level

• Knowledge of the higher education sector in Egypt from having worked in the public/private sectors

• Passion for education and a desire to improve education in Egypt

• Experience in developing policy advice/analysis; delivering successful programmes and managing budgets

• A strong understanding of gender issues

• Computer literate, working with Microsoft Windows and able to manage information effectively with available computer systems

• Ability to communicate in English and Arabic to a high standard both orally and in writing