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

Position:Senior Social Policy Specialist

Reporting to:Director

Location of work: Greater London -Orpington, Kent

Salary:Competitive (a base salary plus benefits and annual bonuses).

Deadline:Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

We are looking to recruit a Senior Social Policy Specialist to play a leading role in the growth of Development Pathways by: strengthening our reputation as leading 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.

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 (although less experience will be acceptable for exceptional candidates)

• 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.

• Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK

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

Please visit our website for more information.http://www.developmentpathways.co.uk