Senior Policy Manager at Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

• We're looking for a Senior Policy Manager on a full time, permanent basis, to join the policy development team for India and Africa, as a part of its globally distributed policy and insights function.
• The role will have a focus on the Africa region, making it suited to candidates within the region.
• This role reports to the Regional Lead - India & Africa and offers both remote and flexible working options.

The Role:

• Collaborate with ACCA functional and country leads across Africa (e.g., Head of Public Affairs, cluster heads, and country managers) to ensure that Policy & Insights (P&I) content aligns with ACCA’s strategic objectives in Africa across markets.
• Act as a bridge between P&I colleagues developing global reports/consultations and the needs of strategic/operational teams leading the delivery of ACCA qualification and managing stakeholder relationships (e.g., employers, regulators, universities, members) across African markets.
• Contribute Africa regional perspectives to global content development and support the dissemination of relevant global insights in the region. This involves conducting and/or analysing findings from surveys, roundtables, and structured interviews.
• Create Africa-focused content, including regional research reports, targeted policy papers, presentation slide decks, and consultation responses to key stakeholders such as professional accountancy organizations, government agencies, and regulators. Content will address core concepts such as the future of the accountancy profession, driving attractiveness for the profession in Africa, talent development and skills required by accountants for future relevance, education models in accountancy, sustainability/ESG considerations for organizations/governments, and the impact of technology on the accountancy profession, among others.
• Support ACCA teams across Africa in using P&I content to enhance key relationships. Provide key messaging, presentation slide decks, and policy positions for colleagues to share at conferences, stakeholder interventions, and meetings.
• Support brand and marketing teams in effective local engagement/promotion activities to maximize the visibility, credibility, and impact of ACCA thought leadership and policy content in Africa.
• Support the design, development, maintenance, and dissemination of ACCA Global Policy Positions and any other ACCA policy collateral. Bring relevant Indian perspectives to enrich global policy positions where necessary.
• Support the Regional Lead – India & Africa in identifying opportunities where P&I can contribute to a positive impact on the accounting profession and the business sector in India, as well as opportunities to support ACCA's strategic aims in Africa.

The person

• A flair for writing and presenting, evidenced by previously published articles or papers. End-to-end research skill set based on prior experience in writing and presenting thought leadership, research, and policy reports is a fundamental requirement.
• A good understanding of the accountancy profession, particularly key trends, and factors relevant to the profession in Africa and globally, and skills needed by accountants for future success.
• Strong stakeholder management skills in a matrix structure. Collaborative work with teams across the content, quality, and innovation directorate and close collaboration with relationship teams and other functional teams.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills. The ability to translate reports into simple and easy-to-understand action points for time-poor C-suite executives.
• Strong team player skills, capable of operating at pace within a high-performing team. This includes the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously if needed, prioritizing, and managing expectations.
• Professional qualification as an accountant (national or international) is desirable but not mandatory, provided the candidate demonstrates a strong understanding of core concepts earlier stated, within the African context.
• Experience in Thought Leadership, exploring significant, strategic issues affecting business and the accounting profession. For example, BIG 4, consultancy and/or public policy experience will be an added advantage.
• Multicultural competence: A strong understanding of regional dynamics while having a global mindset, and the ability to interface with colleagues from across India and around the world.