Private Sector Engagement Advisor at Palladium Group

Purpose of Position

• The Private Sector Engagement Advisor of PERL Engaged Citizens is responsible for providing technical support to the PERL Delivery Teams (in partner states, regional hubs and at the federal level) on developing and implementing strategies to work with the private sector to facilitate or strengthen inclusive governance and inclusive growth.
• He/she may be  supported by strategic advisors provided by consortium and niche partners on private sector engagement and inclusive growth issues and manages any mentoring and advisory inputs from them to Delivery Teams.
• The Private Sector Engagement Advisor is part of the PERL Engaged Citizens National Support Team and is expected to actively collaborate with other members of the team and with colleagues in the other pillars of PERL (ARC and LEAP), as well as relevant contact points in other development programmes, to ensure a co-ordinated, integrated engagement approach.

Responsibilities   
Visioning, Strategizing, Development of Approach:

• Contribute to thinking on PERL’s overall strategic direction and approach, and ECP’s role with this, primarily through programme level planning and learning processes, cross-pillar task teams and development or review of strategic approach papers / technical learning briefs relating to private sector engagement.
• Support continued development of a vision and strategy for PERL’s engagement with the private sector to strengthen inclusive governance and facilitate inclusive growth
• Facilitate periodic reflection and review of PERL’s / ECP’s approach to engaging the private sector in line with new information and learning. Ensure that the approach for private sector engagement is integrated with that for engaging the media, legislatures and government and for forging partnership among them, and between citizens and government.
• Provide focused support to the Delivery Teams to develop, or update their private sector engagement strategies and implementation of the plans.

Leadership, Teamwork and Relationship Management:

• Actively contribute to team-building within the ECP team
• Maintain strong working relationships with other members of ECP’s Technical Support Team (and where necessary, ARC and LEAP) to deliver a shared approach and work-plan.
• Maintain close working relationships and ensure co-ordination and integration of approach and plans with members of ECP’s MEL and Operational Support Teams.
• Provide support to the Delivery Teams in a manner that respects their autonomy and the specificity of their context.
• Maintain close working relationships and ensure co-ordination with counterparts in ARC and LEAP.

Operationalisation of Approach, Delivery of Support and Results:

• Advise Delivery Teams on best tactics and approaches to deliver their work-plans through planned interventions which involves an effective working relationship with their counterparts in ARC. Work closely with ECP’s MEL Support Team to support Delivery Team’s to establish technically-smart, MEL-smart and operationally feasible progress makers and KPIs for each intervention.
• Identify and oversee external support to ECP Delivery Teams from local consultants and from ECP’s consortium and niche partner organisations.
• Support the Head of Technical Support to review and approve Delivery Team’s monthly / quarterly forecast of programme activities through a coordinated approach within the Technical Support Team. 
• Work with ECP’s MEL Support Team to review progress made by Delivery Teams against agreed plans on a quarterly, six monthly and annual basis and to capture and report results.
• Contribute to the monitoring and promotion of Value for Money (VFM) analysis and diminishing financial dependency of local partners on ECP in line with ECP’s broad empowerment approach
  

Job Requirements
Minimum Education and Experience Required:

• Educated to university degree level or above, preferably holding a Masters’ degree
• Significant experience in facilitating private sector development and inclusive growth in Nigeria
• Experience working in or with a donor (preferably DFID) funded programme

Key Competencies and Professional Expertise Required:

• Expertise in working with or experience in the private sector in Nigeria, at the state and federal level, and building relationships between them and state and civil society actors
• Very strong understanding of governance processes  and civic engagement  dynamics in Nigeria, particularly at the state level
• Strong understanding of public policy, planning, budget development and implementation process and the role of citizens within it
• Expertise on contemporary facilitation, communication and mobilization approaches and strategies
• Expertise in providing technical support and capacity building to complex teams – mentoring based approaches in particular
• Strong knowledge of systems for programme delivery, including strategic planning, M&E, adaptive learning and knowledge management.