IPA Liberia is seeking a Policy Manager to lead IPA Liberia’s provision of technical assistance for the scale up of the Network for Empowerment & Progressive Initiative (NEPI)’s Sustainable Transformation of Youth in Liberia (STYL) program. The Policy Manager will work collaboratively across IPA and partners to drive IPA’s support to NEPI as they scale STYL. The Policy Manager will lead the relationship with NEPI, government partners, and other key local stakeholders, coordinate activities led by other IPA teams, and manage project scope, delivery, and finances. The Policy Manager will report to the IPA Liberia Country Director with dotted-line oversight from a Global Associate Director of Policy.

Responsibilities

Project management

• Manage IPA’s technical assistance for the STYL scale-up, which includes policy, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), activities;
• Drive these multiple streams of work forward towards a common goal of the evidence-based scaling of STYL, ensuring workstreams are well-coordinated and timely, and that IPA delivers on our strategies, activities, and outputs
• Directly supervise a highly functioning team to conduct this technical assistance, paying particular attention to their professional growth;
• Financial reporting and donor management
• Directly oversee project financial management, including supporting the creation of the project’s operating budget, being accountable for ongoing budget management, and developing and monitoring activity-specific budgets for the project;
• Lead donor reporting

Stakeholder engagement 

• Cultivate relationships with key local top-level decision-makers in the social protection sector related to the STYL scale-up, and ensure the project has their buy-in;
• Work together with the global policy and communications team to lead and/or participate in strategic events for policy purposes, including but not limited to summits, conferences, workshops, technical working groups, and round tables. Support researchers and country management to participate;
• In collaboration with researchers and in support of the country director, represent IPA locally in policy conversations and at events

Sharing evidence to inform program scaling

• Provide recommendations and insight from previous and ongoing research findings to inform critical decisions on implementation activities
• Update STYL implementation toolkit / guidelines based on previous research findings and results from additional testing of theory of change assumptions and program adaptations

Implementation of MEL strategy

•  Oversee implementation of MEL activities, including:
  • Developing a learning agenda for the scale-up
  • Supporting NEPI key assumptions in the STYL theory of change, including developing testing strategies to address learning needs
  • Supporting NEPI staff to execute the MEL activities associated with program implementation
  • Identifying potential adaptations to the existing model needed at scale, and conducting small-scale pilots of promising adaptations within the ongoing roll-out.
  • Train partner staff on MEL activities associated with program implementation

Exploring program institutionalization through government

• Identify linkages between STYL and existing government programs and map the changes in policies, regulations, budgets, etc needed to institutionalize linkages within government
• Engage with government leadership about potential institutional changes to incorporate STYL into existing government CBT programs and pilot collaborations
• Pilot NEPI / government collaborations to incorporate STYL into existing government programs
• Determine selection criteria and a training and quality assurance model for institutions who have the potential to deliver STYL within Liberia

Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in economics, development, international relations, public administration, public policy or a closely related field; Bachelor’s degree holders may be considered based on experience.
• 5+ years of relevant experience analyzing and communicating complex research results to various audiences, including at least 1 year of experience working closely with large NGOs or governments, preferably in a developing country context.
• Demonstrated commitment to the use of rigorous evidence for policy.
• Knowledge of government policy making processes, systems for nationwide program implementation or development financing.
• Experience organizing events, such as conferences, workshops or round table discussions.
• Proven ability to multitask and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision.
• Willingness to work hard, be self-motivated, and learn will be essential for doing well in this position
• Ability to supervise staff and manage projects independently.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with senior officials in government and other partner organizations.

Preferred

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the social protection sector in Liberia
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; proficiency with Publisher and Photoshop or other graphics editors is desirable
• Understanding of research methodologies and Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) is a plus.