At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere. 

We are a global team of nearly 800 changemakers, operating in more than 30 countries, across five continents. We are political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages. We are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re all here at TBI to make a difference. 

In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you’re from or who you are, if you’re passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.

Role Summary

Political leaders today are faced with great geopolitical uncertainty. All require the best of their diplomatic service to strengthen meaningful regional and international partnerships and to navigate challenges and opportunities on the global stage. TBI recognises that working side-by-side with clients to build complementing global strategies in response to geopolitical volatility is a crucial part of our advice. We are developing a new specialist practice in our global advisory team to assist executive political leadership around the world in areas of foreign policy.

We’re looking for an experienced and visionary Senior Advisor to join our global team. The Senior Advisor, Foreign Policy will help the Institute develop, define, evolve and cohere our solutions for leaders on regional and international diplomacy. This is a senior expert role working with the Director for Peace & Security & Foreign Policy and directly to the highest levels of government to provide practical advice in defining and reaching foreign policy goals, and developing diplomatic strategies that consider local, regional, and international dynamics.

As a senior advisor in Global Client Solutions, you will deliver globally recognised subject matter expertise to TBI country teams and clients, bringing technical depth and political astuteness. You will support client discussions and scoping, new project design, and ensure we bring the best of TBI to our Foreign Policy related work. To do so, you will need to closely engage across TBI’s government advisory leadership and staff, and as a part of Global Advisory, you will also collaborate closely with our Policy & Politics, including our geopolitics team, and Strategy & Partnerships divisions to draw on an expanding network of partnerships and expertise which enhance our support for clients and bring bold and innovative solutions.

Key Responsibilities

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ This is a senior role within TBI and will be held by an exceptional candidate with deep and extensive knowledge of geopolitical trends and dynamics and experience applying geopolitical insights to practical policies & initiatives. Key responsibilities will include:

Offer and solution development

• Working with the Director for Peace, Security & Foreign Policy in GCS, to develop, enhance, and continually evolve our offer strategy in Foreign Policy
• Lead the creation and development of assets and collateral which support our teams to develop and deliver quality and impactful projects and complement your hands-on expert support
• Identify and utilise knowledge of upcoming trends and opportunities to generate new solutions to enhance our support to senior political leaders
• Capture best practices from our growing portfolio of work to create an effective, but agile feedback loop for our solutions and offer, working with performance and impact teams
• Work collaboratively with GCS colleagues across offer areas (functional and sectoral) to create solutions
• which respond to complex challenges and/or opportunities and which cut across subject matters of expertise

Subject matter expertise in design & delivery

• As a technical expert and thought partner, work with advisory teams to advance a portfolio of work on senior political leader priorities in foreign policy and international or regional diplomacy efforts
• Generate innovative solutions to client problems and frame them in a compelling way
• As needed, engage with senior client stakeholders, i.e. Heads of State, Ministers, and other senior stakeholders, to advance projects and solutions
• Support Advisory leadership to provide high quality advice. Ideate, troubleshoot to ensure we are bringing the best of TBI to our work
• Bring subject matter expertise to support recruitment of local, regional, or other sectoral expertise across the organisation included in-country embedded advisors

Internal leadership

• Provide leadership and line management as applicable to advisors, associates and junior staff in the global client solutions team
• Shape and embody a positive culture that drives innovation and delivery

External engagement and partnerships

• Provide senior-level representation as a global subject matter expert, including presentations, for TBI at strategic, high-profile external events
• Working with TBI’s Partnerships & Initiatives team, develop and enhance our network and relationships with leading innovators and implementation partners for better solutions relevant to political leaders on foreign policy and regional and international diplomacy
• Bring subject matter expertise to engagement with key donors, external stakeholders such as other not-for-profit organisations, media, suppliers and agencies as required to support TBI financial health

Person Specification

 The postholder will be an experienced candidate with:

• Extensive practical experience working within foreign policy or geopolitical risk sectors, having served in government or as a senior consultant to government or corporate clients
• Deep subject matter knowledge in at least one area that contributes to the formation of foreign policy, including for example economics & trade, security & defense, innovation & technology
• A complete toolkit which enables you to identify creative ideas for a range of country clients and their global goals & agendas
• A track record of providing foreign policy advice to heads of state and government ministers
• Skilled verbal communication, able to influence from executive office level through to technical level
• Exceptional attention to detail for written deliverables and proven ability to deliver quality outputs under tight deadlines
• An ability to represent the Institute on a global scale through publications and exclusive events as a thought leader
• Effective leadership skills, not afraid to be hands-on and pull out all the stops to achieve exceptional results
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and function and influence in a matrixed, team-oriented environment to support teams achieve impact at scale under pressure
• Experience in cultivating and maintaining strategic alliances and partnerships across public, social, and private sector organisations and ability to convert conversations into action
• Experience working in multiple geographies across Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Africa and range of resource environments
• Fluency in English; with proficiency in an additional language an advantage
• A willingness to travel internationally approximately 30 percent

Closing Date: