We don’t just talk, we do. Lead the change with us.

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

The Advisory practice within the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) advises reforming political leaders and governments on strategy, policy and delivery and achieve significant and positive impact for citizens around the world.

We are looking for a Country Director to lead client engagement and develop our country program in Brazil.

The Country Director has accountability and oversight across all in-country projects and will lead work on foreign policy advisory, climate initiatives, and sustainable finance policies, among others. The Country Director will work closely with government counterparts in senior leader offices and related ministries and agencies as required by the workstreams. More broadly, the Country Director will lead client-facing engagements, undertake business development activities, and develop the next generation of advisory leaders for TBI.

This is an exciting senior leadership opportunity requiring exceptional candidates with relevant experiences and competencies.

The person will be based in Brasilia and must be fluent in Portuguese and English.

Key Responsibilities

The Country Director is ultimately accountable for programme delivery and success, working closely with the Regional Director for Americas, the country team, and central support functions to:

Engage with principal stakeholders

• Through the delivery of quality and relevant insights, build and maintain effective and trusted relationships with the country’s most senior government officials.
• Secure mandates with multiple key counterparts as a regular point of contact, placing sustainable social and economic development at their core.
• Ensure projects bring the best of TBI to clients by harnessing the skills, knowledge, and capacity of political, policy, and research functions across TBI.
• Hold operational accountability for the effective management of client relations with co-development (with the Regional Director or Director) of account prospects.
• Support and develop partnerships and fundraising strategies.

Set the strategic direction and drive performance

• Strategically lead and manage the country programme, ensuring the delivery of high-quality advice and projects in line with TBI’s unique value proposition.
• Hold final accountability for the quality, timeliness, and scope alignment of client-facing deliverables.
• Facilitate and oversee internal reporting and learning, proactively keeping TBI Advisory Leadership updated on progress and potential bottlenecks.
• Identify growth opportunities in the country and, where relevant, oversee scoping of new projects and any necessary business planning.
• Drive and deliver the further expansion and sustainability of our work in the country.

Deliver through the team

• Lead a high calibre team that is bought into the shared strategy, is aligned across workstreams, solves problems together, and holds each other accountable for impact.
• Provide detailed direction and support to the team, ensuring efficient project planning, effective task allocation, pertinent content development and follow-through.
• Ensure the growth and development of a high-performing team and a continued focus on learning and development, including through teamwork, regular feedback and performance reviews.
• Shape and embody a positive culture that drives ambition, innovation, and delivery.

Ensure operational accountability

• Hold accountability for the efficacy and efficiency of the country programme, ensuring operational plans and internal TBI policies are in place and followed.
• Ensure expenditure is utilized in line with budget, with robust management accounts and accountability established amongst budget delegations.
• Ensure legal requirements are met for operating in country, including initiating and supporting all administrative activities relating to the project and TBI staff in country.

Expert Specification

The successful candidate should be an experienced and successful leader:

• Extensive professional experience in politics, government, government advisory, management consulting or other organisational leadership.
• Experience working with government officials, business leaders, and other influential stakeholders in Brazil. Work experience in other Latin American countries will be considered an advantage.
• A graduate degree in Public Policy, Economics, International Relations or Political Sciences; under-graduate degrees and graduate degrees in other areas can be considered with relevant equivalent experience.
• Being strategic, entrepreneurial, able to challenge the status-quo and to develop plans for successful delivery of challenging objectives.
• Skilled communicator and influencer, at executive to technical levels; adept at speaking to senior leadership.
• Expertise in a technical topic and/or function salient to public sector advisory (i.e. public policy, international relations, economic reforms, etc).
• Awareness of international relations trends, particularly related to Brazil’s foreign policy.
• A high level of comfort working in a fast-paced environment and handling multiple diverse workstreams at once while maintaining the ability to prioritize effectively.
• Outstanding leadership and management skills and the proven ability to build and inspire teams to achieve exceptional objectives.
• Fluency in Portuguese and English is required.

Closing Date:

2024-07-14