Policy Practice Lead

We are seeking to appoint a Practice Lead for our Policy Practice on a permanent basis.  This position can be located in our Abuja, Islamabad, Nairobi or New Delhi offices.

We are an international development consultancy working to improve lives through sustainable policy change in low- and middle-income countries. Our vision is for fair public policy that benefits both people and the planet.

Through our global network of offices, we work in partnership with national stakeholders and decision makers to research, design, implement and evaluate impactful public policy. We draw on our local and international sector experts to provide the very best evidence-based support. We deliver projects with expert knowledge and experience, and can be relied upon for excellence in all aspects of project delivery. We work collaboratively, with ambition, to help deliver impactful public policy that will bring about lasting change.

In 2025, the international development sector experienced a fundamental shift, calling for a re-examination of the traditional aid model. Harnessing our global footprint and reputation as trusted advisor and partner to international, national, and sub-national policymakers, funders, and other development actors, we remain laser focused on helping to resolve some of the biggest development challenges of today whilst adapting to new challenges and opportunities.

The Policy Practice Lead holds a pivotal strategic and commercial leadership position within our organisation and is responsible for shaping and overseeing a high-impact, commercially successful, global portfolio of policy advisory and technical assistance projects. This portfolio spans critical global challenges including poverty and social protection, climate and nature, governance and public sector reform, and health.

Combining a sharp commercial mindset and deep contextual understanding, the Practice Lead for our Policy Practice ensures our work on policy is both financially sustainable and socially impactful. They drive performance by enabling teams to respond effectively to complex client needs, ensuring delivery is high-quality, adaptive, and locally relevant.

As a senior leader, the role plays a central role in business development, identifying strategic opportunities and leading the development of compelling, competitive solutions and bids. They augment our position as a trusted advisor to governments in low- and middle- income countries, in a dynamic and evolving policy landscape.

The position reports to our Director of Consulting, and works closely with our wider Senior Management Team, Senior Technical Leads, Country Management, and Project and Bid owners; supporting capability development, fostering innovation, and championing ethical, inclusive, and adaptive practices. Managing global teams of expert consultants across a range of technical areas whilst holding accountability for the commercial performance, quality assurance, and strategic direction of the Policy Practice portfolio, the role contributes to OPM's broader leadership and growth. 

Strategic leadership

• Work with the Director of Consulting and Director of Strategy and Growth to set and communicate a strategic vision for the Policy Practice, aligned with OPM's strategy and responsive to evolving client needs.
• Partner closely with the Practice Lead for Research and Evidence as well as OPM's country leadership to design modes of engagement across practice teams and geographies.
• Determine the policy and technical assistance strategic direction and long-term opportunities to best meet clients' evolving needs in a changing market.
• Create and communicate the vision to align people, processes, and structures.
• Be a respected part of the OPM leadership group; positively influence the scope and direction of the organisation through cross-functional collaboration.   
• Shape a balanced portfolio of technical assistance and advisory work.
• Lead adaptation to market shifts, donor priorities, and emerging challenges.
• Foster innovation, learning, and adaptive delivery.
• Inspire and motivate teams, promoting values of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Lead change management through trust-building and clear communication.

Practice management and project delivery

• Oversee practice operations and ensure delivery of impactful, high-quality projects.
• Manage financial performance and annual planning.
• Build and lead a global team with support from HR and Senior Technical Leads.
• Ensure outputs are technically robust, politically informed, and useful.
• Promote consistent quality assurance and learning across delivery models.
• Support professional development and team building.
• Ensure the Policy Practice delivers high-quality projects that exceed client expectations and meet OPM standards.

Business development and client engagement

• Strengthen market position and build resilient pipelines through global collaboration.
• Lead strategic business development across diverse funders.
• Guide proposal development aligned with client priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with clients and partners.
• Ensure inclusive, locally grounded business development.
• Maintain strong networks and identify priority service areas.
• Mobilise delivery partners and lead competitive bid preparation.

Governance, risk and corporate responsibility

• Ensure that operations are safe, compliant, and cost effective across all technical areas of the Policy Practice, mitigating risk and upholding legal, corporate and client standards.
• Support global strategy and corporate culture by contributing to policy development, evidencing and promoting OPM values, and representing and promoting the organisation externally.

• Educated to post graduate degree level (or equivalent experience); a post graduate business or economics qualification would be desirable e.g. PGDip, Masters or MBA.
• Demonstrated success in leading a technical consulting function with responsibility for strategy, delivery, and team performance; managing technically broad and complex portfolios of work with a range of small to large budgets.
• A strong technical background aligned with the core technical areas – poverty and social protection, governance, climate and nature, public finance, health, and education with evidence of thought leadership (e.g. publications, speaking engagements, innovation in methodology or tools).
• Demonstrable experience of operating effectively within a global, matrix structure, influencing and driving value across international and emerging markets (including across Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia) – including managing cross-functional teams and navigating complex stakeholder environments.
• Extensive experience in managing utilisation, margin, pipeline, and delivery quality at portfolio level – with a track record of improving commercial performance and operational efficiency.
• At least 15 years of experience working within a consultancy environment focused on international development, with a strong understanding of donor and client expectations (e.g. FCDO, BMZ, EU, WB, UN, and a range of foundations), programme cycles, and impact measurement.
• Proven ability to win work – including leading successful bids, building strategic client relationships, and securing contracts valued at £10 million+ across multiple regions.
• Excellent people management skills, with demonstrated experience of leading globally dispersed teams; creating positive environments that stimulate mutual understanding and cross-collaboration between teams, functions, and departments.
• Deep personal and evident professional affinity with OPM's mission to create positive social impact, at scale.
• A commitment to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of team leadership and project/programme management.
• Ability to work effectively from any of OPM's permanent offices in Pakistan, India, Kenya or Nigeria, with willingness to travel internationally as required.

• We enable colleagues' capacity to grow professionally through enhanced learning resources, opportunities to work cross functionally, and space to engage with a range of internal and external industry events.
• Our non-hierarchical culture values support, collaboration, intellectual curiosity, and a rich diversity of perspectives.
• We provide an exceptionally generous annual leave entitlement and a hybrid working model to encourage and enable healthy work/life balance.
• Wellbeing resources including a global Employee Assistance Programme and access to the UnMind app.
• Competitive salary and contributory pension scheme.

We are strengthened by the diversity of colleagues across our global business and are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace for all. 

Our recruitment practices reflect our ambition to make the international development sector more inclusive and firm belief that our work delivers the best outcomes when we actively include a diversity of perspectives and experiences. 

If you share our vision for fair public policy that benefits both people and planet, we would love to hear from you. 

Please submit your application through our careers' site by 11pm GMT Sunday 7th December.  We review and interview applicants on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply by way of CV via our careers site at the earliest. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role and candidates must have a pre-existing right to work in India, Kenya, Nigeria or Pakistan for their application to be considered.

Oxford Policy Management is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of the business.  Should you require adjustments to make the application process more accessible please inform us through completing this form or scan the QR code below.