The Public Sector Governance Unit (PSGU) has responsibility for the Commonwealth Secretariat’s mandate on public sector governance work which covers the full spectrum of governance, anti-corruption, public financial management, and public administration, as well as issues relating to civil society and private sector institutions with public responsibilities. Its role is to provide strategic advice and technical assistance in capacity building and institutional development towards poverty alleviation and sustainable development in Commonwealth developing countries. PSGU’s in-house advisers work in collaboration with other advisers within Governance and Peace Directorate (GPD), the Secretariat and external partners to provide assistance across a wide range of development issues to meet the specific needs of member countries in a diverse, complex, and rapidly changing environment.
The Adviser is the principal specialist responsible for public sector governance, the relationship between public administration and the democratic process, and the operations of democratic governance institutions. The post holder offers policy and strategic advice, training, and consulting to member governments. The Adviser collaborates closely with Advisers within the PSGU, particularly those who focus on service delivery, anti-corruption, ethics and values; public financial management; and public administration, as well as with the relevant Advisers in the GPD and the Secretariat. The incumbent will work closely with Adviser responsible for Anti-corruption to develop and deploys appropriate public sector development programming to combat corruption at the government and institutional levels.
Responsibilities of the Adviser includes (but is not limited to):
- Advises on governance and development issues to advance the democratic process, quality of governance, and capacity of public institutions in Commonwealth developing countries;
- Coordinates the planning, design, delivery, and evaluation of appropriate programming, including policy seminars and strategy workshops for ministers and senior officials at the pan-Commonwealth, regional, and national levels;
- Leads and/or participates in high-level advisory missions to address issues in public sector governance in Commonwealth countries;
- Formulates policy advice on potential PSGU involvement in programming that supports regulatory reform;
- Adhere to the Gender Equality values of the Commonwealth as enshrined in the Charter and Secretariat’s Gender Equality Policy; and
- Perform any other duties that may be required from time to time.
Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the responsibilities of this position.
To be considered, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Attained a post-graduate degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Political Science, Development Studies, or a related discipline;
- A minimum of ten years’ post-qualifying experience, including a track record of working at a senior management level within the civil service or international development community providing strategic advice, training, and/or technical assistance in public sector governance;
- Possesses working knowledge of developing country public administration and governance systems along with related management consulting experience in the public, private, or civil sectors.
- Good record of publications in relevant areas of specialisation, particularly in governance and experience in international development assistance work would be highly desirable.
Please refer to the Job Description for full details of the person specification of this position.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 member governments and provides guidance on policy making, technical assistance and advisory services to Commonwealth member countries. We support governments to help achieve sustainable, inclusive and equitable development.
To join us, you must be a citizen of a Commonwealth country.
Closing date: 17 September 2021, 17:00 BST