Job Summary

Instiglio is entering its most ambitious chapter yet: scaling our impact across Africa, launching the Government Empowerment Network (GEN), and integrating AI into how governments deliver for their people. We are looking for a Director to lead that charge in Anglophone Africa.

Reporting to the CEO and anchored in our fast-growing Nairobi office, you will own the growth of Instiglio’s impact, portfolio, and influence across the region. As part of our leadership team, you will shape organisational strategy, build and grow high-performing teams, cultivate the partnerships that drive public-sector reform, and serve as a leading ambassador for our mission across Africa and globally.

Responsibilities

• Impact strategy. As a member of our Africa Leadership Team, you will develop our regional strategy with a focus on the Anglophone sub-region, mapping where and how we can scale impact, in which countries, sectors, and with which partners, and working with local teams to grow high-performing teams and new offices.
• Public-sector reform. Empower senior officials through complex reform processes, helping them diagnose root causes, align incentives, and navigate political and institutional realities.
• Partnership development. Drive partnership development across Anglophone Africa, leveraging your strong existing network. You will build and nurture relationships with government, donor, philanthropic, and practitioner stakeholders, and lead compelling, high-impact engagements.
• Delivery leadership. Provide strategic, technical, and team leadership across our projects, driving quality, innovation, and excellent delivery to exceed client expectations.
• Thought leadership and positioning. Advance our thought leadership, evolve our technical practice, and work with our communications team to strengthen Instiglio’s positioning and influence across regional and global ecosystems.
• Organisational development. As a steward of our culture, oversee the performance, growth, and health of your teams, ensuring strong performance, wellbeing, and the systems to support sustainable growth.

Requirements & qualifications

An ideal candidate will have the following:

Education:

• A relevant postgraduate degree focused on international development (public administration, public policy, development economics, governance and institutions).

Experience:

• At least 12 years’ experience, including relevant work in social impact or government advisory, international development, the public sector, management consulting, and/or development policy and innovation. Combinations of the above are ideal.
• Demonstrated experience in government institutional reforms and or/transformation, advising or operating in senior government official roles on public-sector reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in evidence-based policy design, results-based financing, theories of change, delivery management, and/or performance management or related fields.
• Successful track record in sourcing and managing partnerships (multiple stakeholders in complex settings), with at least 2 years of Government, multi/bilateral donors and philanthropy.
• Extensive experience growing and managing multicultural teams.

Skills:

• Exceptional strategic, innovative, and structured thinking, with strong problem-solving skills
• Strong organisational oversight, continually looking to add value
• Proven experience managing relationships with public-sector leaders and international funding agencies; the ideal candidate will bring their own relationships in the region
• Excellent project management, able to lead multiple teams on complex tasks
• Exceptional written and oral communication in English, with proven success presenting ideas persuasively
• Leadership and empathy, with the ability to influence people positively
• Impact-driven, resilient, results-oriented, with strong commercial acumen

We also welcome:

• Work experience in management consulting.
• Strong operational and financial management experience.
• Knowledge of Results-Based Financing mechanisms and/or experience related to the field (such as theories of change, log frames and results frameworks).

• Impact strategy. As a member of our Africa Leadership Team, you will develop our regional strategy with a focus on the Anglophone sub-region, mapping where and how we can scale impact, in which countries, sectors, and with which partners, and working with local teams to grow high-performing teams and new offices.
• Public-sector reform. Empower senior officials through complex reform processes, helping them diagnose root causes, align incentives, and navigate political and institutional realities.
• Partnership development. Drive partnership development across Anglophone Africa, leveraging your strong existing network. You will build and nurture relationships with government, donor, philanthropic, and practitioner stakeholders, and lead compelling, high-impact engagements.
• Delivery leadership. Provide strategic, technical, and team leadership across our projects, driving quality, innovation, and excellent delivery to exceed client expectations.
• Thought leadership and positioning. Advance our thought leadership, evolve our technical practice, and work with our communications team to strengthen Instiglio’s positioning and influence across regional and global ecosystems.
• Organisational development. As a steward of our culture, oversee the performance, growth, and health of your teams, ensuring strong performance, wellbeing, and the systems to support sustainable growth.

• Exceptional strategic, innovative, and structured thinking, with strong problem-solving skills
• Strong organisational oversight, continually looking to add value
• Proven experience managing relationships with public-sector leaders and international funding agencies; the ideal candidate will bring their own relationships in the region
• Excellent project management, able to lead multiple teams on complex tasks
• Exceptional written and oral communication in English, with proven success presenting ideas persuasively
• Leadership and empathy, with the ability to influence people positively
• Impact-driven, resilient, results-oriented, with strong commercial acumen

• A relevant postgraduate degree focused on international development (public administration, public policy, development economics, governance and institutions).
• At least 12 years’ experience, including relevant work in social impact or government advisory, international development, the public sector, management consulting, and/or development policy and innovation. Combinations of the above are ideal.
• Demonstrated experience in government institutional reforms and or/transformation, advising or operating in senior government official roles on public-sector reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Demonstrated experience in evidence-based policy design, results-based financing, theories of change, delivery management, and/or performance management or related fields.
• Successful track record in sourcing and managing partnerships (multiple stakeholders in complex settings), with at least 2 years of Government, multi/bilateral donors and philanthropy.
• Extensive experience growing and managing multicultural teams.
• Work experience in management consulting.
• Strong operational and financial management experience.
• Knowledge of Results-Based Financing mechanisms and/or experience related to the field (such as theories of change, log frames and results frameworks).