View Vacancy – Head of Urban Programme & Implementation, D6, New Delhi

Note : All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment and educational details, motivational segment and the competency based questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only for all the required details. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Please note that due to Covid-19 outbreak, the start date of employment mentioned in the advert is tentative, subject to normal business of British High Commission. All recruitment campaigns will remain open for applications, we will progress the recruitment process as swiftly as possible and continue to review all applications, monitor progress and developments. We will be in touch with you for the interviews/ should there be further updates on the application, however given the circumstances, kindly expect some delay in response and please reach out to if you have any further questions.

Please note: This is a fixed term position till March 2023.

Main purpose of job:

This is an exciting opportunity to deliver a key component of the £1.2bn cross-government Prosperity Fund. The Fund represents a step change in the UK government’s approach to promoting economic development and prosperity overseas. This post will lead delivery of the Prosperity Fund’s Urban programmes in India. It involves engaging with private and public sector stakeholders in both India and the UK to design and implement a multi-million pound multi-year programme. This role will realise the significant benefits of the programme in both supporting green and climate resilient urban development in India (‘primary benefit’), and creating opportunities for international business, including UK companies (‘secondary benefit’).

Reporting into the Head of Prosperity in the British High Commission in New Delhi, the post holder will provide strategic input and oversight to a £10m portfolio of projects, and will be responsible for providing technical and policy advice to the UK’s large network across India, and to London colleagues. You will be need to build strong relationships with a range of stakeholders including across the private sector, multi and bilateral donors, Indian government departments, as well as NGOs and think tanks.

The programme has recently moved from planning to delivery and implementing partners have been appointed. Your role is to ensure effective and impactful delivery of the programme. The jobholder will build strong working relationships and provide leadership with these delivery partners, colleagues in the High Commission, international organisations (e.g. IFIs) and UK businesses and their sector bodies.

You will have line management responsibility for a Programme Manager, who you will manage effectively to both support the implementation of the Urban portfolio, and to support their professional development. You will be expected to make a positive and active contribution to the wider Economic & Prosperity Team, through broader corporate responsibility roles e.g. leading on issues such as learning & development.

This is a challenging and exciting opportunity to play an influential role in a high-profile and strategic development initiative in India on behalf of the UK Government, which aims to have a positive impact on socially inclusive economic development and trade, as well as strengthening the relationship between the UK and India. Given the FCO and DFID have recently merged to become the FCDO, there is a possibility that the responsibilities of this role will evolve.

Roles and Responsibilities:

The cross-government Prosperity Fund (PF) was established under the UK’s 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, with the primary aim of supporting growth in recipient countries and thereby reducing poverty. As such, it represents a key component of the prosperity pillar of the UK Aid Strategy. But the Fund uniquely focuses on promoting growth in middle income countries eligible for Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). These countries are home to around 60% of the world’s poor and development challenges remain significant, but at the same time they are important business partners and drivers of prosperity. By delivering high impact, strategic multi-year programmes, across high opportunity countries, regions and sectors, the Fund will create opportunities for international business, including UK companies. For more information, see the Prosperity Fund 18/19 Annual Report.

As the UK leaves the EU, an even more outward-looking global Britain investing and trading with the fastest growing markets will become increasingly important. In addition, the global covid situation has highlighted the importance of incorporating appropriate measures into all aspects of development, including urban.

India is one of the main target countries of the PF – and the UK’s goal is to support development in India while opening opportunities for international business, including UK companies.

As the PF lead for Urban development, you will oversee all PF spending on Urban services in India – many million pounds over multiple years. You will be part of the leadership team for the Prosperity Fund in India, working to the Head of Prosperity, based in New Delhi.

We are looking for a pro-active, engaged individual to apply technical expertise in driving delivery of these programmes, provide effective contract management and undertake stakeholder engagement. 

Implementer role (80%)

• Strategy and Policy Implementation – Using technical expertise and operational leadership to implement programme delivery. Provide expertise alongside implementing partners to maximise high-quality outcomes of the programme.
• Policy Leadership and Expertise – Provide policy expertise on Urban. Build and maintain networks with national and state governments to ensure they are provided with the technical expertise they need to drive economic reform. Provide your own analyses and expertise to shape programme delivery e.g. on technical requirements in programme design and delivery.
• Technical Expertise in Delivery – Use expertise in the provision of technical assistance to partners and wider beneficiaries, for example at capacity building events, local workshops, training events. Align provision so it is in line with UK policy and regulatory practice as required.
• Stakeholder Engagement – Build wide stakeholder networks with relevant parties across India and in the UK to enable effective programme implementation. Support partnerships between key in-country stakeholders and implementing partners to drive the development of urban reform in India.

Programme Leader role (10%)

Deploy excellent programme management skills by proactively managing implementing partners to ensure they deliver on their contractual and key performance indicators commitments. This will include:

• Programme Oversight – Provide strong oversight and manage the complexity of a programme with a number of external partners to ensure programme coherence with wider UK policy objectives. This will include for example assessing the effectiveness of delivery, advising on how to amend delivery to improve the programmes’ impacts and ensuring the programme is implemented effectively
• Strategy – you will identify needs and opportunities in India’s urban sector, and design high quality programmes to address them, engaging with business, Whitehall departments, the Government of India, sector experts and implementation agencies. You will lead on the strategic alignment of the British High Commission network’s work on smart cities and urbanisation in India, working closely across FCDO, DIT, UKRI, SIN and Deputy High Commissions across the country
• Contract Management – Managing successful roll-out of externally procured contract with international consultancy. Ensure good value for money and monitor implementer compliance (e.g. SLAs). The role requires strong management of implementing partners ensuring they are performing well, finances are correctly administered, and the programme’s benefits are realised.
• Financial Management – You will deliver programmes that provide excellent value for money – and will work with programme delivery partners to monitor progress and results delivery, including financial and risk management. You will continually evaluate the programme and feed this back into design.
• Impact – Ensuring programmes meet the central requirements of the Prosperity Fund including on monitoring, reporting, evaluation and learning; compliance with OECD rules for ODA; and Gender Equality Act compliance and support PF ambitions on women’s economic opportunities, inclusive growth and poverty reduction.

Representational and stakeholder engagement (10%)

• You will build excellent relationships with stakeholders in the Government of India, at national and state levels. In particular, you will lead the High Commission’s relationships with Ministry of Urban Development in Delhi – but you will also engage with state governments across the country, working with Deputy High Commissions and UK Prosperity Advisors across our India network.
• You will lead on relationships with businesses – from construction to design experts – to ensure both that India is aware of UK expertise and that UK experts are aware of opportunities in India.
• You will manage senior relationships across the High Commission and with departments across Whitehall (with HMT, DIT, BEIS, CLG, FCDO, No 10, and the Cabinet Office)

As a key member of the Economics & Trade Policy team, you will also have the opportunity to play a role in wider agenda, e.g. the biannual Economic and Financial Dialogue between the Chancellor and India’s Minister of Finance. As well as sound policy skills and experience, you will have a strong background in delivering programmes overseas. Good knowledge of UK capability in relevant areas such as infrastructure, high tech, and development will be needed. You will need to have knowledge of urban work.The role will give you the opportunity to work with significant autonomy in delivering real world outcomes. It requires someone with excellent programme management and representational skills – as well as an enthusiasm for both the urban development sector and the UK in India.

Resources managed:

Line management of a C4 member of staff. £10m PF expenditure over life of the programme.

Language requirements:

Language: English

Level of language required: Fluent 

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

We place a strong emphasis on learning and development. You will have access to existing and new PPM L&D available through the Prosperity Fund Department as well as wider job-relevant L&D and support for your own personal development. You will have the opportunity to participate in annual reviews to assess the performance of PF programmes.

Essential on arrival:

• Policy, programme and financial management experience of large high-value programmes. Preferably including ODA funding and government programming.
• A minimum of four years’ experience in policy and programme work in a relevant subject area.
• A sound understanding of HMG’s priorities in India and of the UK’s rules and mechanisms for managing ODA
• Experience of working in the urban sector, as well as of UK capability in infrastructure, high tech and development.