About the Afghanistan Middle East North Africa Team
We have been highly active in the region since 1998, when we helped to set up the Office of the President for the Palestinian National Authority. In the intervening 15 years we have provided 12 years of support to the Afghan government on a wide range of government policies and institutions, 11 years of legal and communications support to the PLO for its final status negotiations, 10 year of support to centre of government institutions in Iraq, and two years of support to emerging local governance structures in Syria. Our achievement s include raising Afghan annual tax revenues by over $2bn, distributing $1.6bn to get public services following the collapse of the Gaddafi regime, establishing a national budgeting process and development plans in Palestine and established lasting institutions at the centre of government in Iraq that have been instrumental in managing the transition of power through three different leaderships in Iraq. At the ground level, we have mentored over 300 up and coming entrepreneurs, delivered basic services to over 80,000 people in opposition-controlled Syria and supported the delivery of education to over 200,000 children in Afghanistan as a result of the reforms we helped to introduce at the Ministry of Education.
We are at the cutting edge of development approaches in this complex and dynamic region. We are building capacity at the institutions at the centre of government in Iraq, implementing a mentoring programme for entrepreneurs across the region, building demand side accountability in Libya, designing private sector development interventions in Yemen and pioneering approaches to supporting emerging local governance structures in Syria.
About the role
The AfMENA team is seeking exceptional candidates for the post of Assistant Manager. This post will be based in London.
Our Professional Development Scheme works for nine months. At the end of this period Adam Smith International may provide an offer of permanent employment as a Manager. During these nine months you will be responsible for working with the team to support project management and business development activities. Specific responsibilities include:
· Manage resources for projects under direct management to ensure targets can be delivered within budget and support financial administration of projects under team management;
· Ensure all financial submissions are correct and submitted in a timely fashion;
· Ensure reporting to client is provided to line manager in a timely fashion to allow for editing in time for submission to the client;
· Monitor portals where business development opportunities are advertised to identify projects for AfMENA team to bid on;
· Support Manager and Senior Manager within the team to identify business opportunities in the focus sectors and provide market intelligence that can help to inform decision making on bidding;
· Gather resources (including associates and partner organisations) for the assembly of competitive bids either independently or under the direct supervision of line manager;
· Research and write technical content for bids so as to contribute effectively to tenders or lead as directed by line managers;
· Review and revise any contractual documents as directed by line manager to support negotiations with clients on commercial arrangements of projects;
· Maintain regular review of project finances to ensure burn rate is in line with forecasts;
· Provide research and technical review inputs where needed on projects under direct management;
· Support the project team to prepare for any annual or intermittent reviews, including reviews that focus on value for money issues;
· Work with line manager to identify plan for achieving business plan objectives.
About you
Our projects require the highest quality people. People empowered to overcome challenges with a ‘can do’ attitude tempered with insight and pragmatism. Each team member is carefully selected, based not just on their technical ability, but on their proven experience. It’s this combination that ensures we deliver real societal impact and measurable results beyond those anticipated.
You should have demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with people from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds; ability to work effectively in politically sensitive and physically challenging environments - and ability to work well within a team environment.
Adam Smith International seeks the following skills and experience:
· A postgraduate degree in economics, political science, international development, business management, or other relevant field from a top-tier university;
· A demonstrated interest in economic development, particularly in challenging countries and in the Middle Est Region;
· Good numerical ability with a focus on financial awareness and ability;
· Demonstrated experience of using initiative, client-orientation, risk taking, and working in complex and pressured contexts;
· Outstanding written and spoken English, Arabic and/or Farsi;
· Enthusiasm, flexibility and a strong attention to detail;
· Excellent communication to high level stakeholders, inter-personal, and team-working skills;
· You must be eligible to work in the UK.
What We Offer You
We offer you a dynamic and friendly team environment and the opportunity to work on a highly successful portfolio of programmes. We have a strong commitment to our people and strive to live by our principles:
· Take responsibility (Accountability)
We are individually and collectively accountable for what we do.
· Always find a way (Resourcefulness)
We think innovatively to reach a solution.
· Promote Quality (Excellence)
We maintain and promote professional standards in everything we do.
· Commit to the Outcome (Achievement)
We take pride in delivering our best to achieve results
We’ve built a culture to reflect our principles, full of likeminded professionals who are smart, passionate and great at what they do. We offer a highly competitive compensation package and excellent benefits.
HOW TO APPLY:
Heard Enough? Ready to Apply?
We would love to hear from you. Please submit a CV (no more than 3 pages) and short cover letter torecruitment@adamsmithinternational.com with a subject line of “Assistant Manager/Junior Manager, AfMENA - London”. You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this position. Shortlisted applicants only will be contacted. Thank you for your consideration.
