Senior Advisor, Investment Climate and Private Sector Development
Description
We don’t just talk, we do. Lead the change with us.
At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere.
We are a global not-for-profit organisation, operating in more than 40 countries across five continents. Our teams include political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages and are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re all here at TBI to make a difference.
In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you’re from or who you are, if you’re passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.
Role Summary
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is supporting the Government of Sierra Leone to strengthen the country’s investment environment and improve its ability to attract, facilitate and retain high-quality private investment.
Working in partnership with British International Investment, TBI will support government to identify and implement priority reforms that make investing in Sierra Leone easier and more successful, strengthen the institutions responsible for investment, and help progress strategically important investment opportunities.
TBI is recruiting a Senior Adviser, Investment Climate and Private Sector Development to support delivery of the implementation phase of this programme.
Based in Freetown, the Senior Adviser will work closely with senior government counterparts and relevant institutions across government. The role will combine strategic advice with hands on delivery support, helping government translate identified investment constraints into practical reforms, strengthen investment facilitation and support priority investment opportunities through to implementation.
The successful candidate will bring strong expertise in investment climate reform and private sector development, together with a proven ability to work effectively with government. They will be comfortable navigating complex institutional environments, building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and maintaining momentum on reforms that require coordination across multiple institutions.
Key responsibilities
Drive priority investment climate reforms
-
Support government to identify and prioritise the most significant policy, regulatory, institutional and operational barriers to private investment.
-
Translate diagnostic findings into clear reform actions, implementation plans, accountabilities and milestones.
-
Provide practical advice on investment related constraints, including licensing, permits, taxation, customs, land, infrastructure and other priority areas identified through the programme.
-
Support coordination across ministries, departments and agencies where reforms require joint action.
-
Track delivery of agreed reforms, identify bottlenecks and support
government counterparts to resolve implementation challenges.
-
Provide evidence based recommendations to senior decision makers on actions required to improve Sierra Leone’s investment environment.
Strengthen investment promotion and facilitation
-
Support relevant government institutions to strengthen the end to end investor journey, from initial engagement through establishment, operation, expansion and aftercare.
-
Help improve systems for managing investor enquiries, facilitating investment and resolving investor challenges.
-
Support NIB to establish systematic investor aftercare, including investor and issue trackers and clear escalation arrangements.
-
Strengthen approaches to investment promotion and investor targeting where required.
-
Support the development of credible and evidence based investment propositions.
-
Strengthen coordination between institutions responsible for investment promotion, facilitation, regulation and sector delivery.
-
Support effective dialogue between government and the private sector to ensure investor experience informs reform priorities.
Support priority investment opportunities
-
Work with government to identify and prioritise strategically important investment opportunities aligned with national development priorities.
-
Assess the barriers preventing priority investments from progressing, including policy, regulation, infrastructure, project preparation, financing and institutional coordination.
-
Support government to establish clear pathways for resolving these constraints.
-
Develop implementation roadmaps that reflect investor requirements, with clear responsibilities and milestones.
-
Coordinate with relevant government institutions, investors, development finance institutions and partners to help progress priority opportunities.
-
Where appropriate, strengthen project preparation, investor propositions and government coordination around specific investment opportunities.
Strengthen government delivery capability
-
Build the capability of government counterparts to manage investment reforms and investor facilitation effectively.
-
Develop practical tools, processes and working methods that can be sustained by government institutions.
-
Support senior officials to establish clear ownership, delivery milestones and escalation mechanisms for priority actions.
-
Produce concise analysis and decision materials for senior government counterparts.
-
Facilitate problem solving across institutions where delivery is constrained by coordination challenges.
-
Embed approaches that strengthen long term government capability rather than creating parallel delivery structures.
Manage senior stakeholders and partnerships
-
Build trusted relationships with senior government officials and technical counterparts.
-
Engage investors and businesses to understand practical barriers to investment and test proposed solutions.
-
Coordinate closely and leverage BII's expertise within the governance arrangements of the partnership while maintaining clear TBI accountability and institutional boundaries.
-
Engage development finance institutions, development partners and private sector organisations where their involvement can support agreed priorities.
-
Identify related initiatives and promote coordination to reduce duplication and maximise impact.
Monitor progress and generate insight
-
Maintain a clear evidence base for recommendations and implementation decisions.
-
Track progress against agreed objectives, milestones and outcomes.
-
Maintain the agreed workplan and provide monthly progress updates to support TBI’s reporting to BII.
-
Identify emerging delivery risks and recommend corrective actions.
-
Prepare high-quality briefings, implementation updates and analytical products for senior stakeholders.
-
Capture lessons from implementation that can inform wider government reform and TBI’s work on investment and economic transformation.
Person specification
We are looking for an experienced and highly capable adviser who can operate effectively at the intersection of government, investment and private sector development.
Essential
The successful candidate will have:
-
Significant professional experience in investment climate reform, private sector development, investment promotion and facilitation, economic development, development finance, economic po