Manager, Strategy (Africa Region) at Evidence Action

Position Summary

• The Manager, Strategy is responsible for executing the day-to-day strategy workstream of the Regional Strategy function: translating the Africa Region's strategic plan and OKRs into concrete work plans, tracking delivery against them, and producing the analysis and materials that keep the EVP, the Chief of Staff, and Senior Regional Leadership focused on what matters most.
• Working closely with the Chief of Staff, the Manager, Strategy is the primary executor on strategy roll-out, regional planning cycles, performance dashboards, and cross-cutting special projects — The role carries significant analytical and project-management responsibility but does not carry final decision-making authority.
• This role reports to the Chief of Staff, Regional Strategy, and executes the strategy delivery workstream within the Regional Strategy function. It is an individual-contributor position with no direct reports at this time.

Contract Type: 2-Year Fixed Contract

Scope & Role Boundaries

• This role executes strategy and coordination work on behalf of the Chief of Staff and the Regional Strategy function — it does not hold authority over Country Directors, Associate Directors, or other regional leaders, and does not own programme delivery, country operations, or technical decisions that sit with those roles. Where the Manager, Strategy leads on frameworks, templates, or analysis (for example, OKR tracking or risk-register consolidation), accountability for country-level and programmatic decisions remains with the relevant Country Director or programme owner. Recommendations and materials produced by this role are reviewed by the Chief of Staff before being escalated to the EVP or Senior Regional Leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Execution & Planning Support (35%)

• Support the finalisation, roll-out, and execution of the Africa Region's new strategy — translating strategic priorities into detailed work plans, milestones, and owners across the nine-country Region.
• Coordinate the Region's annual and multi-year planning cycles, including priority-setting workshops, OKR development, and progress reviews, under the direction of the Chief of Staff.
• Track execution of the strategic plan and OKRs across countries and functions, flagging slippage, risks, and bottlenecks to the Chief of Staff for escalation.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis to support strategic decision-making, including options analysis and trade-off assessments requested by the Chief of Staff or EVP.
• Draft briefing notes, discussion papers, and strategy documents that the Chief of Staff and EVP use in Senior Regional Leadership and Board-level discussions.

Special Projects & Programme Support (25%)

• Provide day-to-day project management on assigned cross-cutting special projects (for example, workstreams linked to the Dispensers for Safe Water scale-down or the Deworm the World transition), reporting progress and issues to the Chief of Staff.
• Support new country entry work by conducting feasibility and scoping research, tracking legal and registration milestones, and coordinating administrative set-up tasks, in an advisory and coordinating capacity.
• Support programme teams with data-driven analysis on programme transitions, sustainability roadmaps, and scale-up or exit models, in collaboration with Country Directors and Associate Directors.
• Maintain and refresh regional risk-management templates and escalation protocols, and consolidate country-level risk registers for review by the Chief of Staff.
• Provide flexible capacity stop-gap support to other teams or departments across the region, filling operational gaps as they arise and as directed by the Chief of Staff. 

Performance Tracking & Reporting (20%)

• Build and maintain the Region's performance dashboards, consolidating data from country and departmental work plans, quarterly reports, and financial reports.
• Ensure timely, high-quality, and complete submission of work plans and quarterly/annual reports from country and departmental leads, following up directly with contributors.
• Produce the quarterly performance pack circulated ahead of the Africa Regional Leadership (ARL) meeting, under the Chief of Staff's direction.
• Track progress against the strategic plan and other organisational indicators, and maintain a single source of truth for regional performance data.

Regional Coordination & Governance Support (15%)

• Support the planning and execution of Quarterly ARL Meetings and Bi-Monthly Senior Regional Leadership (SRL) Meetings — drafting agendas, preparing pre-read materials, and coordinating inputs from Country Directors and functional leads, under the Chief of Staff's direction.
• Track action items and decisions from key governance forums, following up with owners to ensure timely closure.
• Support the Chief of Staff in preparing for EVP check-ins and other management forums by pulling together relevant data and briefing materials.
• Support planning and logistics for the annual Leadership Offsite and mid-year check-in.

Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration (5%)

• Coordinate with the AI Manager and Communications Manager within Regional Strategy to align strategy materials, messaging, and reporting timelines.
• Support engagement with Evidence Action teams in India and the United States on organisation-wide projects relevant to regional strategy and planning.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief of Staff, consistent with the scope and level of this role.

Key Stakeholders

• Chief of Staff, Regional Strategy (line manager)
• Executive Vice President, Africa Region
• Country Directors and Associate Directors across the nine-country Africa Region
• Senior Regional Leadership (SRL) and Africa Regional Leadership (ARL) teams
• Global counterparts in India and the United States
• People & Culture, Internal Audit, and Finance teams

Requirements

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, Public Policy, International Development, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of relevant experience, preferably in management consulting, strategy, project/programme management, business analysis, or a related analytical role, with experience in the private sector, international development, or social impact. Experience from leading management consulting and professional services firms, including McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, PwC, EY, or KPMG, as well as analytical or strategy roles within leading private-sector organisations, is highly valued. 
• 3-5 years experience in management consulting preferred but not a must
• Strong analytical skills, with demonstrated ability to structure problems, work with data, and translate analysis into clear recommendations.
• Solid project-management skills, with experience coordinating multi-stakeholder work plans and tracking delivery against milestones.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, well-organised briefing materials and presentations.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple concurrent workstreams, and exercise sound judgment on what to escalate versus resolve directly.
• Genuine commitment to Evidence Action's mission and to creating value in international development.

Desirable

• Experience in global health, WASH, or related development sectors.
• Exposure to OKR frameworks, performance dashboards, or regional/organisational planning cycles.
• Experience working across multiple countries or in a matrixed organisational structure.
• Familiarity with the East African and broader African development context.