Project Lead, Nairobi at Instiglio

THE ROLE

As a Project Lead, you will be responsible for expanding our services and strengthening our project pipeline in Nairobi, advising clients and managing Results-Based Financing, Performance Management, and other projects from beginning to end. You will coach clients through difficult, yet important, adaptations of their practices, coordinate the project team to deliver high-quality, socially impactful work, establish and monitor work-plans, and be accountable for the results of projects. You will be challenged to balance and strategize around the triple constraints of quality, time, and budget in our project work.

Tasks May Include

You will be an integral part of Instiglio’s Management, advising clients on important decisions and helping Instiglio as an organization to make smart and effective decisions on growth, strategy, and sustainability. With the high-level support of the partners and implementation support of the project teams, you will be strategizing the vision to reach short- and long-term project goals. As a Manager, you will also be an ambassador for Instiglio’s mission and work globally.

Project Management and Delivery

• Mastering all elements of Results-Based Financing and Performance Management advisory work to effectively advise technical decisions in projects.
• Actively improving our Results-Based Financing and Performance Management services and our delivery approaches.
• Developing from scratch technical components of Results-Based Financing and Performance Management instruments, assessing the considerations and trade-offs unique to each design.
• Developing and managing project scope and budget, and adjusting and course-correcting to meet execution needs.
• Leading the day-to-day work plan, overseeing the project team to ensure that we reach short- and long-term targets.
• Monitoring and understanding all project details, including complex technical concepts.
• Designing and delegating activities and tasks to achieve the most effective results within the team.
• Coordinating and motivating project teams and assigning tasks and responsibilities based on individual strengths.

Business Development

• Building strong relationships and managing multi-stakeholder partnerships.
• Engaging in Business Development activities to build Instiglio’s pipeline.

Client Management and Advisory

• Communicating Results-Based Financing and Performance Management in an eloquent and approachable manner for diverse stakeholders.
• Actively improving our Results-Based Financing and Performance Management services and our delivery approaches.
   

WHERE WOULD YOU BE LOCATED? Nairobi, Kenya.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS?

Required Qualifications

• Experience: At least 8 years of experience, including 6 years of relevant work experience in International Development, Consultancy and/or in the Public Sector
• Education: BA degree in economics, development economics, statistics, or related fields. Master’s degree in economics, international development, or related fields.
• Language skills: Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English C2.
   

Required Skills

• Proven track record in client management (multiple stakeholders in complex settings).
• Experience growing and managing teams.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and structured thinking.
• Exceptional people skills: Ability to relate well with people from different backgrounds, build trust, and solve problems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience: Demonstrated experience in RBF and/or Performance Management.
• Working with governments and government agencies.
• Knowledge: Results-Based financing mechanisms and/or experience related to the field.
• Language skills: Professional working proficiency in French - C1.
   

Professional Development & Benefits

Project Leads at Instiglio have a chance to develop a variety of skills, take on client-facing roles on projects, with the guidance of more experienced senior staff. Instiglio has a strong feedback culture, with all staff receiving quarterly formal, structured reviews, in addition to real-time feedback. Additionally, a mentorship system and development plans are in place to ensure that staff receives proper support in their professional development. Instiglio offers generous benefits, which include personal days, remote work days, travel and health insurance, a company holiday additional to vacation, and parental leave, among others.

About Instiglio

Instiglio is a non-profit consulting firm whose goal is to reshape expectations, raise performance standards, and maximize the impact of the development community. To do so, since our founding in 2012, we have pioneered novel Results-Based Financing (RBF) and Performance Management approaches in developing countries to ensure that every dollar invested in solutions to poverty has the greatest possible impact. Instiglio is helping to build a global results movement in major social sectors, including livelihoods, agriculture, education, health, employment, and governance.

During our journey, we have worked with a range of actors; including governments (e.g., Governments of Colombia, Peru, Morocco, and Egypt), multilateral development banks (e.g., World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank), development aid agencies (e.g., USAID, MCC, DFID, GAC, SECO), service providers (e.g., Educate Girls, Mercy Corps, World Vision), and private foundations (e.g., IKEA Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, Fundación Corona, Fundación Bancolombia).

Instiglio has successfully launched RBF projects in over 25 Latin American, African, and South Asian countries, totaling over $500 million tied to results. Particularly important milestones include the world’s first Development Impact Bond (education, India); the first Social Impact Bond launched in a middle-income country (workforce development, Colombia); the first Outcomes Fund (poverty graduation, Kenya and Uganda); and the launch of performance-based contracts with governments in Africa (employability, Morocco). Instiglio has also advised pioneer RBF transactions in the areas of agriculture and rural development in Colombia and Peru with the Canadian (GAC) and Swiss (SECO) development aid agencies, respectively. Furthermore, Instiglio has increasingly supported governments in strengthening their systems of delivery through multi-year reform processes.

We are a diverse team of 50+ people, representing 10+ nationalities, with offices in Colombia (HQ), Kenya, Morocco, Peru, and the USA. Our team of practitioners has extensive development and government experience, including previous roles in impact evaluation (e.g., J-PAL), development banks (e.g., World Bank), country governments (e.g., Rwanda Ministry of Finance, Colombia’s National Planning Department, Congress of Colombia), and research (e.g., Harvard’s Center for International Development).