Senior Advisor - Data & AI at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Role Summary

• The Data & AI, Senior Advisor will have the political acumen to convincingly engage senior officials on the political importance and transformative power of data-driven governments and the growing impact of AI. Their experience advising governments or directly applying insights from data into a public sector context should be supported by a strong grasp of AI and other emerging technologies. They will be able to communicate how next-generation AI systems, Large Language Models, and advanced data analytics enable governments to be more adaptive and agile, while also stimulating innovation and growth throughout their countries more broadly.
• This role is part of a growing team of expert advisors in TBI’s Global Client Solutions (GCS) team, part of TBI’s Government Advisory division. GCS is a hands-on center of excellence bringing the best of the Institute and distributing it at scale to enhance the quality and impact of our advice to senior political leaders.
• As a central resource, the Senior Advisor for Data & AI will set the vision for how governments are able to fully leverage data and AI to 1) support more strategic and responsive government operations 2) deliver higher quality public services, and 3) facilitate innovation within private and third sectors. Providing valuable counsel, technical input, quality assurance, and thought leadership to colleagues and governments around the world, the Senior Advisor will ensure TBI’s support on Data & AI is as impactful as possible. Drawing from hands-on experience implementing data driven projects and helping governments adopt emerging technologies, they will identify opportunities to continually improve and evolve the offer and relevant tools, including through the creation of partnerships for design and delivery.

To successfully deliver the remit, the postholder will need to work effectively with teams across the Institute, including:

• Other GCS Leads to ensure our overall engagement with countries is strategic and optimised for maximum impact and sustainability, and to apply the Data & AI offer to specific subject matter areas (i.e. health) and functional offers (i.e. Delivery Mechanisms)
• Country teams and embedded advisors who will benefit from the support provided while also helping to ensure the offer evolves and remains relevant for centres of governments.
• Policy & Politics colleagues, providing a unique opportunity to close the gap between progressive policy, thought leadership on cutting edge topics like AI, and hands on implementation.
• Strategy & Partnerships teams, supporting the development of key partnerships that enhance the officer and help actualise the Institute’s vision for change and progress and complementing our in-house expertise
• Strategic Communications teams, co-creating collateral that captures lessons learned and highlights successes to a global audience.

Key Responsibilities

• This is a senior role within TBI and will be held by an exceptional candidate with deep and extensive experience helping senior political leaders generate, and then act on insights from data to solve the key challenges of the public sector and support new opportunities for growth in private and third sectors. The senior advisor will also

Key responsibilities will include:
Strategy and programme development

• Design a Data & AI offer for TBI’s clients, including practical ways in which TBI can support governments to better use data and AI capabilities to set policy and strategy, as well as to deliver on their priorities.
• Ensure the global portfolio of D4DM projects is cohesive.
• Work closely with other GCS Leads to enable the broader Digital & Tech Transformation vision and cross-sector strategy (e.g. working with the Delivery practice to see how actionable insights can improve policy implementation in real time)
• Develop a repository of Data & AI assets to support advisory colleagues to engage in the offer and present it propositionally to current and new clients globally.
• Work closely with country teams, providing technical expertise and thought partnership to scope and design opportunities in support of countries’ top challenges, leveraging disruptive technology, generating innovative solutions, and framing them in a compelling way for political leaders
• Drawing from the thought leadership of the Policy & Politics team, identify and apply emerging data-related technologies – including AI – into a cohesive offer for governments.

External engagement and partnerships

• Develop and enhance our relationships with leading innovators, technology companies, implementation partners, and thought leaders in the Data & AI space, deepening our understanding of emerging innovation and improving our offer to governments
• In line with TBI’s partnerships strategy and the Tomorrow Partnership platform, help to identify, curate, and secure technology partnerships.
• Provide senior-level representation and presentations for TBI at external fora and events.
• Engage with relevant external stakeholders such as other not-for-profit organisations, donors, suppliers, and agencies.

Programmatic delivery

• Support country teams to maintain effective and trusted government relationships which enable the successful delivery of our Data for Decision Making projects. Where required develop relationships with relevant country counterparts and stakeholders.
• Provide technical guidance to teams in supporting client governments to establish human capacity, policies, strategies, and structures required to utilise data to improve public sector delivery and outcomes
• Lead the development of assessment frameworks and other assets TBI teams can use with government counterparts to increase understanding of how to leverage the latest innovations such as AI or to inform decisions on data analytics tools more broadly.
• Work with Director for Digital and Tech Transformation and Advisory leadership to troubleshoot and ensure country teams can access the best of the Institute to support their work.

Enabling Systems

• Support the development of instructional and implementation material for both TBI country teams and government counterparts
• Work closely with the TBI Evidence and Impact teams to contribute to a learning culture which effectively captures and utilises lessons to continuously improve our work.
• Support country and regional teams as needed to attract and hire talent in support of our work, contributing to the recruitment, induction and support for new hires and mentoring and coaching where needed.
• Shape and embody a positive culture that drives innovation and delivery. Play a key role in the broader community at TBI, building strong working relationships across the Institute.

Person Specification
We are looking for an experienced Specialist in Public Sector Data Use and adoption of AI technologies with:

• Experience advising governments on advanced use of data, AI and other emerging technologies (the significance and enablers)
• Relevant experience leading or supporting data-driven decision-making process with senior political leaders, and deep understanding of how public sector systems work
• Ability to advise on AI regulatory frameworks and data policy foundations and regulations
• Demonstrated strategic thinker with the ability to deliver in challenging contexts
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills, with discretion and tact, and the ability to foster trusted relationships with a diverse selection of stakeholders
• Sensitivity to a broad range of cultural and regional norms
• Willingness to travel globally and up to approximately 30 percent.