Call for Talent: Team Leader – Deepening Democracy Facility (Zambia)

Job description

Overview

The Governance team at Oxford Policy Management is seeking a Team Leader on a fixed-term basis, contingent on the successful outcome of a bid for an upcoming project in Zambia called Deepening Democracy Facility. It is anticipated that this project will last 7 years until May 2033.

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This project aims to strengthen inclusive, accountable, and resilient governance in Zambia by supporting government-led reform efforts, safeguarding and expanding civic space, and enabling effective collaboration between state and non-state stakeholders. By building coalitions that drive sustainable democratic reforms, the project seeks to improve service delivery and ensure more equitable outcomes for the population.

We are an international development consultancy working to improve lives through sustainable policy change in low- and middle-income countries. Our vision is for fair public policy that benefits both people and the planet.

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Through our global network of offices, we work in partnership with national stakeholders and decision makers to research, design, implement, and evaluate impactful public policy. We draw on our local and international sector experts to provide the very best evidence-based support. We deliver projects with expert knowledge and experience and can be relied upon for excellence in all aspects of project delivery. We work collaboratively, with ambition, to help deliver impactful public policy that will bring about lasting change.

Position Summary

The Team Leader will be responsible for overall programme leadership, strategic direction, and delivery. Based full-time in Zambia, the role requires a leader who can think politically, act strategically, and translate opportunity into reform outcomes while maintaining strong accountability for results and value for money.

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Key Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership and vision for the democratic governance programme, aligning delivery with Zambia’s evolving political and institutional context.

Work politically to influence change, leveraging strong relationships with senior stakeholders across government, civil society, political actors, and development partners.

Navigate complex political dynamics, identifying and responding to windows of opportunity to advance reform.

Convene and sustain coalitions of actors capable of driving inclusive, accountable, and durable democratic outcomes.

Influence national policy and institutional reform while supporting locally led solutions.

Ensure robust performance management, results measurement, learning, and adaptive programming.

Maintain accountability for programme performance, fiduciary risk management, and value for money.

Key Qualifications / Experience / Skills / Behaviours

The ideal candidate will bring 15 plus years of experience in the following:

Exceptional political acumen and strategic thinking, with a deep understanding of democratic governance and reform processes.

Proven experience working politically to influence policy and institutional change in complex environments.

Demonstrated ability to build and leverage high-level relationships across government, civil society, and development partners.

Strong leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and complex programmes.

The capacity to balance adaptability and innovation with disciplined delivery, accountability, and results focus.

Experience operating in Zambia or comparable political and governance contexts will be a strong advantage.

Our Offer

Whether you join us in a corporate position, as a project delivery colleague, or as an independent contractor driving programme management – at OPM you will find a company that places equal value on excellence and integrity. As a leading international development consulting firm, we strive to enable and empower everyone who works with us to do their best work in an environment that welcomes ambition, creativity and passion for positive change.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

We strongly believe in a fairer distribution of power between all stakeholders, and we commit to reflecting this in our organisational structures and in the design and delivery of our projects. We proactively work to evolve ourselves and our stakeholders to shape inclusive and fair programming, implementation, and policies. Our recruitment and procurement processes reflect our ambition to make the international development sector more diverse and inclusive.

Application

If you share our vision for fair public policy that benefits both people and planet, we would love to hear from you. Please submit your application through our careers’ site by the closing date .  We review and interview applicants on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply by way of CV via our careers site at the earliest.