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Executive Director, Technology and Public Policy

Job Reference tbigc/TP/22857/324

This job has been closed.

Number of Positions:
1
Contract Type:
Permanent/Full Time
Contract Details:
Ongoing
Salary:
Competitive
Location:
London
Closing Date:
13/07/2021
Seniority level:
Policy
Company Industry:
Policy - Tech and Public Policy
Job Function:
United Kingdom

Job Introduction

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a purpose-driven, not-for-profit organisation, with a mission to equip leaders to build open, prosperous and inclusive societies in a globalised world. We do this by developing policy and advising on delivery. 

A significant part of our policy portfolio is focused on the tech revolution, which we regard as one of the central political challenges of our time. We believe that leaders around the world can only meet it with new thinking and new coalitions, and we work relentlessly to equip them with politically actionable policy and strategy that is fit for the 21st century. 

The Executive Director, Technology and Public Policy is a key and senior role in the organisation, reporting to the CEO and responsible for our global technology policy programme. 

We are looking for an exceptional candidate with a track record of leading and managing high-performing teams, proven experience building relationships with senior leaders in politics, government and the tech sector, and a flair for providing creative vision and robust intellectual challenge across a wide-ranging global tech policy brief. 

The role is supported by senior managers who each lead a substantial policy unit within the programme, along with teams that work across the programme on community engagement and strategy & operations. 

It requires close working relationships with the Institute’s Executive Chairman, the Rt Hon Tony Blair, the Institute’s CEO and Executive Committee, the Institute’s wider Policy Futures and Government Advisory divisions, and the Institute’s central functions for Communications, Fundraising and Operations. 

The role is based at our HQ in London, with an expectation of frequent travel worldwide once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. 

You can find out more about how our tech policy programme is structured and how we approach the work we do in our team and culture deck

Key Responsibilities

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The Executive Director is responsible for: 

  • Leading the Technology and Public Policy programme, setting a clear and ambitious global vision for the work we do and being a role model for our culture and values 
  • Line managing senior staff, and ensuring high standards for people management, personal development and career support for all team members 
  • Maintaining a high-performance environment where teams are clear about expectations, empowered to achieve their goals and where progress is tracked with data 
  • Developing a collaborative culture that makes the most of a global programme with policy staff based across four offices in London, San Francisco, Accra and Singapore 
  • Curating the overall portfolio of work in the Institute’s tech policy programme to deliver a distinctive proposition to leaders, and to maximise impact and return on investment 
  • Representing the Institute at public events, online and in the media, and building an active public profile as a leading voice on technology policy in key debates
  • Building strong, productive relationships with senior leaders in politics, policy, government, the tech sector and the third sector to increase the reach and influence of our work 
  • Connecting the Institute’s tech policy work to our government advisory projects around the world, providing expertise and challenge and incorporating local insight 
  • Manging the programme budget and financial strategy, and developing a network of supporters and partners worldwide to help fund the important work we do 
  • Supporting and advising the Executive Chairman in relation to the Institute’s work on technology policy, external engagements and key relationships 
  • Being an active and collaborative member of the Institute’s Executive Committee, building strong relationships across the organisation and being a role model to others 

Person Specification

The Executive Director will be an experienced and successful leader who can demonstrate the majority of the following: 

  • A minimum of 15 years’ experience in public policy, the tech sector, consulting or similar 
  • A track record of leading and motivating high-performing teams to deliver results 
  • Significant people management experience  
  • Extremely strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills 
  • A flair for communicating big ideas, both spoken and in writing 
  • High entrepreneurialism, marrying speed and agility with long-term strategy 
  • An established network in tech, policy and politics 
  • Politically astute, able to cut through a complex and noisy debate 
  • Comfort in working on sometimes controversial topics and making bold calls 
  • Pragmatism and the ability to excel when things are uncertain or ambiguous  
  • An ability to build rapport quickly and win the respect and support of leaders 
  • Confidence with financial management and fundraising 
  • An ability to travel frequently (1–2x per month, Covid-19 permitting) 

The following would be advantageous but are not essential: 

  • MBA or equivalent 
  • Proficiency in one or more non-English languages 

About The Institute

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Advisory Practice works directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. We are currently in a rapid expansion phase from c. 18 countries at present, to 30 by December 2022.

 Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

  • Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 
  • Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 
  • Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

  • Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 
  • Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 
  • Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results 

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\'re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.