Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, March 01, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Technology And Innovation Policy Advisor
Contract Type:
Fixed Term/Full Time
Contract Details:
Ongoing
Salary:
Competitive
Working Hours:
35 Hours per week
Job Category:
Tech for Development
Business Area / Division:
Tech for Development
Business Unit:
Rwanda

Focus of the Role
Are you excited by the prospect of transforming nations in Africa through the application of technology and innovations across public services?
TBI is expanding its long-standing partnership with Government of Rwanda as a part of our global Tech for Development (T4D) initiative, which has been enabled by a dynamic external partner, across existing and new operations in our Government Advisory and Tech & Public Policy divisions. This landmark initiative aims to transform and accelerate lower and middle income nations’ growth through the application of sustainable scalable technology and digital innovations.
Tech and digitisation policy support is a critical foundational result for the programme, working with the Ministry of Innovation and ICT (MINICT). MINICT has prioritised positioning Rwanda as a nation where innovative solutions to great socio-economic challenges are translated to rapid economic growth, employment, efficiency and increased productivity and competitiveness.
MINICT and TBI are looking for a senior and experienced individual with a background in technology, innovation strategy and/or policy to fill the position of a Technology and Innovation Policy Advisor. The individual will provide strategic advice, input and outputs to the Minister and industry’s senior leadership and will support the strengthening of the policy-making and strategic planning capacities of the Ministry. S/He will work with key senior staff at the ministry and its agencies to research, design and implement policies, strategies and impactful programs. The Advisor will also work collaboratively with MINICT’s implementation arm, the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA) and its new network of Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) appointed to lead sectoral digital transformation efforts in close collaboration with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Key Responsibilities
• Support the Ministry to identify opportunities for leveraging emerging technologies to drive economic transformation in Rwanda specifically starting with the following priority technologies of 5G, AI, IoT , Blockchain and Big Data.
• Conduct diagnostic / readiness of Rwanda’s strengths and weaknesses for adoption of emerging technologies
• Identify opportunities for adoption of these technologies and the necessary levers to support experimentation and eventually wider adoption
• Support prioritization and design of projects / pilots to stress-test assumptions and inform the Government’s policy direction and support
• Design policies, programs and strategies to build the technological and innovation capabilities of the private sector to leverage emerging technologies as well as those that will catalyse private sector investment and funding in these technologies

• Advise and oversee the design and implementation of the policy lab
• Support the coordinator of the policy lab to develop policy frameworks for the Ministry’s policy lab which will serve as a showcase for innovative policymaking by delivering data-driven policy solutions after experimenting with practical projects, building the skills and knowledge of the policy profession and wider Government stakeholders and inspiring new thinking through our writing and experiments
• Identify and prioritize certain priority projects and identify policy sprints including identifying the right partnership
• Support the Ministry and Policy lab in identifying opportunities for blending in data and analytics in the policy design and implementation process
• Document experiences and lessons learned and publish to disseminate across the Government and globally

• Prepare position papers and briefing documents for the Minister for participation in relevant regional and international forums (e.g., ITU, Broadband Commission, Smart Africa Alliance, Edison Alliance, World Economic Forum etc.); leverage wider TBI Policy resources, where appropriate to support this task.

• Support selected MINICT and affiliated agencies’ staff to gain the required knowledge, skills, values, expertise and exposure to effectively design and implement impactful policies and strategies. This could include recommendations for wider partnerships and training resources.
• Identify skills gap mostly in the analytical and policy analysis with the sector and bridge these gaps through in-house training and on-job training;
• Provide on-the-job training and knowledge transfer to select MINICT staff to ensure effective transfer of knowledge or support partnership development to provide this training;
• Avail and circulate relevant resources and networks that select staff can leverage to improve their knowledge and skills as pertains to policy making and strategy development;
• Support select staff to improve stakeholder management and partnership collaboration skills;
• After one year, provide a capacity assessment report and propose further areas for capacity building and development.
• Design and implement impactful actions that lead to improved coordination between MINICT, affiliated agencies, private sector, development partners and civil society in the ICT and innovation ecosystem to create a shared vision

• Serve as coordinating focal point for the Ministry’s partnership to build skills of Chief Digital officers across Government. Support both the Ministry and TBI to ensure strong outcomes from the partnership, as well as to document lessons learned for potential replication in other areas / countries.
• Research, propose and design policies, programs and strategies to facilitate the establishment of the necessary building blocks to increase digital inclusion, use and access of digital technologies; and
• Build connections across TBI to bring TBI’s knowledge, expertise and networks to benefit Rwanda.
• Document lessons learned and innovations from MINICT and Rwanda’s wider digitisation transformation to augment TBI’s internal learning and knowledge sharing.
• Working with colleagues across TBI and Government of Rwanda, support events, partnerships and external communications that highlight the Rwanda experience, achievements and lessons learned.
• Be an active collaborator in TBI’s Tech4Development ecosystem and community of practice.

Person Specification
• Master’s Degree in Public Policy, Public Administration, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology or other relevant areas, preferably with specialization/expertise in strategy development, technology, or economics and ideally within a developmental context;
• At least 7 years experience in providing strategic advice and development of public development policies and/or strategies;
• Strong understanding of the dynamics of Tech and Innovation demonstrated by experience in conducting studies and/or designing policies and strategies in these areas;
• Substantive overall understanding of digital development trends and ability to present related issues clearly both to a general and a specialist audience;
• Preference for individuals with work experience in Africa and/or other developing markets
• Strong analytical and research skills. Excellent business writing, presentation skills and verbal communication skills (in English);
• Strong project management skills;
• Effective inter-personal and leadership skills. Team player with an ability to develop and foster relationships with diverse stakeholders;
• Drive, motivation and ability to consistently achieve results in a fast-paced environment;
• Proven ability to mentor, coach, and build capacity, across different capacities.

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 Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It works with a variety of partners and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

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.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 36

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

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