Overview

Oxford Policy Management is seeking a Team of Experts on a fixed-term basis, contingent on the successful outcome of a bid for the policy facility component of an upcoming project in Zambia called Resilience in Agriculture and Investing in Nature Programme. It is anticipated that this project will last 7 years until 2033.

The team will include expertise in:

• Agricultural Production and Diversification

• Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM)

• Climate Finance

• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

These positions would be located in Zambia.

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.

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.

The project aims to support policy reform that facilitates increased and diversified agricultural production, improved natural resources management and climate adaptation, and access to climate finance.

Position Summary

The Core Team will provide technical, strategic, and politically informed leadership to support policy and institutional reform that enables increased and diversified agricultural production, strengthened integrated natural resource management, climate adaptation, and enhanced access to climate finance in Zambia.

The Core Team will:

1. Deliver Politically Informed Reform Support

• Apply deep contextual understanding of Zambia’s political economy to identify, assess, and act on opportunities for policy and institutional reform.

• Work politically and adaptively, recognising windows of opportunity and adjusting approaches in response to evolving political and institutional dynamics.

• Strategically scale engagement up or down depending on reform traction and stakeholder incentives.

2. Support Agricultural and Climate Policy Reform

• Provide technical and strategic support to reforms that enable:

  • Increased and diversified agricultural production

  • Climate-resilient agricultural systems

  • Sustainable and integrated natural resource management

  • Improved access to and effective use of climate finance

• Influence national policy processes while supporting locally led solutions and institutional strengthening.

3. Build multi-stakeholder partnerships

• Build and sustain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across government, civil society, producer organisations, private sector actors, and development partners.

• Strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships capable of advancing inclusive, accountable, and durable reform outcomes.

• Drive coherent and coordinated action across institutions operating at the intersection of agriculture, climate, and natural resource governance.

4. Deliver Adaptive and Evidence-Based Programming

• Apply Political Economy Analysis (PEA) to inform programme design and strategic engagement.

• Use evidence, learning, and real-time analysis to adjust interventions and maintain relevance in a dynamic context.

• Commission specialized research and technical analysis where necessary.

5. Ensure Performance, Accountability, and Value for Money

• Maintain strong oversight of programme performance, fiduciary risk management, and compliance.

• Ensure robust monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting systems.

• Promote value for money, sustainability, and measurable reform outcomes.

Key Qualifications / Experience / Skills / Behaviours

Core Qualifications, Experience, and Competencies

The Core Team collectively should bring substantial senior-level experience (typically 10–15+ years per thematic lead) across the following areas:

Technical Expertise

• Agricultural production systems, diversification, and rural development in southern Africa.

• Integrated natural resource management and landscape-level approaches.

• Climate change adaptation policy and programming.

• Climate finance architecture, access mechanisms, and public financial management.

• Governance, policy reform, and institutional strengthening in complex environments.

Political and Reform Capabilities

• Proven experience working politically to influence policy and institutional reform.

• Strong understanding of political economy dynamics affecting agriculture, climate, and natural resource governance.

• Demonstrated ability to build coalitions and influence decision-making across government and civil society.

• Experience supporting reform processes in Zambia or comparable political and governance contexts is highly desirable.

Programme Management and Delivery

• Experience managing complex, multidisciplinary programmes.

• Strong skills in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and adaptive programming.

• Ability to balance innovation and flexibility with disciplined delivery, accountability, and results orientation.

• Experience ensuring fiduciary oversight, compliance, and value for money.

Education

• Advanced degree in Agriculture, Environmental Management, Climate Policy, Economics, Public Policy, Development Studies, Governance, or a related field (as relevant to area of specialization).

Personal Attributes

• High political acumen and strategic thinking capability.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.

• Adaptability and resilience in dynamic and politically complex environments.

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.