Senior Manager/Manager (Projects & GEN) job at Instiglio

Who we are

Instiglio’s mission is to build public institutions that truly work for societies and the planet. We exist to unlock the potential of public institutions — not by chasing marginal gains, but by reimagining and rebuilding them from the inside out.

We partner with governments and development actors (e.g., the World Bank, FCDO, Hilton Foundation) to align public funding with measurable outcomes and strengthen the systems, incentives, and capabilities that drive sustained impact. Over the past decade, we have worked in more than 30 low- and middle-income countries, helping institutions design and embed reforms that make every cent of public funding deliver public value.

To scale our impact, we incubated the Government Empowerment Network (GEN) — a globally networked, AI-powered, and government-led reform accelerator designed to empower civil servants to incubate reforms that transform government institutions, strengthen service delivery, and improve citizens’ lives. GEN combines a six-month in-person reform incubator with an AI-enabled learning and collaboration platform, equipping champions to diagnose systemic challenges, design reforms, and strengthen delivery capabilities across ministries. Following a successful first cohort in Uganda with over 30 public servants from six ministries, we recently launched in Colombia, followed by Morocco later this year. In 2026, we plan to consolidate learnings and expand to at least two additional countries in 2026, while continuing to support current countries.

Our team

A core contributing factor to the influence Instiglio has had thus far includes our collaborative, highly skilled and diverse team. We are a team of 80+ people, representing 15+ nationalities, with offices in Colombia, Kenya, Morocco, Mauritius and Uganda. Our team brings together experience from government, management consulting, multilateral institutions, and the social sector; united by a mission to help governments perform better for their people.

How you will make an impact

As part of Instiglio’s Global Team, you will play a pivotal role at the intersection of consulting excellence and government transformation. Roughly half of your time will focus on shaping and delivering GEN — supporting reform champions, building partnerships, and guiding the network’s growth. The other half will focus on leading high-impact advisory projects that strengthen public institutions through results-based approaches. You will combine analytical rigor, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of government reform dynamics to help Instiglio and GEN shape the next frontier of public-sector transformation.

You will:

• Lead high-impact projects: Oversee research, analysis, and partner engagements across diverse governance and development topics, translating insights into actionable reform strategies. You may lead projects spanning public finance, results-based financing, performance management systems, across sectors such as education, employment, health, and governance.
• Drive GEN’s growth: Shape and implement GEN’s strategy, support country cohorts, and cultivate partnerships with funders, multilaterals, and reform leaders globally.
• Advise on public-sector reforms: Guide senior officials through complex reform processes, helping them diagnose root causes, align incentives, and navigate political and institutional realities.
• Manage partnerships: Build and maintain trusted relationships with government counterparts, development partners, and implementation partners, acting as an ambassador for Instiglio’s mission and GEN’s vision.
• Strategic Leadership & Autonomy: Operate with high levels of independence and judgment — shaping engagements, managing senior partner relationships, and representing Instiglio and GEN externally as a trusted advisor and ambassador of our mission.
• Coach and facilitate learning: Support and motivate reform teams through adaptive approaches (e.g., PDIA or systems thinking), fostering reflection, iteration, and ownership.
• Steer teams and delivery: Manage project teams, budgets, and timelines to ensure the achievement of ambitious targets while maintaining high quality and learning.
• Strengthen our approaches: Contribute to refining and codifying methodologies and tools that advance how Instiglio and GEN drive government transformation.

Who you are

Experience

A minimum of 8 years of professional experience for Manager roles and 10 years for Senior Manager roles, including:

• A minimum of 4 years advising senior government officials on public-sector reforms.
• Proven experience with cross-ministerial coordination, policy implementation, and navigating the political economy of reform.
• Demonstrated ability to build coalitions, alignment, and buy-in among senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing or designing complex initiatives, partnerships, or reform programs.
• Experience in management consulting or complex development programs (multilateral, bilateral, or NGO) is highly desirable.

Education

Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, Business, or related fields.

Experience with adaptive or problem-driven approaches (e.g., PDIA, systems thinking) is an advantage.

Languages

Excellent fluency in English (written and verbal).

Professional proficiency in French or Spanish is highly preferred.

Core Skills & Competencies

• Government Reform & Political Economy Acumen: Proven ability to advise senior officials, understand institutional barriers, and navigate politically sensitive reforms.
• Strategic & Entrepreneurial Leadership: Skilled at building and steering initiatives from concept to execution; a resourceful, solutions-oriented problem-solver comfortable with ambiguity.
• Communication & Influence: Strong storytelling, facilitation, and presentation skills; able to translate reform insights into narratives that inspire and mobilize.
• Capacity Building & Coaching: Skilled at mentoring reform teams and facilitating learning journeys that build ownership, confidence, and reform capability.
• Analytical Rigor & Structured Problem-Solving: Strong ability to structure complex problems, synthesize qualitative and quantitative data, and translate insights into clear, actionable recommendations for government reform and institutional transformation.
• Project & Team Management: Demonstrated track record of excellence in leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex projects and budgets, ensuring high-quality delivery and measurable impact.
• Cross-Cultural Fluency: Effective collaborator across geographies and cultures; fluency in French or Spanish is a strong asset.

• Lead high-impact projects: Oversee research, analysis, and partner engagements across diverse governance and development topics, translating insights into actionable reform strategies. You may lead projects spanning public finance, results-based financing, performance management systems, across sectors such as education, employment, health, and governance.
• Drive GEN’s growth: Shape and implement GEN’s strategy, support country cohorts, and cultivate partnerships with funders, multilaterals, and reform leaders globally.
• Advise on public-sector reforms: Guide senior officials through complex reform processes, helping them diagnose root causes, align incentives, and navigate political and institutional realities.
• Manage partnerships: Build and maintain trusted relationships with government counterparts, development partners, and implementation partners, acting as an ambassador for Instiglio’s mission and GEN’s vision.
• Strategic Leadership & Autonomy: Operate with high levels of independence and judgment — shaping engagements, managing senior partner relationships, and representing Instiglio and GEN externally as a trusted advisor and ambassador of our mission.
• Coach and facilitate learning: Support and motivate reform teams through adaptive approaches (e.g., PDIA or systems thinking), fostering reflection, iteration, and ownership.
• Steer teams and delivery: Manage project teams, budgets, and timelines to ensure the achievement of ambitious targets while maintaining high quality and learning.
• Strengthen our approaches: Contribute to refining and codifying methodologies and tools that advance how Instiglio and GEN drive government transformation.

• Government Reform & Political Economy Acumen: Proven ability to advise senior officials, understand institutional barriers, and navigate politically sensitive reforms.
• Strategic & Entrepreneurial Leadership: Skilled at building and steering initiatives from concept to execution; a resourceful, solutions-oriented problem-solver comfortable with ambiguity.
• Communication & Influence: Strong storytelling, facilitation, and presentation skills; able to translate reform insights into narratives that inspire and mobilize.
• Capacity Building & Coaching: Skilled at mentoring reform teams and facilitating learning journeys that build ownership, confidence, and reform capability.
• Analytical Rigor & Structured Problem-Solving: Strong ability to structure complex problems, synthesize qualitative and quantitative data, and translate insights into clear, actionable recommendations for government reform and institutional transformation.
• Project & Team Management: Demonstrated track record of excellence in leading multidisciplinary teams and managing complex projects and budgets, ensuring high-quality delivery and measurable impact.
• Cross-Cultural Fluency: Effective collaborator across geographies and cultures; fluency in French or Spanish is a strong asset.

• A minimum of 4 years advising senior government officials on public-sector reforms.
• Proven experience with cross-ministerial coordination, policy implementation, and navigating the political economy of reform.
• Demonstrated ability to build coalitions, alignment, and buy-in among senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing or designing complex initiatives, partnerships, or reform programs.
• Experience in management consulting or complex development programs (multilateral, bilateral, or NGO) is highly desirable.
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Public Policy, Economics, Political Science, Business, or related fields.
• Experience with adaptive or problem-driven approaches (e.g., PDIA, systems thinking) is an advantage.
• Excellent fluency in English (written and verbal).
• Professional proficiency in French or Spanish is highly preferred.