Main purpose of job:

The role supports strengthening the UK’s engagement and impact at county and regional levels by enhancing the BHC’s sub‑national presence. It supports delivery of the UK‑Kenya Strategic Partnership (2025 – 2030) and Country Business Plan (CBP) by influencing local governance reforms, advancing development outcomes, and informing UK policy and programming.

The role holder will primarily support our work in Laikipia (including improving local engagement linked to the British Army Training Unit Kenya), parts of Isiolo, Samburu, Nyeri, and Meru, with additional support to selected counties in the North and South Rift (Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Narok, and Kajiado). They are expected to spend 70-80% of their time in Laikipia (Nanyuki). The role will also lead a regional thematic priority- focusing on defence partnerships, security, climate change and others to be agreed.

The postholder will provide real‑time political, development and contextual analysis, spot opportunities and risks, and ensure county‑level insights shape UK interventions. They will be part of the Democracy, Governance and Political team but collaborate closely with all the programme and policy teams across all CBP pillars.

The role offers significant cross‑Mission exposure and on‑the‑job learning in political analysis, programme delivery, stakeholder engagement, and regional governance, alongside access to FCDO learning, mentoring and thematic working groups

Roles and responsibilities:

• Provide strategic county/regional political, economic, and development insights to shape the delivery of UK/Kenya Strategic Partnership (SP) and Country Business Plan (CBP) priorities, including horizon scanning for the 2027 elections. Exercise judgement to identify risks, threats, and opportunities for the SP & CBP, escalating issues and recommending mitigation strategies.
• Provide robust political analysis, shape external political engagement, and deliver timely, insightful political reporting and advice to BHC teams, from your region.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key stakeholders – county governments, civil society, private sector actors, youth constituencies, and development partners. Use these networks to strengthen the UK’s influence and responsiveness, proactively identifying opportunities for policy and programme gains.
• Develop a clear understanding of the UK portfolio in the Central Kenya and Rift Valley and help BHC Nairobi leadership apply a whole-of-portfolio approach to county engagement. Collaborate with the BHC Strategy Assurance and Results Team (START) to analyse county data and ensure effective information management, including maintaining up-to-date county profiles.
• Support programme cycle management by providing contextual input during design and implementation. Facilitate beneficiary feedback, resolve delivery bottlenecks, and identify synergies across programmes in the regions. Contribute to reviews and field visits; flag challenges and opportunities; and support targeted dissemination of results, lessons, and success stories. Spot and promote opportunities to influence the uptake, institutionalisation, and sustainability of programme outcomes, including for REINVENT and other closed programmes.
•  Keep up to date with county-level governance, including the public financial management cycle, transparency and accountability, and county-level reforms that have implications on the UK/Kenya strategic partnership and country business plan. Monitor progress on the strategies & frameworks developed during the life of the Kenya Devolution programme (Jan 2020 – June 2025), and spot opportunities to influence their uptake and institutionalisation.
• Provide local context insights to shape the delivery and agenda for regional visits by senior UK staff and partners, ensuring a portfolio-wide approach. Help shape visit objectives, and advise on influencing opportunities so visits advance policy and programme delivery goals
• Support crisis preparedness and response by maintaining networks (including with Regional and County Security Intelligence Committees), leading local horizon scanning, and contributing actively to political crisis response and lesson learning as part of the BHC political crisis cadre.
• Act as the lead of delivery of a thematic priority in your region [defence and security partnerships, and climate change]. These may evolve with the finalisation of the BHC Country Business Plan for 2026 – 2029.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

• Deep contextual understanding of the politics, priorities, opportunities and challenges of the Central Kenya and Rift Valley, with strong local political economy awareness.
• Be familiar with the UK’s footprint in the Central Kenya and Rift Valley, covering not only programmes, but also wider UK Government economic, commercial and military work, and the activities of British businesses operating locally
• Strong understanding of national and county governance structures, including PFM, sector priorities and an understanding of how these structures work in practise in the Central Kenya and Rift Valley.
• Demonstrated ability to access, engage, and influence a wide range of stakeholders: county leadership, technical officials, commissioners, county assemblies, civil society, private sector, and donors – and have strong existing networks in the Central Kenya and Rift Valley.
• Self‑driven and outcome‑focused, ability to understand the SP/CBP priorities and intended outcomes; and be able to drive forward priorities proactively, and at pace with minimal supervision.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

• Experience working within devolution, governance, or county level policy reform in Kenya, especially involving political economy analysis.
• Experience in engaging on the priority thematic areas for the region: security and climate change.
• Background in programme delivery or monitoring, with the ability to interpret results frameworks and gather beneficiary feedback.
• Strong analytical writing experience, including political reporting, briefing senior leaders.
• Additional language capability, a working understanding of the main languages widely spoken by the citizens of the priority locations.
• Degree level education (post graduate degree would be an advantage)