- The Head, SIRI is the most senior role for the Institute's strategy, growth, research excellence, and overall management. This is a high-autonomy executive role: subject to Sydani Group's strategic, financial, and governance framework, the Head has authority over day-to-day operations, structure, recruitment, research priorities, partnerships, business development, resource allocation, and external representation. The Partner provides strategic oversight and governance, not routine operational management.
Institutional Strategy and Building
- Develop and own SIRI's 3 - 5 year strategy and annual plans.
- Build the structure, governance, systems, and institutional identity needed for SIRI to run without constant Partner intervention.
- Establish a functional organisational and governance structure for the Institute.
Research Excellence and Innovation
- Set the research agenda and own portfolio quality, methodological rigour, and governance.
- Ensure research translates into policy-relevant knowledge products.
- Build a research-to-practice pipeline digital tools, models, and commercialisable IP.
- Establish and maintain a research quality assurance and ethical compliance framework.
Business Development and Resource Mobilization
- Build a diversified funding pipeline across grants, commissioned research, consulting, training, and IP with no single point of dependency.
- Lead proposals, partnerships, and funder relationships.
- Develop a resource mobilization strategy to sustain and grow the Institute.
- Own budgets, pricing, margins, cost recovery, and financial controls within Group governance.
- Build a sustainable institutional financial model.
People and Talent Leadership
- Own workforce strategy: recruit, develop, and retain a multidisciplinary research team.
- Build a high-performing core Institute team and leadership pipeline.
Partnerships and Thought Leadership
- Represent SIRI externally with governments, development partners, universities, foundations, and the private sector.
- Publish research and shape sector conversations, building SIRI's intellectual brand and reputation.
Quality, Ethics and Knowledge Management
- Uphold research integrity and ethical compliance across the portfolio.
- Convert research outputs into accessible, usable knowledge products.
Key Working Relationships
Internal: Partner and Group Leadership, Sydani Consulting, Texis, SIID, Finance, HR & Operations, Communications and Business Development.
External: Government institutions, development partners and donors, universities and research institutions, foundations, private-sector organisations, and policy and civil-society networks.
Job Key Success Measures (KPIs)
- A defined SIRI institutional strategy and a functional organisational/governance structure
- A research and innovation priority agenda
- A diversified research and funding pipeline
- A core portfolio of strategic research projects
- A resource mobilisation strategy
- A sustainable institutional financial model
- A high-performing core Institute team
- A research quality assurance framework and a visible thought leadership platform
Long-Term (Performance Dimensions)
- Institutional Growth: Portfolio growth, strategic partnerships, revenue/funding growth, reputation
- Research Excellence: Project quality and completion, publications, research uptake and utilisation
- Resource Mobilisation: Grants secured, funding pipeline, funder diversification
- Impact: Policies influenced, solutions adopted, measurable development outcomes
- People & Culture: Staff retention, engagement, leadership pipeline
- Financial Sustainability: Revenue growth, budget performance, cost recovery
- Master's degree or PhD in Research, Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Economics, Data Science, Policy, or a related field a PhD is strongly preferred for this research-intensive profile.
- 12 - 15+ years of progressive experience in research, development, consulting, policy, or academia
- Including 7+ years in senior leadership or institutional management
- Demonstrated grant acquisition and donor partnership experience
- Proven multidisciplinary team and budget management experience