Manager

At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, we work with political leaders around the world to drive change. We help governments turn bold ideas into reality so they can deliver for their people. We do it by advising on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology across all three. And by sharing what we learn on the ground, so everyone can benefit. We do it to build more open, inclusive and prosperous countries for people everywhere.

We are a global team of over 800 changemakers, operating in more than 40 countries, across five continents. We are political strategists, policy experts, delivery practitioners, technology specialists and more. We speak more than 45 languages. We are working on over 100 projects, tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. We’re all here at TBI to make a difference.

In a world of ever more complex challenges, we believe diversity of background and perspective is a strength. We pride ourselves on a culture that values and nurtures difference. We are dedicated to unlocking potential, not only for the countries we work in but also for each of our team members. No matter where you’re from or who you are, if you’re passionate about the transformative power of progressive politics, we invite you to build a better future with us.

Role Summary

The Tony Blair Institute's Geopolitics practice helps political leaders and governments translate systemic shifts in the global order into concrete strategic advantage — from strengthening bilateral and regional engagements to building resilient supply chains to positioning on AI, technology standards, and emerging governance frameworks.

The Manager will be a core member of the Geopolitics practice, contributing to the production of strategic advisory products for senior government clients — including heads of state, ministers, national security advisors, and sovereign wealth fund leadership. The role involves leading analytical workstreams, producing client-ready briefs and strategy documents, supporting scenario exercises and wargaming, and contributing to business development for new government advisory engagements.

This is a role for someone who combines deep knowledge of international affairs with the structured problem-solving and communication discipline required to advise at the most senior levels of government. The successful candidate will work across a range of geopolitical issues — great-power competition, institutional positioning, peace diplomacy, economic statecraft, security architecture, and technology governance — and produce outputs that are analytical, judgement-driven, and decision-ready.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead analytical workstreams within client engagements, producing strategic briefs, bilateral partnership strategies, regional strategies, doctrine papers, scenario analyses, and policy assessments to a standard suitable for minister-level audiences
• Conduct structured geopolitical analysis using frameworks such as driver-constraint-balance assessments, actor-level analysis, and scenario construction to generate sharp, non-obvious insights aligned to client priorities
• Draft and deliver high-quality written outputs — executive summaries, strategic assessments, institutional positioning papers, and rapid-reaction briefs — with strong narrative architecture, analytical density, and clear bottom-line judgements
• Engage directly with client counterparts to understand requirements, present findings, and build trusted advisory relationships with senior government officials
• Contribute to scenario exercises, tabletop crisis simulations, and red team assessments, including preparation of scenario materials, facilitation support, and synthesis of findings
• Support business development activities, including scoping new advisory opportunities, developing proposals for prospective government clients, and contributing to thought leadership that strengthens the practice's profile
• Monitor and analyse geopolitical developments — producing rapid strategic assessments when events break and maintaining situational awareness across the practice's priority regions and issues
• Collaborate across TBI's broader platform, connecting geopolitical analysis to the Institute's strategy, policy, delivery, and technology workstreams where relevant to client needs

Person Specification

We are looking for exceptional analytical professionals with 5–7 years of experience. Candidates should have a minimum of three years in one or more of the following backgrounds. In addition, two or more years of experience in a strategy or management consulting environment would be highly advantageous.

Professional Background

• Foreign policy or national security: Experience in a head-of-government office, national security council, or foreign ministry in a policy-shaping role — such as a policy planning unit, bilateral desk, or multilateral negotiation team. Experience within a G20 government or a regional leader country would be an advantage.
• Intelligence analysis: Experience as an analyst in a national intelligence agency, ideally in a regional analysis, strategic assessment, or all-source intelligence role, with exposure to producing analytical products for senior policymaker consumption.
• Political risk or geopolitical advisory: Experience at a recognised political risk or geopolitical advisory firm, with a track record of leading analytical workstreams, producing client-facing deliverables, and presenting to senior government or C-suite audiences.
• Policy-oriented academic research: A PhD in international relations, security studies, political science, political economy, or area studies, with a dissertation on a policy-relevant topic and demonstrable experience producing analysis for non-academic audiences — through think tank fellowships, policy publications, or government briefings.

Academic Background

• Master's degree in international relations, public policy, security studies, political science, political economy, international law, or area studies — or a PhD in a relevant discipline
• Bachelor's degree in politics, economics, history, international studies, law, languages, or a relevant discipline
• Proficiency in a strategically relevant language — Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin or French — is a significant advantage

Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional analytical capability: ability to process complex geopolitical information, generate original insights, and produce structured, judgement-driven assessments that separate signal from noise
• Outstanding written communication: ability to produce concise, analytically dense prose calibrated for minister-level audiences — not academic papers, not journalistic commentary, but strategic advisory documents with clear bottom-line assessments
• Structured problem-solving: comfort with hypothesis-driven analysis, scenario construction, and frameworks that move from description to interpretation to strategic implication
• Client-facing confidence: ability to engage with senior government officials, present findings clearly, and build trusted advisory relationships
• Project management discipline: ability to manage workstreams, meet deadlines, and produce at pace without sacrificing analytical quality
• Intellectual curiosity and range: willingness to work across multiple regions and thematic areas rather than operating as a single-issue or single-country specialist
• A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset: comfortable taking ownership, identifying where to add value, and operating with a high degree of autonomy
• Team orientation: genuine motivation for colleagues' performance, growth, and wellbeing, with a collaborative approach to problem-solving

Closing Date: