Oxford Policy Management

It’s often the little things that count… We know what a dedicated bunch the people who work at OPM are…when we talk to colleagues it’s not long before shared values emerge – the desire to support sustainable policy change, to contribute to a lasting positive impact, and the dedication to analytical rigour, are all oft-quoted reasons for joining OPM in the first place. But once people have joined, what makes them stay? Sometimes it’s the small things that make all the difference… We spoke to colleagues from our offices across the world to find out what makes them look forward to their working day. Watch our short film to find out what sets OPM apart for those who work here – the reasons are as individual as the people themselves 😊

  🌊 #Introducing Sierra Ison: Ocean conservation expert🐢   As part of our ‘Introducing’ series we’d like to shine the spotlight on Sierra Ison, our technical expert & senior consultant leading strategic implementation of ocean and blue economy initiatives through the Blue Planet Fund programme.   With 12 years of ocean science expertise, Sierra leads and advises programmes focused on sustainable fisheries, coastal resilience, marine resource management, species conservation, and ecosystem based approaches at community, regional and national levels.   Her groundbreaking projects include advancing participatory approaches for marine conservation in small island developing states, developing stakeholder engagement & adaptation strategies for turtle conservation, creating sustainable financing mechanisms for Marine Protected Areas in Fiji, and designing management recommendations for sea cucumber fisheries in The Bahamas.   Sierra's collaborative approach bridges governments, Indigenous communities, scientists, and NGOs - proving that protecting our blue planet requires collective action. 📧 Connect with Sierra: sierra.ison@opml.co.uk or https://bit.ly/4fo9Aqh 🌱For more on our work in nature and environment visit: https://bit.ly/4iOCr9V

Fantastic new book by OPM Associate, Alan Roe, and Tony Addison featuring an endorsement by our CEO, Mark Henstridge. Read it for free via the link below ⬇️

As 2024 draws to a close, we take a look back at some of the ways we’ve supported sustainable policy change. One of our most humble, yet impactful endeavours was the updating of our popular approach to Assessing Value for Money (VfM). First published eight years ago, our distinct approach to assessing VfM combines both evaluation and economic theory, providing a framework for multiple methods and tools that promote transparent, evidence-based judgements around resource use. Since then it’s been adopted by clients, partners, practitioners, government agencies and NGOs the world over. Earlier this year we published an updated version of the approach, incorporating our more recent experiences of applying the approach in greater depth across a more diverse range of contexts. With the need for accountability and transparency in the use of public resources only increasing in a turbulent world, it also felt like a pertinent time to sit down with the key architects of the approach. Evaluation experts Julian King, Patrick Ward and Shiva Faramarzifar helped us unpack the concept of VfM and contextualise its importance to different stakeholders in the world of international development. Some of the takeaways from the conversation included: ➡️ Assessment is crucial for good resource allocation decisions and maximising aid impact and shouldn’t be seen as simply a donor-driven agenda; it’s useful to a wide range of people ➡️ Using transparent, programme-specific definitions of good VfM to support sound evaluative judgements, allows scrutiny of both evidence and reasoning, and helps prevent an over-reliance on purely quantitative measures ➡️ It’s crucial that any approach to VfM is seen as a way of sharing power with stakeholders to collaboratively develop rubrics that consider the programme’s value proposition from multiple perspectives ➡️ Our approach to VfM doesn’t replace existing methods - It can accommodate traditional economic analyses, such as cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis, as part of the overall approach. Revisit our chat with Julian, Patrick and Shiva below:

🖥️Does your project need a website? If so, how can you ensure that it is as effective as possible? In global development, every resource matters – and that includes our digital footprint. Our latest insight uncovers the hidden complexities of creating project websites and provides a tactical framework for building websites that deliver.   By unpacking the Principles for Digital Development, we'll help you move beyond default assumptions to make truly informed, purposeful digital choices. We discuss how to: ✔️Design with people ✔️Understand the existing ecosystem ✔️Share, reuse, and improve ✔️Build for sustainability. Read the full insight here: https://bit.ly/4iVFcGP

Birth registration: How we are helping to protect the invisible children of Pakistan As part of our monitoring and evaluation work, we're shedding light on a critical challenge facing millions of children in Pakistan: the consequences of being unregistered. A birth certificate is more than just a piece of paper. Without official documentation, children face real and profound risks: they're more likely to be trapped in child labour, forced into early marriage, and cut off from essential social services and legal protections. The FCDO-funded Aawaz II programme, implemented by UNICEF and the British Council, has made remarkable progress. Our evaluation reveals a significant breakthrough: 3.46 million children registered, a 39% increase across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Our research highlights the urgent need for birth registration systems that reach marginalised communities, including girls, children with disabilities, and minority groups. Read the full story in our latest insight:https://bit.ly/41CLLI3

📣 Global Leadership Opportunity: Director of Consulting We're on the hunt for an exceptional strategic leader to guide our technical consulting practices from our offices in Nairobi, New Delhi, or Oxford. Are you an experienced professional committed to driving change and seeking an opportunity to make a real impact in international development? We're looking for someone who can: ✅ Develop innovative solutions for complex global challenges ✅ Lead our talented consulting teams with a primary focus on the delivery of our project portfolio ✅ Create cutting-edge consulting services with meaningful societal impact. If you possess strategic leadership expertise, deep market insights, and a genuine commitment to creating fair, impactful public policy, this role is your calling! The complete candidate information pack is now available. Eligible candidates can download the comprehensive job description and submit their application by 5 January 2025. Full details and application link: https://bit.ly/3Dhhqok #hiring #jobs #devjobs #jobsearch

Real change starts with conversation: a lesson from South Sudan's Lakes State. Where cattle raids once claimed 105 lives in just three months, local communities are now pioneering a peaceful path forward. Through the Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund, local leaders have created the Akut de Door - a groundbreaking initiative that's turning former cattle raiders into "defenders of life." Beneath the surface of longstanding tensions, a powerful story of human connection and understanding is taking root. By bringing together different community sections, including often-overlooked women leaders, positive impact is being created: for three consecutive years, one million cattle have been migrated safely with no loss of life. Small wins can create massive change. Read the full story of transformation below in our latest 'Paths to Impact' blog.  

🌍 Exciting opportunity for all early childhood development (ECD) researchers: Thrive Scientific Conference 2025 - Call for Papers   Are you driving innovative research that can transform early childhood development programmes and policies in low-and middle-income countries? The Thrive Conference invites your groundbreaking work!   We're seeking high-quality research papers addressing critical ECD scaling challenges: 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀: What breakthrough methods show promise for widespread implementation? 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: How can successful interventions transition to large-scale impact? 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Ensuring scaled programmes reach and benefit all children 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲: Robust assessment techniques for widespread ECD initiatives   Special focus countries are: Ghana, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Kiribati   📝 Submission deadline: 31 January 2025 For more information and to apply, visit the Thrive website: https://bit.ly/3YV29k1 Conference details: 📆Date: 24-25 June 2025 📍Location: London, UK 🎤Hosted by: Oxford Policy Management & Institute For Fiscal Studies   Thrive Child Evidence is a large-scale, multi-country research and policy programme which aims to build understanding of early childhood development service delivery models, at scale, and how they can transform to significantly improve childhood health, nutrition, education and wellbeing outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Thrive is funded by FCDO and managed by Oxford Policy Management in collaboration with the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Our partners also include: • Boston College and their Research Programme on Children and Adversity, • FAIR- the Norwegian School of Economics, • Christian Michelsen Institute, • Institute for International Economic Studies Stockholm University, • Sightsavers.

We're excited to announce the launch of Atholicy, a joint venture between Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and Athena Infonomics. Strategic collaboration drives meaningful development. Through partnering with Athena Infonomics, we're expanding our capacity to deliver innovative, contextually relevant solutions that can transform communities. Our partnership offers funders: 🔹 Enhanced third-party monitoring and evaluation services. 🔹 Local-led delivery, informed by deep community connections. 🔹 Scalable solutions built to tackle large, complex development programs. Our strength? Understanding that real change requires deep local context, rigorous research, and innovative approaches. Whether working in fragile states or emerging economies, we're dedicated to solutions that create genuine, sustainable impact. Discover more: https://bit.ly/4gpzTx6