About the role

We are looking for an individual to provide strategic oversight combined with strong operational delivery. The Team Leader will serve as ASI’s senior representative to FCDO and will be responsible for driving mobilisation, roster readiness, deployment management and performance against KPIs. Leading multidisciplinary teams, the Team Leader will ensure the service is ready to surge at short notice, that experts are deployable, appropriately cleared, and safe, and that delivery consistently meets compliance, duty-of-care and value-for-money standards.

Key responsibilities

• Act as ASI’s senior representative to FCDO, working closely with the contract management team to ensure responsiveness, timely reporting and trusted advisory support.
• Provide technical leadership across the CEAS portfolio, ensuring expert deployments remain aligned with FCDO conflict priorities and emerging policy needs.
• Position CEAS effectively within the wider Conflict and Violence Community of Expertise, coordinating with other FCDO partnerships to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication.
• Build and maintain relationships with conflict, security and stabilisation stakeholders across HMG.
• Provide strategic oversight of end-to-end deployment delivery: commissioning, tasking, mobilisation, in-deployment management and post-deployment reporting against agreed objectives and terms of reference.
• Maintain a state of readiness to surge, ensuring experts can be deployed within demanding, task-dependent timescales.
• Oversee recruitment, roster management and effective management of conflict and security experts, ensuring individuals have the relevant expertise, are suitably trained, appropriately cleared and deployable at short notice.
• Provide overall management and accountability for Lot 2 delivery, including financial oversight of the contract.
• Lead a multidisciplinary delivery team (including HR, security, ICT, finance and MEL functions) supporting expert deployment management, fostering collaboration and performance under pressure.
• Maintain a single, coherent management and governance structure, ensuring seamless delivery of all CEAS outputs.
• Maintain effective risk management and compliance with HMG guidance, and lead the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) approach for the service, translating lessons into tracked improvement actions.

Essential requirements

• At least 15 years’ relevant experience in conflict, security and stabilisation, including substantial experience of FCDO or wider HMG programming.
• Experience working across UK Government departments.
• Eligible to obtain SC clearance; existing SC or DV clearance desirable.
• Proven experience managing deployments or surge teams in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.
• Experience leading the delivery of major programmes, including financial and performance accountability.
• Deep understanding of conflict prevention, stabilisation, security sector governance, mediation and/or conflict analysis.
• Strong understanding of deploying personnel into hostile and insecure environments, including duty-of-care, security clearance and safeguarding requirements.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

We are committed to equal opportunities and creating an inclusive environment for all our staff. We welcome applicants regardless of ethnic origin, national origin, gender, race, colour, religious beliefs, disability, sexual orientation or age.

Application Deadline

18 September 2026

Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates may be contacted prior to the closing date as suitable profiles are identified.