Public Sector Leadership and Governance Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Public Sector Managers, Senior Policy Officers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-009

Before you join: Participants should have experience managing teams, programmes, services or policy work within a public body, regulated organisation, state-owned enterprise or publicly funded NGO.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Public-sector leaders work under statutory duties, political direction, budget constraints and public scrutiny. They must turn policy intent into reliable services while protecting fairness, legality, financial stewardship and trust. Weak governance can blur decision rights, conceal delivery risks, permit conflicts of interest and leave boards or senior officials without the evidence needed to intervene. It also requires candid challenge when evidence contradicts a preferred course of action. The practical opportunity is to create clear accountabilities, make defensible choices and lead teams through competing demands without losing sight of public value.

This course develops the leadership and governance practices needed to set direction, organise decision-making and maintain oversight. Participants use public value, theory of change, RACI, the Three Lines Model, options appraisal, risk appetite and performance measures to connect mandates with delivery. They learn to prepare decision papers, govern programmes and contracts, work appropriately with ministers and stakeholders, address integrity concerns, and lead organisational change and crisis response. Attention is given to evidence, assurance, procurement, workforce capacity and the distinction between legitimate political direction and improper interference.

Instruction combines focused briefings with public-service cases, facilitated group analysis, governance simulations and individual application planning. Cases can be adapted to central government, local authorities, regulators, public health bodies, state-owned enterprises and publicly funded NGOs. Participants leave with a governance improvement charter, a 90-day leadership plan and practical templates they can adapt for their own remit. The course suits managers stepping into wider accountability as well as experienced leaders seeking more disciplined governance methods.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply public value principles to assess leadership priorities and service decisions
  • Design governance operating models with clear decision rights, committees and assurance routes
  • Prepare evidence-based decision papers using options appraisal, risk analysis and recommendations
  • Use RACI and delegated authority maps to clarify accountability for delivery
  • Develop theory-of-change and performance frameworks linking policy intent to measurable outcomes
  • Assess integrity, fraud and conflict-of-interest risks using practical control measures
  • Lead stakeholder engagement and politically aware communication within public-sector boundaries
  • Produce a 90-day governance improvement plan for a current leadership challenge

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence presenting defensible recommendations to senior officials and boards
  • Clearer understanding of delegated authority, stewardship and personal accountability
  • Practical methods for handling ethical dilemmas and conflicts of interest
  • Stronger ability to connect policy goals with service performance measures
  • A focused 90-day plan for improving governance in the participant's remit

For your organisation

  • Clearer decision rights and escalation routes across programmes and services
  • Better-quality board and executive papers supported by evidence and risk analysis
  • Earlier identification of integrity, fraud, delivery and continuity risks
  • More disciplined performance management linked to policy outcomes and public value
  • Stronger accountability for public funds, contracts and service commitments

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can assess leadership priorities against statutory duties, public value and delegated authority.

  • Public value test linking statutory mandate, outcomes, legitimacy and operational capacity
  • Mandate mapping distinguishes legal duties, ministerial priorities and discretionary choices
  • Stewardship obligations for public money, assets, information and institutional trust
  • Systems thinking maps interdependencies, feedback loops and unintended policy consequences
  • Adaptive leadership diagnoses technical problems versus complex adaptive challenges
  • Personal authority assessed against delegated powers, accountability and decision rights

Participants can identify integrity risks and make transparent, defensible ethical decisions.

  • Seven Principles of Public Life translated into observable leadership behaviours
  • Ethical decision screen tests legality, fairness, transparency, proportionality and public interest
  • Conflict-of-interest declarations, registers, recusals and gift controls examined
  • Speaking-up channels and psychological safety support early misconduct reporting
  • Fraud risk indicators connected to segregation of duties and oversight
  • Integrity failures analysed through incentives, rationalisation, opportunity and controls

Participants can design governance arrangements that assign authority, oversight and assurance clearly.

  • Governance operating model defines boards, executives, committees, assurance and escalation
  • RACI matrix clarifies accountable owners, delegated authority and consultation routes
  • Terms of reference specify purpose, quorum, decisions, records and review
  • Three Lines Model separates management controls, oversight and independent assurance
  • Board papers structured around decision required, evidence, risks, options and recommendation
  • Meeting discipline uses forward agendas, action logs and closed-loop follow-up

Participants can translate policy priorities into outcome measures, service objectives and review arrangements.

  • Policy theory of change connects inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and assumptions
  • Strategic priorities translated into measurable service objectives and owner accountabilities
  • Balanced Scorecard adapts financial, citizen, process and capability measures
  • Logic models test causal pathways before committing resources or interventions
  • Performance dashboards distinguish leading indicators, outcome measures and service standards
  • Benefits realisation plans assign baselines, targets, dependencies, owners and review dates

Participants can evaluate evidence, appraise options and document decisions under uncertainty.

  • Evidence hierarchies assess administrative data, evaluations, research and lived experience
  • Options appraisal compares costs, benefits, distributional effects, feasibility and risks
  • UK Green Book principles inform proportional appraisal and value-for-money decisions
  • Risk appetite statements distinguish tolerable exposure, escalation thresholds and contingencies
  • Decision logs record assumptions, dissent, approvals, rationale and review triggers
  • Scenario planning tests policy choices against plausible fiscal, social and operational shocks

Participants can strengthen financial oversight, procurement accountability and internal control arrangements.

  • Medium-term expenditure frameworks connect policy commitments, ceilings and affordability
  • Public procurement principles protect competition, transparency, fairness and supplier accountability
  • Whole-life costing compares acquisition, operation, maintenance, disposal and social impacts
  • Budget variance analysis identifies drivers, corrective actions and forecast implications
  • Contract management plans define milestones, acceptance criteria, remedies and performance reviews
  • Internal controls protect payments, assets, delegated spending and audit trails

Participants can plan stakeholder engagement and communicate appropriately within political and administrative boundaries.

  • Stakeholder mapping ranks interest, influence, impact and engagement requirements
  • Power-interest grids tailor ministerial, community, partner and media communications
  • Public consultation plans define affected groups, questions, channels, feedback and publication
  • Negotiation preparation identifies interests, BATNA, concessions, mandates and red lines
  • Briefing notes present decision context, evidence, implications and recommended handling
  • Politically aware leadership distinguishes legitimate direction from improper interference

Participants can lead workforce change while maintaining accountability, engagement and service continuity.

  • Workforce plans align roles, capabilities, succession risks and service demand
  • Change impact assessments identify affected groups, readiness gaps and implementation risks
  • ADKAR model structures awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement
  • Psychological safety enables challenge, learning from failure and upward feedback
  • Performance conversations set expectations, address conduct and document agreed actions
  • Cross-functional teams use shared outcomes, cadences and decision protocols

Participants can lead structured governance and communication during disruption, incidents and recovery.

  • Incident command structures establish roles, information flow, authority and coordination
  • Business continuity plans prioritise critical services, recovery objectives and alternate arrangements
  • Crisis communication protocols provide facts, uncertainty statements, approvals and update rhythms
  • After-action reviews identify observations, root causes, corrective actions and accountable owners
  • Resilience planning considers workforce, suppliers, facilities, data and community dependencies
  • Escalation thresholds trigger rapid decisions while preserving lawful governance controls

Participants can produce a practical improvement plan for a leadership or governance priority.

  • Personal leadership diagnostic identifies strengths, triggers, values and development priorities
  • Governance improvement charter defines problem, scope, sponsors, measures and milestones
  • First-90-day plan sequences stakeholder meetings, evidence gathering, decisions and reviews
  • Peer challenge tests assumptions, political feasibility, resource needs and control gaps
  • Implementation roadmaps connect actions, owners, deadlines, dependencies and escalation points
  • Commitment statements specify one leadership behaviour, one governance change and review date

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Public value assessment template
  2. Governance operating model canvas
  3. RACI and delegated authority matrix
  4. Evidence-based decision paper template
  5. Risk appetite and escalation checklist
  6. 90-day governance improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Public Sector Managers — need clearer authority, accountability and delivery controls
  • Senior Policy Officers — must translate policy decisions into measurable service outcomes
  • Programme and Project Managers — require stronger governance, assurance and escalation methods
  • Department Heads — oversee budgets, workforce capacity and cross-functional delivery
  • Board Secretaries and Governance Officers — support effective committees, papers and decisions
  • NGO and State-Owned Enterprise Leaders — manage public funding, oversight and stakeholder scrutiny

Skills and tools covered

Public value leadershipGovernance designEthical decision-makingPerformance managementRisk oversightStakeholder engagement

Tools and standards

RACI matrix, Three Lines Model, UK Government Green Book, ADKAR model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce public-sector leadership methods, followed by case analysis, facilitated group work and governance simulations. Participants examine realistic issues such as a contested policy decision, an underperforming service contract, a conflict-of-interest disclosure and a crisis escalation. Group exercises apply RACI, theory of change, risk appetite and assurance models to practical scenarios. Individual application planning enables participants to adapt the methods to a current service, programme, team or governance concern.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience managing teams, programmes, services or policy work within a public body, regulated organisation, state-owned enterprise or publicly funded NGO. They should understand basic organisational reporting lines, budgets and performance measures, and be prepared to discuss a current leadership or governance issue. Prior board membership, formal public administration qualifications, legal training, financial accreditation or previous study of governance frameworks are not required. The course is designed for managers with operational or policy responsibility rather than those entirely new to workplace leadership.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should already have experience managing people, services, programmes, projects or policy work. They do not need previous board service, legal qualifications or formal governance training.

Participants should bring details of a current leadership, delivery or governance issue they can use during application planning. Sensitive information should be anonymised and no confidential documents are required.

It is designed for managers, heads of function, policy leads, programme managers and governance professionals with growing accountability. It also suits leaders in publicly funded NGOs, regulators and state-owned enterprises.

This course addresses the specific accountabilities of public service: statutory duties, political direction, public value, stewardship, assurance and transparency. General leadership courses usually give less attention to governance architecture, public finance controls and ministerial relationships.

Participants leave with templates and a 90-day improvement plan linked to a real work issue. They can use these materials to clarify roles, improve decision papers, strengthen risk oversight or establish performance reviews.

The course comprises ten modules delivered over five training days, with approximately 6.5 contact hours each day from 08:30 to 16:30. Time is divided between instructor briefings, cases, group analysis, simulations and individual application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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