The position
The Aga Khan Foundation, EA is currently seeking a
dynamic and motivated individual to fill the role of Partnerships
Manager, to be based in Nairobi. AKF EA works in
collaboration with partners to develop and promote innovative solutions that
contribute to improving the quality of life in East Africa. AKF responds to
local and regional priorities by developing effective programming, measuring
and documenting results, and sharing its lessons with governments, donors, and
development actors to influence policy and practice. The Partnership
Manager roll calls for a high degree of results-orientation, service-focused,
and action-orientation, and is considered a crucial member of the Senior
Management Team.
The Mission of Partnerships is to strengthen & promote the Aga Khan
Development Network (AKDN) through:
- Building strategic partnerships to address AKDN development
priorities;
- Securing resources from institutional donors (national
governments, bi-laterals, multi-laterals, foundations, corporates);
- Ensuring & strengthening our reputation through
first-class grant management;
- Influencing the development sector & communicating
practical lessons & results.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Mobilizing Resources (40%)
- Pipeline development, management, and tracking: develop &
track a diversified pipeline of funding opportunities, manage them from
early opportunities, through to signing of agreements, to project
initiation.
- Community-led design: through regular field visits &
interactions with AKF programme staff & beneficiaries, identify
funding needs/intervention opportunities & update priorities
accordingly.
- Concept and proposal development: coordinate, facilitate,
& lead the development, review, & quality assurance of expressions
of interest, concept notes & full proposals as well as pitch
materials.
- Contracting and negotiation: coordinate & lead processes
of contracting & negotiation, ensuring contracts ‘get over the line’
in a timely & efficient way.
Strategic Relationship Management (20%)
- Donor landscaping and analysis: research & perform
systematic analysis of market trends on new donors, peer organisations,
& funding opportunities to identify potential funding & partnering
matches for AKF & AKDN.
- Stakeholder engagement and positioning: continuously scan
& engage with new & existing donors & partners to identify
solicited & unsolicited funding opportunities.
- Build strategic partnerships: work with donor units, AKDN
agencies, & GPT to identify, build, & support strategic
partnerships on global & regional initiatives with likeminded donors
& partners.
Grants Management & Compliance (35%)
- Donor reporting: oversee & coordinate the review of donor
reports & technical papers to ensure the highest quality possible.
- Donor relationship management: interface with donors & communicate
on a regular basis about the implementation of ongoing grants. Address
queries or challenges diplomatically & effective way.
- Donor deliverables coordination, quality assurance, and
compliance: oversight, coordination, review & quality assurance of
donor deliverables is upheld.
- Contractual amendments and adaptations: coordinate contractual
amendments, changes, & project adaptations, engaging with donors in a
pro-active & diplomatic way, & flagging potential changes in
advance.
- Routine grant monitoring and administration: facilitate grant
monitoring efforts, including grant kick-off meetings, dissemination of
key information to staff, donor steering committees, & donor
monitoring missions.
Strategic Leadership (5%)
- Actively participate as a member of the country’s Senior
Management Team (SMT).
- Support the CEO of AKF in monitoring progress against AKF in
the country’s strategic plan.
The requirements
Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- A Master’s degree in International Development, Political
Science, International Relations, or other relevant field plus a minimum
of five (5) years of relevant work experience with a minimum three (3)
years of senior management experience in donor dialogue and
communications, preferably in the field of international development.
Proven experience within a thematic sector of interest would be considered
an asset (i.e. climate, education, early childhood development, civil
society, employability/entrepreneurship).
- Must have excellent writing skills and ability to organize
large amounts of complex data. Excellent English language skills and
proficiency to write and edit complex products for purposeful structure,
clarity of ideas, and logical, persuasive presentation.
- Experience in management, leadership and mentoring staff with
willingness to visit programmes in the field
- Working with Governments and development partners to form
positive relationships to mobilise resources.
- Demonstrable experience of securing large competitive and
unsolicited funding from institutional donors and emerging market donors.
Extensive knowledge of the global and in-country donor landscape/mapping
- Demonstrated ability to develop and track implementation of
resource mobilization strategies and to mobilize relevant internal
stakeholders to deliver a donor engagement strategy.
- Track record of leading hybrid teams of direct and indirect
reports, staff and consultants.
- Must possess exceptional communications and interpersonal
skills and experience in hands on management, leadership and mentoring
staff, with a willingness to visit programmes in the field.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically and rapidly and
analyze diverse information from varied sources.
- Demonstrated ability to take initiatives, good personal
organization skills, personal ownership and accountability to meet
deadlines, work under pressure, and achieve agreed-upon results, including
securing financial contributions from donors.
How To Apply
