Head of Partnerships

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment and strengthening civil society.

The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(P)] is seeking high calibre professional for the following position to be based in Islamabad:

Head of Partnerships

The incumbent will report to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and will play a key role within the Partnerships portfolio of AKF(P), as well as representing the Partnerships department on AKF(P)’s Senior Management Team.

 Overall Objective:

The Head of Partnerships is responsible for contributing to the strategic direction and sustainability of the organisation, accountable for providing strategic oversight in donor cultivation, resource mobilisation, management of external partnerships and promoting awareness and sharing best practices internally and externally from AKDN activities.  

He/she will ensure coherence and synergy among the partnerships, gender, and communication strategies and the programmes of AKF(P), and those of the implementing partners of AKDN agencies in Pakistan, with a focus on significant stakeholder relationship building and engagement.

He/she will provide overall strategic leadership to the Partnerships Department and will be responsible for: providing advice, strategic direction, problem resolution, setting milestones, recommending course corrections and ensuring effective human resource development to ensure the long-term viability of partnerships and communications expertise.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Engagement and Management of External Partnerships

• Assist the CEO in building and managing relationships with the key stakeholders in civil society and relevant government agencies to ensure appropriate resource mobilisation and execution of the programmes.
• Lead cultivation, solicitation and maintenance of the relationships with funders and investment partners, technical and policy partners, and internal partners (mainly, but not exclusively, AKDN agencies).
• In coordination with the CEO, represent AKF in various key development forums and external meetings, including policy fora, roundtables and working group meetings, and coordinate external relations across the Network.
• Leading on identification, cultivation, and pre-positioning with partner organizations to form or join consortia-focused funding bids.

Resource Mobilisation

• Lead AKF(P)’s programme development and resource mobilisation efforts to support strategic priorities of Aga Khan Development Network agencies.
• Continuously scan for and engage with new and existing donors and partners to identify solicited and unsolicited funding opportunities. Guide teams to make informed, effective decisions on which opportunities to pursue. Develop positioning materials (e.g. presentations, capability statements, briefs, talking points), engage with communications teams, to enable effective stakeholder engagement. Build new and manage existing relationships to leverage a stronger donor support base for AKDN.
• Develop and track a diversified pipeline of funding opportunities, manage them from early opportunities, through to signing of agreements, to project initiation.
• Maintain management systems, such as the Award Information Management System (AIMS). Lead on strategic engagement with donors, multilateral agencies, and other international and national civil society organisations and contractors in consultation with the CEO.
•  Lead and facilitate scoping and design of new projects, working with sector leads and AKDN agencies, and key technical and government partners.
• Lead development of high-quality positioning papers, concept papers and proposals for national and international donors, in collaboration with the Programme and Finance teams, AKDN agencies, other AKF units and the AKF Global Programme Team, and external partners.
• Coordinate and lead processes of contracting and negotiation, engaging relevant stakeholders, and ensuring contracts ‘get over the line’ in a timely and efficient way. Lead and coordinate processes of donor contracting and internal sub-granting/contracting and cooperative agreements with partners across different internal AKDN agencies, donors, and consortia partners. 

 Strategy Development and leadership

• Research, source relevant information, and perform systematic analysis of market trends on new donors, peer organisations, and funding opportunities to identify potential funding and partnering matches for AKF and AKDN priorities. Conduct due diligence on new partners and donors in coordination with finance and programme teams. 
• Work with donor units, AKDN agencies, and the Global Programmes Team to identify, build, and support strategic partnerships on aligned global and regional initiatives, innovations and themes with likeminded donors and partners.  
• Support the CEO in strategic internal and external engagement, including drafting of high-level briefing documents, memos, coordination of strategic deliverables for AKF(P) and preparation of annual, quarterly and monthly reviews on the quality of unit activities for the National Committee and global AKF leadership in Geneva.
• Provide tailored assistance to AKDN agencies, as needed, to support strategic programme development and targets.

Capacity Building

• Provide tailored mentorship to support growth of members of the Partnerships Team and ensure retention of talents, good practices and knowledge.
• Work with AKF(P) CEO and the Global Partnerships Team to formulate, implement and monitor professional development plans for members of the Partnerships team.

Cross-cutting

• Work closely with AKDN agencies and AKF(P) colleagues to promote synergies within AKDN to meet strategic goals.
• Ensure Partnerships Department activities are consistent with AKDN ethics and values and compliant with all applicable laws.
• Supervise the Partnerships Department, including direct staff working on partnerships and resource mobilisation and communications.

 Required Qualifications

Academic Background

• The incumbent should have a Master’s degree (or higher) in rural development, education, health, business administration, finance, international development/relations, economics or related field from an internationally recognised and reputable university.

Experience

Minimum 10 years of experience in international development, with at least 5 years in a senior management role within a comparable organisation. 

Strong relationship management experience with the ability to effectively engage with a diverse range of stakeholders at the highest level.

Experience in leading the development of proposals and programme designs

Hands on experience in developing and implementing strategic plans with multiple stakeholders including assessing and analysing the political, social, economic, and environmental climates and projections in order to assist in formulating initiatives.

• Experience of working in multi-cultural environments.
• Experience of administering, managing and implementing donor-funded programmes is desirable.
• Experience with international development agencies highly preferred.

Candidates with excellent written & spoken English, excellent interpersonal skills & knowledge of MS Office, flexibility to travel and ability to work in a diversified team environment are encouraged to apply.

AKF(P) recruitment and selection policy and procedures reflect our commitment to equal opportunity and the safeguarding of children, beneficiaries, partners, community members and employees by AKF(P)’s Safeguarding policy.

The deadline for the submission of application is Monday, August 5, 2024. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.