Programme Officer - 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 & ECD, Health & Nutrition, Rural Development, Work & Enterprise, Civil Society, Agriculture & Food Security and Climate Change & Resilience.  

The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(P)] is seeking a high-caliber professional for the following position to be based in Islamabad, Pakistan with frequent travelling to the project areas.

Programme Officer, Partnerships

The incumbent will report to Director/Head of Partnerships and support the identification of new partnerships and strengthening of existing ones as well as the pursuit of new funding opportunities with institutional donors, foundations, and corporates. This is a demanding role that requires the individual to work with 10 wide-ranging AKDN multi-sector, profit and not-for-profit development and service agencies and institutions. Working alongside them, the Partnerships Officer will also support effective grants’ management, internal/external reporting and quality checks.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Followings are the key roles and responsibilities of the position:

Resource Mobilisation

• Support the development, review and strengthening of concept notes and proposals across a wide array of sectors including coordination with sector experts, AKDN agencies and AKF Global Teams.
• Research, scan and source relevant information for donor mapping and funding opportunities to support the development of strategies and identify synergies with external partners.
• Conduct due diligence of new partners (donors, NGOs, universities, etc.) in coordination with AKF’s donor units and global programmes team.
• Support the regular maintenance and updating of resource mobilisation tools and tracking systems, including AKF’s Award Information Management System (AIMS)
• Develop and contribute to briefing papers, positioning pieces and communication materials (e.g. presentations, narrative overviews) to enable regular and effective external engagement.
• Research, scan and source relevant information for donor mapping and funding opportunities to identify potential funding matches.
• Coordinate and track actions of the AKDN Resource Mobilization Working Group, organising the resource mobilisation tracker and relevant documents to support pipeline management processes.
• Build, maintain, and deepes constructive and effective relationships with stakeholders with a specific focus on AKF’s mission; balances business situations and the art of dealing with people and communities; changes approach to achieve desired results if required.

Grants Management

• Help maintain partnerships through regular coordination with relevant AKDN agencies, programme teams and finance department to ensure projects are delivered on-time and on-budget; proactively support the resolution of challenges as they arise.

• Support the preparation, review and feedback process on donor reports to ensure reports comply with donor requirements and are produced on time and to a high standard
• Support the maintenance and updating of grant management tools and tracking systems for internal coordination between programme and partnerships, records and reporting.
• Carry out any other duties as assigned by Director/Head of Partnerships.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Education

• The incumbent must have a Masters’s degree from a recognized and well-reputed University in Development Studies, Social Science, International Relations or related field.
• Minimum 3 years of relevant professional experience in developing and writing proposals, business plans/cases, concept papers, briefs, executive summaries, as well as coordinating multiple inputs from a variety of sources.
• Experience of managing relationships in complex organisations with numerous stakeholders.
• Success in managing grants in complex organisations with numerous stakeholders desirable.
• Knowledge
• Knowledge of international development.
• Understanding and knowledge of the donor landscape preferred.

Attributes

• Committed to international development, improving the quality of life and promoting pluralism through civil society.
• Demonstrates equity, transparency, and integrity with high personal and organisational ethical standards; is fair, honest and trustworthy with respect for confidentiality; inspires and builds trust and respect from others; promotes credibility and professional reputation.
• Respectful of diversity; sensitive toward others in their context, situation and challenges; pluralistic, open and understanding toward other people’s cultures, values, autonomy, and faiths; demonstrates compassion and empathy; is courteous to others with respect for their background, religion, gender and age.
• Committed to acting ethically and upholding safeguarding standards towards all staff, volunteers and beneficiaries of the organisation.

 Behaviours

• Communicates clearly and concisely with a broad range of audiences at different levels; ability to expresses complex ideas and concepts in simple terms; listens to the views of others; changes communication styles to meet individual and audience needs; encourages dialogue and effective communication by others.
• Team player collaborates effectively to create a culture of knowledge sharing and team learning to strengthen business performance.

 Skills

• Ability to provide stable, consistent, reliable and courteous communication when dealing with external organisations, senior colleagues and community members.
• Ability to communicate AKDN/AKF values and strategic plan effectively to partners and colleagues.
• Creativity and critical thinking.
• The ability to problem-solve, work independently and multi-task in a fast-paced environment with numerous and competing deadlines.
• Ability to handle complex relationships diplomatically with colleagues, governance entities and external stakeholders in a professional manner.
• Excellent writing, speaking and other communications skills, with thoroughness and attention to detail and that requires minimal proofreading.
• Strong financial literacy, including the ability to review detailed budgets and financial reports.
• Strong IT skills, including Office and Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with all levels of management.

AKF(P) offers a competitive remuneration package and a conducive working environment. AKF(P) recruitment and selection policy and procedures reflect our commitment to equal opportunity, safeguarding, and promoting the welfare of children in accordance with AKF(P)’s Safeguarding Policy and expects all staff, volunteers, and representatives to share this commitment. Background checks and an approved vetting procedure will be required.

Kindly note that this is a Local Position and there is no provision of Relocation Allowance.