The position

• The Mission of Partnerships is to strengthen and promote the Aga Khan Development Network through:
• Building strategic partnerships to address AKDN development priorities;
• Securing resources from institutional donors (national governments, bi-laterals, multi-laterals, foundations, corporates);
• Ensuring and strengthening our reputation through first-class grant management;
• Influencing the development sector and communicating practical lessons and results.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Grants Management & Compliance (40%)

• Donor reporting: oversee & coordinate the review of donor reports & technical papers to ensure the highest quality.
• Donor relationship management: interface with donors & communicate about the implementation of ongoing grants. Ensure strong relationship cultivation throughout the grants cycle, anticipating, & planning for future funding & project extensions.
• Donor deliverables coordination, quality assurance, and compliance: oversight, coordination, review & quality assurance of donor deliverables is upheld. Ensure adherence with donor requirements, rules, & regulation. Ensure proper coordination of components, such as financial reports, across different departments, or partners.
• Contractual amendments and adaptations: coordinate contractual amendments, changes, & project adaptations, engaging with donors in a pro-active & diplomatic way.
• 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. Ensure project teams are apprised of donor compliance measures, deadlines, & expectations. Undertake coordination related to grants & support the maintenance of grant management tools.

Mobilizing Resources (35%)

• 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. Coordinate across donor units, Global Programmes Team (GPT), and AKDN agencies to pursue opportunities, ensure streamlined donor communications.
• Community-led design: through regular field visits & interactions with AKF (Kgz) programme staff & beneficiaries, identify funding needs/intervention opportunities.
• Concept and proposal development: coordinate, facilitate, & lead the development, review, & quality assurance of expressions of interest, concept notes & full proposals.
• Contracting and negotiation: coordinate & lead processes of contracting & negotiation, ensuring contracts ‘get over the line’ in a timely & efficient way. Lead & coordinate processes of donor contracting and internal sub-granting/contracting.

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. Conduct due diligence on new partners & donors in coordination with finance & programme teams.
• Stakeholder engagement and positioning: continuously scan & engage with new & existing donors & partners to identify solicited & unsolicited funding opportunities. Develop positioning materials to enable effective stakeholder engagement.
• Build strategic partnerships: work with donor units, AKDN agencies, & GPT to identify, build, & support strategic partnerships on global & regional initiatives with likeminded donors & partners.

Strategic Leadership (5%)

• Actively participate as a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT).
• Support the CEO AKF (Kgz) in monitoring progress against AKF (Kgz)’s strategic plan.

The requirements

• Minimum Master’s degree or equivalent in international development, management or other relevant fields.
• 3-5 years’ relevant work experience in an international setting.
• Demonstration of knowledge of program design; grant acquisition and management, including financial literacy; compliance; and cross-functional coordination.
• Strong experience preparing project proposals for both competitive and unsolicited funding opportunities.
• Demonstrated high-level interpersonal and cross-cultural skills including the ability to influence, network, and build collaborative relationships internally and externally with sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, social and political issues and a commitment to inclusivity.
• Conflict management and ability to pragmatically solve problems; plan a course of action using analytical, conceptual, strategic and forward-thinking abilities to achieve an effective resolution.
• Highly developed analytical and critical thinking skills and the ability to research, assimilate and process information on a wide range of issues.
• Skilled at developing proposals based on evidence and research and informing monitoring and evaluation components such as logframes.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet hard deadlines with a strong attention to detail and follow-through; efficient planner.
• Experience managing multiple tasks with competing priorities at the same time.
• Self-motivated, pro-active, organized, adaptable, reliable and creative.
• Promote and apply teamwork.
• Excellent communication skills, including facilitation, listening, presenting, and speaking.
• Exceptional English language skills are a necessity, both verbal and written, including editing.
• Ability to travel within the country and potentially internationally.
• Computer proficiency in general office software (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook).

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Russian and/or Kyrgyz language skills
• Experience working in Central Asia
• Experience working withing the Aga Khan Development Network, especially the Aga Khan Foundation
• Experience with Human Centered Design (HCD) informed programming

Interested candidates should submit their CV/resume and a cover letter for application, as well as optional writing sample

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for interviews.

“The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is committed to safeguarding, which means it promotes respectful relations with and between all staff, associates, beneficiaries and wider communities with whom it works, and takes all reasonable measures to prevent harm, including all forms of sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment (PSEAH), bullying, discrimination, harassment and abuse of power that may arise from contact with its staff, programmes or operations.

AKF also adheres to child safeguarding principles, as set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s), employment history and any potential history of misconduct. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a full background check.

All employees of AKF are required to adhere to the organizational safeguarding standards and principles and at all times to act with dignity, respect and to contribute to a safe environment free from any type of harassment, abuse or discrimination.

Sector: Social Development

About the Agency

The Aga Khan Foundation is a leading global development organisation working to tackle the root causes of poverty. For more than 50 years, we have helped create strong community institutions that support sustainable, locally driven initiatives to improve the lives of millions of people. By combining local knowledge with global best practices, we strive to bring about transformative and long-lasting improvements to quality of life.

Working alongside the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network and through partnerships with local communities, civil society and business as well as governments and international aid agencies, we are building a future where we all thrive together.

Region: Central Asia

Location: Kyrgyz Republic

Salary: Salary and package to attract the best candidate

Job Expires: 06-May-2024

Apply at: https://tinyurl.com/yc5jreky