Sr. Officer, Programs and Partnerships

POSITION SUMMARY

The position of Senior Program and Partnership Officer is responsible for overseeing the grant management of a portfolio of assigned grants, contributing to global program and proposal development, representing AKF USA at various networking events, conferences and meetings of technical groups, supporting public engagement and professional learning, and contributing substantively to AKF USA’s partnerships with the US and North American donors. The Senior Program and Partnership Officer also supports AKF’s global partnerships function.

Main DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify, cultivate and develop new funding partnerships, alliances and opportunities. Travel domestically and internationally, as needed, to build relationships with potential partners.
• With support from the Program Manager, manage all aspects of new proposal development and submission including negotiation with funding agencies to support international program needs.
• Providing overall guidance, oversight, quality control and coordination for all components of the assigned grant portfolio, including grant management and project implementation. Activities include work planning, budgeting, reporting, field missions, monitoring and evaluation, ensuring environmental compliance and integration of gender equality, ensuring more general compliance and provision of technical assistance.
• Liaise with AKF and other AKDN field units to identify new funding opportunities, provide technical assistance in specified areas and advice, training, and tools to support project teams in overall resource mobilization, grant management, and quality control.
• Liaise with Communications Department to develop a variety of communications materials and knowledge resources to facilitate dialogue with USAID, USDA and US foundations and provide up-to-date and persuasive evidence of program results and impacts;
• Serve as a focal point for Work and Enterprise by remaining well-informed about emerging best practices, current issues, and trends in assigned program and regional areas. Establish collegial, mutually beneficial relationships and share knowledge and expertise within the AKF and AKDN network as appropriate;
• Participate as a member of the Regional Program and Partnership team to ensure that AKF USA’s objectives are realized.
• Providing support to AKF’s Global Partnerships function and team, including on managing global processes related to resource mobilization and grant management, mentoring partnerships’ staff in field offices and providing support on program design and proposal development processes.
• Providing mentorship to Program Officers and Assistants within the Programs team as relevant to develop and foster competencies and independence in roles.
• Developing positive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, particularly donor representatives for relevant projects, sectors and/or geographies, consultants, AKF and AKD colleagues technical working groups, NGOs, etc.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A graduate degree in a relevant discipline, such as international development.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in a program management role, including at least one (1) year of field experience preferred.
• Proven experience in USG-funded business and proposal development.
• Experience working with donor-funded projects; strong understanding and experience with meeting donor criteria in project design, reporting and monitoring/evaluation; experience with USG-funded development programming is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience of gender sensitive results-based management and evaluation with particular attention to assessing gender equality results.
• Superb analytical, organizational, negotiation and problem-solving skills. Proven interpersonal and communication skills in diverse and cross-cultural settings.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; candidates who can also work in French are strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel to project locations (approximately 25% of time).

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Dynamic, collaborative, and able to work in challenging contexts with patience, perseverance, and flexibility.
• Capacity to work independently, take initiative, set priorities, and manage a variety of activities simultaneously.
• Enthusiastic about learning from others and sharing knowledge.
• Demonstrated intercultural competence and ability to adapt professional skills to fit local conditions and constraints

The salary range for this position is $80,000 to $85,000 per annum, in addition to a competitive benefits package.