Programme, Policy and Partnerships Manager

Programme, Policy and Partnerships Manager, Kampala, Uganda

Closing Date: Friday, 15 February 2013

 The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) focuses on a small number of specific social and economic development problems by forming (intellectual and financial) partnerships with organizations sharing its objectives. Most Foundation grants are made to grassroots organisations testing innovative approaches in the field. With a small staff, a host of cooperating agencies and thousands of volunteers, the Foundation reaches out to vulnerable populations on four continents, irrespective of their race, religion, political persuasion or gender.

 

AKF is part of the broader Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private, international, non-denominational development organisations that work to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. Its programmes are designed to bring a critical mass of economic, social and cultural activities to bear on a given area. Its projects encompass many of the determinants of the quality of life, including the natural and built environments in both urban and rural areas, food security, health, education, access to financial services and economic opportunity, as well as the cultural areas of traditional music, architecture and art.

 

Working in education, rural economic development, health and civil society in East Africa, AKF supports programming in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda that contributes to a better quality of life for hundreds of communities. In Uganda, AKF is managing an ambitious early childhood development (ECD) and primary education portfolio in central and northern Uganda (West Nile in particular) aimed at increasing access to affordable good quality ECD and improving transition to primary education, as well as improving primary school completion rates and learning outcomes. At the same time AKF's focus 2013-15 is to expand its programming in Uganda to complement the existing program investments. As its programme continues to evolve and expand, AKF (Uganda) is seeking highly dynamic professionals to fill the following positions based in its Country and Project offices in Kampala and Arua .

 

Programme, Policy and Partnerships Manager

 

The Programme, Policy and Partnerships Manager for AKF (Uganda) will be based in Kampala and will report to the Country Manager, AKF-U. This position is part of AKF-U's senior management team and would provide the successful candidate with an opportunity to shape, oversee and contribute to the expansion of programming portfolio of the Foundation in Uganda. The Programme Manager will provide oversight on the ECD and education portfolio grant management as well as take lead on programme development of the Uganda portfolio, which is the smallest. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to AKF-U's strategic directions, external partnerships, programme development, learning and policy engagement and ensuring all grant management requirements including work-planning, budgeting and accountability, monitoring and reporting, are met.

 

Specific responsibilities include:

    Build and maintain a broad network of external partnerships, effectively communicating AKF Uganda's strategic direction and mobilising resources to fulfill the organisation's mandate;

 

    Develop and distribute high quality reports, funding proposals, and communications materials that position AKF as a key development partner in Uganda;

 

    Distil key lessons from programming and develop a strategy for policy engagement with government, donors and other partners;

 

    Oversee the grant management of the ECD and education portfolio, ensuring all grant management requirements including work-planning, budgeting and accountability, monitoring and reporting, are met.

 

Qualifications/Experience:

    Minimum of Masters Degree or equivalent in international development, public policy, international education, social development or other relevant fields;

 

    Minimum 5 years experience in donor dialogue and communications, preferably in the field of international development;

    Exceptional English communications skills, able to make strong oral presentations and produce high quality written reports.

 

    Programme development experience with ability to write strong funding proposals and responsive bids for new programming;

 

    At least 2 years of direct experience in managing a grant/project or programme, preferably in ECD and/or primary education with a willingness to visit programmes in the field;

 

    Solid experience on grant management, including work-planning, M&E, preparation and monitoring of budgets;

 

    Knowledge of rural development and health sector will be an added advantage

 

    Knowledge of the Uganda development context;

 

    Strong interpersonal skills, initiative, ability to network with a range of partner organizations and ability to support and/or supervise a team;

 

Aga Khan Foundation is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org)

 How to apply:

Candidates interested in this unique career opportunity with AKF (Uganda) should submit a cover letter explaining why they are best suited for this particular position, CV (not exceeding 4 pages) and the names and contact information of three professional referees by 15th February 2013, to the Country Manager, Aga Khan Foundation, Uganda, by e-mail to akf.uganda@akdn.org Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.