Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan
Job Opportunities
Position Title
: Director, Policy & Partnerships
Number of Vacant Position
:1
Duty Station
: Kabul
Announcing Date
: January 27th, 2015
Closing Date
: February 21st, 2015
Vacancy No
: KBL/2015/68
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private international, nonprofit, and non-denominational development
agency. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, with special emphasis on the needs
of rural communities in mountainous, coastal and other resource poor areas across the world.
Concentrating its efforts in health, education, rural development and strengthening civil society sectors,
AKF’s approach is based on a long-term commitment that is maintained despite political and social
uncertainty.
The Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan (AKF (Afg)) is a member agency of the Aga Khan Development
Network (AKDN), a dynamic network of development agencies currently operating in over 30 countries
across Central and South Asia and East and West Africa. AKF (Afg) currently manages and implements the
largest multi-sectors development programme within the network and has built a strong reputation with the
Government of Afghanistan, donors and local partners in a number of technical fields.
The AKDN is a group of international, private, non-denominational development agencies and institutions
that seek to empower communities and individuals, usually in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve
living conditions and opportunities. AKF (Afg) is part of AKDN and has been working in Afghanistan since
2002, with programs focused on Rural Development, Education and Health.
Position Objective:
Contribute to the strategic direction and sustainability of the organization through resource mobilization,
programme policy development, and the management of external partnerships.
Core Responsibilities and Duties:
1. Lead on resource mobilization on behalf of the Aga Khan Foundation, and support on resource
mobilization on behalf of other AKDN agencies in the context of strategic partnerships with AKF (Afg);
2. Lead on strategic engagement with donors and other NGOs, along with other Directors and the
Partnerships Manager;
3. Contribute to proposal development in collaboration with programme teams and the Partnerships
Manager, providing final sign off on all outgoing proposals;
4. Oversee policy and planning dialogue both internally and externally, along with the Policy Manager and
the AKDN diplomatic office, on all pertinent policy issues which arise;
5. Contribute to dialogue on AKF (Afg) strategic direction in coordination with members of the senior
management team;
6. In coordination with the CEO and along with the Policy Manager, represent AKF (Afg) in various external
meetings, including policy fora, roundtables and working group meetings and coordinate external
relations across the Network, in partnership with the AKDN diplomatic office;
7. Monitor grants reporting and ensure high quality reports to donors, in support of the Partnerships
Manager;
8. Lead on building team cohesion and capacity (including for sector based coordinators and for regional
Program Management Support Officers (PMSO));
9. Support recruitment processes for new coordinators and PMSOs;
10. Oversee AKF (Afg) communications functions, along with the Communications Manager, and align
communications products with policy messaging and programming needs;
11. Oversee AKF (Afg)’s internal gender advisory role, in support of the gender team, ensuring that policy
messaging, communications products, and resource mobilization are gender mainstreamed;
12. To carry out the responsibilities of the role in a way which reflects AKF (Afg)’s commitment to protecting
children in accordance with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
Occasional Significant Duties:
1. Ensure that the Policy and Partnerships Team supports other AKDN agencies on Communications,
Gender, Resource Mobilization, and Policy representation as needed;
2. Work with the AKDN diplomatic office on donor outreach and strategic messaging;
3. Work with sector coordinators and regional PMSOs to strengthen their roles in their respective sectors
and their support for Policy & Partnerships functions.
Required Qualifications and Experience:
1. Master’s degree in relevant field and at least five years of experience in a similar or relevant field;
2. Experience working in a multicultural environment, preferably in a post-conflict environment;
3. Excellent English written and verbal skills; experience in leading the development of proposals and
program designs highly preferred;
4. Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines;
5. Ability to critically analyse and provide constructive recommendations;
6. Good team player with ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with colleagues and to
motivate and manage high performance teams;
7. A high degree of diplomacy and tact;
8. Willingness to live and work in a post-conflict zone with restrictions on personal freedoms.
9. Experience with international development agencies highly preferred.
Application:
Please apply through our Career Centre: http://www.akdn.org/careers
Only short listed candidates will be contacted for further assessment.
Aga Khan Foundation – Afghanistan recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the
safeguarding of children from abuse.