Manager, Multilateral and Bilateral Relations

Position: Manager, Multilateral and Bilateral Relations

Location: Karachi, Pakistan

Aga Khan University (AKU), chartered in 1983 as Pakistan's first private international university, is committed to the provision of education, research and health care of international standard relevant to Pakistan and the region. The affiliated Aga Khan University Hospital has well-equipped investigative services and provides state-of-the-art clinical facilities.

AKU seeks a self-motivated and enterprising individual who will be responsible for securing grants from multilateral and bilateral funding agencies for AKU in Pakistan. The role involves the coordination of diverse teams (academic, construction, finance), each of which has competing priorities and deadlines, and across different geographical areas. This will require the candidate to have regular dialogue (meetings, conference calls) to ensure clarity, comprehension and buy-in, and extensive hands-on assistance when required, often at short notice, to ensure that tasks are accomplished, and targets are met.

As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.

Key Responsibilities:

You will be responsible for:

• securing grant funding for AKU from bilateral and multilateral organisations based on mutually agreed to targets
• coordinating proposals and grant applications; and developing and expanding AKU funding landscape in Pakistan
• proactively managing funder relations with multilateral and bilateral partners to influence policy and identify opportunities for support
• working in collaboration with Aga Khan Foundation to identify and secure grants
• engaging regularly with donor representatives and with donor missions to build and strengthen long-term relationships as advised
• working with the research community, communications team, academic, finance and other leadership as appropriate to produce high-quality research briefs, fact sheets, visual and analytical frameworks, framing and concept papers, to support engagement with external partners
• conducting relevant background research on potential AKU funders, including funding organizations, working in collaboration with AKF and other AKDN agencies, as relevant
• identifying potential funding leads and partnership opportunities and provide this information to academic leadership on areas of new interest
• cultivating new donor relationships to support AKU
• coordinating the flow of information from and to different stakeholders (internal and external)
• ensuring that all funding guidelines and requirements are adhered to.

Requirements:

You should have:

• Successful track record of securing large grants from international funding agencies.
• A relevant undergraduate degree with a Masters qualification.
• At least 5 – 7 years of work experience with at least 2 having been relevant to this role.
• Excellent research and analytical, written and presentation skills with a high level of comfort with technology.
• Experience in developing and writing proposals, coordinating multiple inputs from a variety of sources.
• Experience in grants management, including donor  reporting.
• Experience in managing funding relations., ensuring compliance with donor requirements.
• Experience of working in an international and multicultural environment.
• Knowledge of the AKDN is desirable.

Personal Attributes:

• Strong inter-personal skills, tact, sense of confidentiality and ability to work in a cross-institutionalised multi-cultural environment.
• Proven written, analytical, verbal, presentation, and IT competencies.
• Ability to work under continuous pressure with multiple competing priorities, demands and deadlines.
• Self-motivated, able to work independently and able to juggle multiple competing priorities.
• Ability to solve problems, versatile and willing to work around obstacles, both internal and external.
• Proven track record in working with, leading, managing, building, and developing a high-performance team.
• Understanding and experience of development issues and organisations.
• Excellent English (written and spoken).

Comprehensive employment reference checks will be conducted.