BRAC is an award-winning international non-governmental development organization, with the vision of a world free from all forms of exploitation and discrimination, where everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential. BRAC is a leader in developing and implementing cost-effective, evidence-based programmes to assist poor and disadvantaged communities in low-income countries, including in conflict-prone and post-disaster settings. It is an organisation of and for the people of the Global South, pioneering new development and social enterprise approaches to equip communities to achieve prosperity. As well as being the world's biggest NGO by the number of staff and people directly reached, BRAC has regularly been ranked the number one NGO in the world by the Geneva-based NGO Advisor, an independent organisation committed to highlighting innovation, impact, and governance in the non-profit sector. BRAC retained the top spot in 2020 among the top 500 NGOs for the fifth consecutive year.

BRAC was founded in Bangladesh in 1972 by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed. It started its first programme outside of Bangladesh in Afghanistan in 2002 and today has activities in 14 countries across Africa and Asia. BRAC has a holistic approach to development that uses a wide array of programmes that include microfinance, education, health, agriculture, gender, and human rights. BRAC invests in communities’ own human and material resources, catalysing lasting change and creating an ecosystem in which people in poverty have the chance to seize control of their own lives.

About the Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative

The Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (“UPGI”) is a global unit within BRAC that was founded in 2016 to build off the success of BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation programme in Bangladesh. BRAC UPGI aims to position the evidence-backed Graduation approach as a key driver to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide. It does this by:

●     Advocating for uptake of the Graduation approach by policymakers, national governments, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental organisations; and

●     Effective adaptation and implementation of the Graduation approach in countries around the world, supported through technical assistance and capacity strengthening for external stakeholders. 

In 2002, BRAC pioneered the Ultra-Poor Graduation (“Graduation”) approach in Bangladesh — a sequenced, two-year investment that enables people to create lasting pathways out of extreme poverty — after recognising that existing programmes were not reaching the poorest people. Through the provision of a productive asset, basic needs support, and ongoing coaching, the Graduation approach tackles multiple constraints at once and achieves lasting impact. 

Graduation has been adapted and implemented across a wide variety of contexts and countries, with dozens of rigorous evaluations documenting its effectiveness at achieving broad and lasting impact, as well as returns that greatly outweigh the costs. So far, a total of 6.7 million households have been reached by Graduation programs, more than 2 million of which BRAC reached through its flagship Graduation programme in Bangladesh. 

To help eradicate extreme poverty, BRAC UPGI is working with governments across Africa and Asia to scale  Graduation by integrating it into existing government programmes. Alongside governments, BRAC aims to equip  21 million more people to lift themselves from extreme poverty by 2030. 

The BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) in Africa is seeking to hire a Head of Partnership. This mid-to-senior-level role is intended for candidates with strong grants management and donor management skills who are eager to contribute to the management and implementation of government-led Graduation programmes. We are looking for candidates with prior experience working with large multi-country and complex grants to support in managing grants

Reporting to the relevant BRAC UPGI Executive Leadership Team (ELT) member, and working closely with the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Fundraising, the Head of Partnerships will be based at a BRAC office location, with Nairobi, Kenya as the preferred duty station.

The BRAC UPGI team works with governments to integrate and scale the Graduation approach into national and subnational systems. In Africa, this involves engaging with staff in countries and central teams as well as donors. The Head of Partnerships will:

●     Drive and oversee or coordinate Grant Management and Reporting

●     Lead in the coordination and development of Programme Investments Proposals

●     Support Donor Relationship in coordination with Director of Strategic Partnerships & Fundraising

This role requires comfort working in ambiguous, evolving environments, where solutions must be iteratively developed. 

The Head of Partnership provides strategic leadership and oversight of BRAC International UPGI's grants portfolio, ensuring effective grant acquisition support, donor compliance, financial stewardship, high-quality reporting, and portfolio performance. The role serves as the central coordination point for complex multi-country donor-funded programmes, working closely with country teams, Finance, Program Design & Impact, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning, and Strategic Partnerships to ensure successful implementation of grants from award through close-out while strengthening organizational grant management systems and donor relationships. 

The role requires collaboration across BRAC UPGI and global teams, as well as national partners, necessitating strong interpersonal skills, a willingness to travel, and the ability to work flexibly. The ideal candidate will enjoy a challenge, think innovatively, and be passionate about contributing to sustainable solutions to eradicate extreme poverty.

Grant Management and Reporting

●     Serve as the primary point of contact and coordination lead for the SGGA grant, holding the aggregate picture of grant status, timelines, and obligations across all countries and components.

●     Work across teams to Implement BI's SGGA program

●     Establish grant management policies, SOPs and tools

●     Lead and coordinate the preparation of high-quality progress and financial reports to the donor, working closely with country teams, MEL and Program Design & Impact, and Finance and Operations teams to compile accurate, quarterly submissions.

●     Maintain a thorough understanding of SGGA grant requirements, donor rules and regulations, and ensure compliance is embedded across the programme lifecycle.

●     Coordinate closely with Finance to monitor budget vs. actuals across the grant; identify variances, flag risks, and work with budget holders to develop and implement remedial plans.

●     Manage award amendments, budget realignments, no-cost extensions, and other grant modifications, coordinating approvals across UPGI and the Partnerships function as required.

●     Ensure all award documentation is accurately maintained, including in any awards management systems used by BRAC International.

Programme Investment Coordination

●     Coordinate the end-to-end process management for SGGA Programme Investments (PIs), working with country teams and PDI on proposal development timelines, review processes, and submission logistics.

●     Support country teams in the development of PI proposals, including contributing to writing, editing, and ensuring alignment with SGGA grant requirements and donor expectations.

●     Track the PI pipeline across the portfolio, maintaining a clear overview of upcoming proposals, approvals, and implementation status.

●     Liaise with donor on PI-related queries and ensure required approvals are secured in a timely manner.

Donor Relationship Management

●     Maintain strong working relationships with donor counterparts, serving as an organised, reliable, and well-informed point of contact on grant management matters.

●     Facilitate information flows between UPGI country and central teams and BI Partnerships, ensuring BRAC members of Joint Steering Committee have what they need to support key touchpoints and decisions.

Integration with UPGI Programme and Finance Functions

●     Work closely and collaboratively with Finance and Operations to integrate program planning with budgeting and ensure financial reporting is accurate and aligned with technical reporting including supporting effective partner financial management

●     Support new country start-up processes within SGGA relating to award kick-off coordination, ensuring country teams understand grant requirements and timelines from the outset.

●     Maintain knowledge of BRAC International grant management frameworks and ensure SGGA practices are aligned with BRAC International’s wider grant management policies and systems.

Team Leadership

●     Manage and develop 1-2 junior staff, building a high-performing, well-organised team with clear roles and strong internal coordination.

●     Foster a team culture that is detail-oriented, proactive, and committed to enabling the wider BRAC International programme to succeed.

●       Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Economics or another relevant discipline is required.

●       Bachelor's degree in a related field mentioned above is required.

●       Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in grants management within international development with significant experience managing large, complex donor grants.

●       Minimum 5 years in a middle level management role.

●       Experience managing multi-million-dollar donor portfolios.

●        Demonstrated experience managing the full grant lifecycle, from start-up through reporting and closeout.

●       Experience working with major institutional donors; familiarity with foundation or bilateral funding mechanisms an advantage.

●       Experience working in or managing grants across sub-Saharan Africa strongly preferred.

HEAD OF PARTNERSHIP , SCALING GRADUATION WITH GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA (SGGA)

BRAC is committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share the same commitment. We believe every stakeholder and every member of the communities we work with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation - regardless of age, race, religion, and gender, status as an individual with a disability or ethnic origin. Therefore, our recruitment process includes extensive reference and background checks, self-disclosure of prior issues regarding sexual or other misconduct and criminal records and our values are a part of our Performance Management System.

Only complete applications will be accepted, and short-listed candidates will be contacted.