Programme Manager - Early Childhood Development

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It brings together human, financial and technical resources to some of the poorest and most marginalised communities, with an emphasis on women and girls, investing in human potential, expanding opportunity and improving the quality of life. It seeks sustainable innovative solutions to long-term development problems with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, early childhood development, health and nutrition, agriculture and food security, economic inclusion, habitat, and strengthening civil society.

The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) [AKF(Pak)] is seeking an enthusiastic high calibre professional for the following position to be based in Islamabad with extensive travel within Pakistan.

“Programme Manager, Early Childhood Development”

This is an exciting opportunity for an outstanding and energetic professional wanting to make a lasting difference at the grassroots as well as at policy level. The successful candidate will report to the Director, Education/ECD and play a key role in designing and expanding the Early Childhood Development Programme in AKF (Pak) in collaboration with AKDN agencies, donors, and civil society and government partners.

 Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

The Programme Manager, Early Childhood Development will work within the technical, partnerships and knowledge management areas and be responsible to:

Technical:

1.      Lead the AKF ECD thematic area by providing technical expertise for quality programme design and implementation within and across sectors such as health, education and economic inclusion, in line with AKF’s global framework and the country level ECD Operational Plan. 

2.      Play a co-ordination role between AKF thematic areas, (especially education, health and nutrition, and economic inclusion) in ECD programming.

3.      Provide technical assistance and oversight to ensure the quality implementation of any AKF ECD programme that is not led by another thematic portfolio (e.g. health, education).

4.      Catalyse and technically support AKF Policy & Partnerships and donor units in multi-sectoral, integrated, innovative ECD programme conceptualization, design and proposal development.

5.      Ensure gender equity, pluralism/inclusiveness and safeguarding are addressed within programmes.

6.      Technically guide and collaborate with partners leading ECD programmes, such as AKDN, government, private and civil society.  

7.      Review and enhance ECD resources, including the use of ICTs and provide and/or organise capacity building initiatives on ECD for AKF and AKDN staff and other partners.

8.      Conduct regular visits to the field to provide on-site support to partners to ensure programme effectiveness; identify challenges and opportunities and work collaboratively on evidence-based solutions.

Partnerships and Networking

9.      Strengthen collaboration between all AKDN and National Council agencies to develop and implement quality integrated ECD programmes.

10.  Represent AKF in local, national and global fora when required for networking, cultivating relationships and sharing evidence to influence policy and practice.

11.  Identify opportunities for AKDN synergies to achieve AKDN ECD goals among different agencies e.g. AKESP, AKRSP, AKU, AKU-IED, AKU-HDP, AKHSP, AKCSP, AKAH.

12.  Cultivate relationships with key leaders in ECD policies, practice and research at the local, provincial, national and global levels to inform evidence-based approaches for ECD programmes.

13.  Assist in resource mobilisation preparing regular, easy to read reports and meaningful communications materials for donor and other audiences. 

Learning, Knowledge Management and Sharing

14.  Work with AKF and AKDN thematic and monitoring and evaluation (MERL) teams to strengthen MERL frameworks and tools for effective ECD programming.

15.  Contribute to research, dissemination, and policy dialogue/advocacy workshops at regional, national and international levels.

16.  Lead the preparation of ECD policy/strategy, annual budget papers and reports in close coordination with relevant thematic leads and line manager.

17.  Keep abreast of latest developments in international and national ECD research, policy and practice

18.  Role model and encourage the expected professional behaviour, adhering to AKF (Pak) organisational policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the AKDN Code of Ethics.

19.  Undertake other duties as needed and assigned by Director, Education/ECD.

Required Qualifications, Experience and Qualities

·         A Master’s degree, or the equivalent in one or more of the following:  ECD, Education, Health and Nutrition, International Development or a related field from a reputable and recognized institute.

·         A minimum of seven (7) years (less for exceptional candidates) in ECD; with knowledge of the government sector, education and/or health, preferably in Pakistan or abroad.

·         Strong technical and professional experience with success in a leadership position in a reputable organisation or NGO working in ECD.   

·         Excellent leadership, people management, strong interpersonal communication, emotional/social intelligence and problem-solving skills and a drive for results.

·         Strong research and analytical skills and abilities in programme development, project cycle management, proposal writing, monitoring and evaluation and writing reports of high quality.

·         Excellent verbal & written fluency in English and Urdu. An understanding of regional languages will be an asset.

AKF(P) offers a competitive remuneration package and conducive working environment.

AKF(P) recruitment and selection policy and procedures reflect our commitment to equal opportunity and the safeguarding of children, beneficiaries, partners, community members and employees in accordance with AKF(P)’s Safeguarding policy.

 We are an equal opportunity employer - Women are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for applications is August 25, 2021. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.