Summary: Head of Partnership, Scaling Graduation with Governments in Africa (SGGA), Nairobi, Kenya

Job Details

  • Deadline: 7th September
  • Company: BRAC
  • Location: Kenya

Job Description

Head of Partnership, Scaling Graduation with Governments in Africa (SGGA), Nairobi, Kenya

Organization

BRAC

Country

Kenya

City

Nairobi

Office

BRAC in Nairobi

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

â— Advocating for uptake of the Graduation approach

by policymakers, national governments, multilateral institutions

and non-governmental organisations; and

â— 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.

About the Position

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

â— Drive and oversee or coordinate Grant Management

and Reporting

â— Lead in the coordination and development of

Programme Investments Proposals

â— 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.

Responsibilities

Grant Management and Reporting

â— 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.

â— Work across teams to Implement BI's SGGA

program

â— Establish grant management policies, SOPs and

tools

â— 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.

â— Maintain a thorough understanding of SGGA grant

requirements, donor rules and regulations, and ensure compliance is

embedded across the programme lifecycle.

â— 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.

â— Manage award amendments, budget realignments

no-cost extensions, and other grant modifications, coordinating

approvals across UPGI and the Partnerships function as

required.

â— Ensure all award documentation is accurately

maintained, including in any awards management systems used by BRAC

International.

Programme Investment Coordination

â— 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.

â— Support country teams in the development of PI

proposals, including contributing to writing, editing, and ensuring

alignment with SGGA grant requirements and donor expectations.

â— Track the PI pipeline across the portfolio

maintaining a clear overview of upcoming proposals, approvals, and

implementation status.

â— Liaise with donor on PI-related queries and

ensure required approvals are secured in a timely manner.

Donor Relationship Management

â— Maintain strong working relationships with donor

counterparts, serving as an organised, reliable, and well-informed

point of contact on grant management matters.

â— 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

â— 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

â— 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.

â— 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

â— Manage and develop 1-2 junior staff, building a

high-performing, well-organised team with clear roles and strong

internal coordination.

â— Foster a team culture that is detail-oriented

proactive, and committed to enabling the wider BRAC International

programme to succeed.

Qualifications

â— Master's degree in Business Administration

Finance, Accounting, Economics or another relevant discipline is

â— Bachelor's degree in a related field mentioned

above is required.

â— Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in

grants management within international development with significant

experience managing large, complex donor grants.

â— Minimum 5 years in a middle level management

role.

â— Experience managing multi-million-dollar donor

portfolios.

â— Demonstrated experience managing the full grant

lifecycle, from start-up through reporting and closeout.

â— Experience working with major institutional

donors; familiarity with foundation or bilateral funding mechanisms

an advantage.

â— Experience working in or managing grants across

sub-Saharan Africa strongly preferred.

How to Apply

BRAC International offers a competitive salary and

benefits package.

If you feel you are the right match for

the position mentioned above, please submit your resume and

detailed cover letter, via the below link

HEAD OF PARTNERSHIP, SCALING GRADUATION WITH

GOVERNMENTS IN AFRICA (SGGA)

Application deadline

7th September

2026

BRAC is an equal opportunities employer.

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.

Tags

donor relations

fundraising

grantmaking

international cooperation

programme management

Skills

Grants Management

Donor Management

Financial Stewardship

Interpersonal Skills

Stakeholder Engagement

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