Programme Manager - Cari (Resource Mobilization And Systematic Collaboration) at African Academy of Sciences

Department: Strategy and Partnerships 

Reporting to: Director, Strategy & Partnerships

Duration: 3 Years  

Position Overview

AAS is seeking to recruit a highly motivated and dynamic manager who will be responsible for supporting the Director, Strategy and Partnerships in the resource mobilization and systematic collaboration activities of CARI. CARI is a programme of AAS to be administered under the Director, Strategy and Partnerships.

Principal duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a business case for CARI that will notably clarify the vision, road map, important case profiles, and economic return of investment of right sized investment in African research and the nature of the investment
• Explore the funding mechanisms required to bring the business case to reality, including but not limited to in-kind contributions, blended financing, impact financing, governments and philanthropic donors’ contributions
• Develop and implement the resource mobilization strategy for the financial contributions to be gathered
• Clarify the governance structure and the legal framework for the new mechanism
• Coordinate and provide support to the CARI Leadership Group currently made up of high ranking leaders in government, global funders, private sector and academia
• Coordinate and monitor the task teams with distributed leadership established to drive forward CARI activities
• Establish a mile-stoned road-map which takes advantage of existing events, notably the Grand Challenges, the Science Forum, the World Economic Forum, NEPAD and others
• Maintain a relationship management tool and coordinate relationships with, and calls/meetings with partners and the Internal Review team at AESA
• Foster systematic collaboration to specific and broad audiences in Africa and globally
• Strengthen systematic collaboration amongst actors that fund, conduct and engage in research in Africa by acting in conjunction with, and on behalf of, multiple stakeholders including national governments, philanthropy organizations, bi- and multi-lateral partners, scientists (and academia broadly), private companies (African and global) and institutional investors.

Responsibilities in Specific Areas

• Develop a roadmap, business plan and implementation plan for resource mobilisation and systematic collaboration activities
• Analyse, implement and monitor new growth potentials by introducing new fundraising channels, up scaling existing activities and introducing innovative activities for fundraising based on identified and new funding pipelines.
• Proactively network and collaborate with a range of stakeholders with a key focus on Governments, Foundations and Trusts, private/industry partners including big pharmaceutical companies to synergize broader development efforts, build relevant partnerships and enhance opportunities for African scientists to access resources, leading roles, mentorship and support
• Develop a robust communications strategy for CARI in partnership with the AAS communications office and the funding partners
• Undertake the stepwise implementation of the final business case/plan after its development and final approval by the CARI Leadership Group
• Plan the detailed implementation of various milestones and events including the CARI launch event in early 2018
• Attend meetings with partners as required to present, negotiate, and review on CARI activities and development plans
• Develop clear timelines for delivery of CARI foundation documents, business plan, communication strategy, launch strategy, fund-raising strategy and related.

Requirements Professional and Experience

• Must hold senior management or leadership position in organizations or business environments with responsibilities for overseeing global business development, resource mobilisation and fund-raising strategies
• Must have knowledge of and experience with developing systematic collaborative partnerships and funding relationships between governments, international funders, philanthropy and major grant recipients
• Must have worked inside, or advised one of the above (i.e. governments, international funders, philanthropy, global industry or major grants recipients)
• Must have credible hands-on management experience. Advisory experience is useful but insufficient on its own because there is a complex management challenge
• Will have substantial experience of working on the African continent, not necessarily currently residing in Africa, but must be prepared to relocate to work from the AAS offices in Nairobi
• Will have the experience and gravitas to work with senior levels of the AAS partner organisations
• Will have developed a multi-stakeholder business plan,or demonstrate credible contributions and/or access to that experience
• The ability to coordinate, manage and write grant and funding proposals with various partners is essential
• Understanding of various types of funding instruments and how to design and manage them is preferred.

Behavioral and Personal Qualities

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people from varied backgrounds, at all management levels
• Resilience – maintaining composure and dealing effectively under pressure
• Methodical and systematic, with a strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Action-oriented, confident and able to demonstrate initiative
• Operate at the highest levels of integrity and ethics
• Quality delivery and always conscious of deadlines
• Able to foster teamwork
• Cool composed demeanour that is unfazed by regular dealings with top government and corporate leaders