Partnerships Lead, BSEA Programme

Job Description

Title: Partnerships Lead, BSEA Programme

Company Name: The Asia Foundation

Vacancy: --

Age: Na

Job Location: Dhaka

Salary: --

Experience:

• At least 7 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): Development Agency

• Masters

• Master’s degree in international development, public administration, public policy, or related field.

• At least 7 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): Development Agency

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in a similar role with complex, multifaceted governance programmes. Prior experience working on the governance dimensions of FCDO or other donor-funded programmes preferred.

• Strong background in programme/project management, team building, donor compliance, staff supervision, and external engagement with government officials and other stakeholders (think tanks, civil society, private sector) to design and deliver policy. Direct experience with government and/or multisectoral coalition and network building initiatives would be a strong advantage.

• Strong political understanding and judgement and the ability to navigate complex institutional and relational environments with discretion and sensitivity.

• Working knowledge of Bangladesh’s governance systems, structures, and practices. Knowledge of public administration and public financial management and existing relationships within the Government of Bangladesh and relevant non-state actors would be an added value.

• Strong analytical skills and commitment to adaptive management. Past experience applying adaptive management approaches to governance programming preferred.

• Professional curiosity and openness to learn and apply new approaches and ways of working.

• Demonstrated professional and personal integrity, including informed decision-making practices and respect for gender, safeguarding, diversity, and organizational values and culture.

• Proven ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Bangla.

Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh (with occasional domestic travel)

Reports to : Team Leader, BSEA Programme

Reportees / Supervision : Programme Manager, Partnerships

Working days / hours : 37.5 hours per week

The Asia Foundation (TAF)-Bangladesh seeks a Partnerships Lead for its Building State Effectiveness and Accountability (BSEA) Programme, undertaken in partnership with the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

BSEA will enhance the capacity of select public institutions and government officials to deliver public policy with greater efficiency and accountability and to help advance national development goals. The programme will be guided by a locally driven approach that seeks to empower government officials to lead and deliver reforms that they themselves prioritise. BSEA will facilitate enhanced cooperation among government officials working within individual public agencies and institutions; across multiple agencies and institutions that share responsibility for policy delivery in particular sectors; and between government officials and non-state actors, tapping their respective competencies and experience. The programme will also provide targeted technical support and capacity building for select government institutions and help generate an evidence base that informs policy decisions.

Position Summary: Reporting to the BSEA Team Leader, and working in close collaboration with the Senior Advisor, Government Liaison, the Partnerships Lead is a mid-senior level national position that holds day-to-day responsibility for implementing BSEA’s Action-Driven Partnerships (ADP) component, including catalysing locally driven problem-solving by fostering collaboration, trust, and shared ownership among government officials and non-state actors. The role requires demonstrated multistakeholder facilitation and engagement skills, political understanding and judgement, credibility with government and non-state counterparts, the ability to navigate complex institutional and relational environments with discretion and sensitivity, and relevant programme/project management experience.

I. Main duties and responsibilities

1. Lead day-to-day engagement under BSEA’s Action-Driven Partnerships (ADP) component with government officials from multiple agencies and non-state actors, including think tanks, the private sector, and civil society.

2. Build and sustain trust relationships with government officials, policy influencers, and non-state actors in the context of BSEA’s ADP component.

3. Identify needs, opportunities, and entry points for BSEA engagement with government agencies and officials.

4. Identify and support reform-minded individuals, teams, and coalitions within and across government institutions and between government and non-state actors to address priority governance and service delivery challenges.

5. Facilitate cross-agency collaboration and coalition building to strengthen accountability by convening stakeholders, enabling dialogue, and supporting joint problem-solving.

6. Work closely with government counterparts to define problems, co-design locally driven solutions, and support iterative testing and adaptation of reform initiatives.

7. Draft official correspondence with government counterparts and select non-state actors and prepare briefing notes, background materials, and talking points, as required.

8. leadership in meetings.

9. Provide technical oversight of external partners, vendors, and consultants engaged under the programme’s ADP component.

10. Lead the Partnerships team, supervising and coaching team members; fostering reflective practice and learning; facilitating feedback loops to capture emerging opportunities, challenges, and lessons; and ensuring timely completion of deliverables and compliance with donor and organisational requirements.

11. Oversee data collection, analysis, and monitoring under the programme’s ADP component.

12. Closely collaborate with colleagues across the BSEA programme and FCDO counterparts to contribute to the programme’s Monitoring, Evaluation, Adaptation and Learning (MEAL) agenda and ensure integration of insights across the programme.

13. Contribute to regular donor reporting and strategic communication by drafting sections related to the programme’s ADP component.

14. Oversight of component-level work planning and budget management.

15. Manage stakeholder relationships to mitigate operational and political risks in sensitive reform environments.