Associate Manager-Partnership

Icrisat; New Delhi; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

ICRISAT seeks an Associate Manager - Partnerships to lead business development and fundraising efforts in South Asia from New Delhi. The role focuses on establishing and nurturing relationships with key partners, funders and stakeholders, and leveraging high-level events for advocacy and visibility.

The ideal candidate has a master’s degree in a relevant field and 5+ years in partnerships, communications, and policy advocacy within the region.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferably in international development, public policy, journalism, marketing, development communications or another relevant technical field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in partnerships, business and project development, strategic communications, and policy advocacy in South Asia.
• Experience with international cooperation and/or international organizations is valued as an added advantage.
• Fluency in English is essential to communicate in writing and speaking.

Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue business development (fundraising) opportunities in South Asia aligned with the fundraising action plan.
• Highlight Alliance expertise and steward relationships with priority partners.
• Build a narrative map of priority audiences and outputs to support fundraising and positioning.
• Create compelling narratives for fundraising, visibility and advocacy with the Communications Unit.
• Support participation in regional events and facilitate dialogues related to the Alliance’s mission in South Asia.
• Engage with networks among government, philanthropy and diplomatic sectors to expand opportunities.
• Coordinate with the research community and Communications Unit to capture messages and improve synergy with partners.
• Supervise interns and service providers in South Asia as needed.

Skills

Fundraising

Partnership development

Policy advocacy

English fluency

Stakeholder management

Education

Master’s degree in international development or related field

Job description

About ICRISAT

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organisation that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and Africa, working with partners around the world. Drylands cover about 45% of the world's land, are home to 2.3 billion people (one in three) and support 45–50% of the world's livestock. ICRISAT's vision is a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru, Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in Africa. Visit www.icrisat.org for more information.

Role Purpose

ICRISAT seeks applications from dynamic and motivated professionals for the position of an Associate Manager - Partnerships. The position will be responsible for supporting the engagement of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT with a focus on South Asia in contributing to sustainable, equitable, and resilient agriculture and food systems as defined by the region. The role is instrumental in business development and establishing and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders and organizations in the region for advocacy and policy outcomes. The position will be responsible for maximizing opportunities for the positioning of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT in South Asia and the broader region through high-level events, bilateral meetings, and funder positioning. The incumbent will work closely with the Managing Director for Asia, the Strategic Partnership Engagement and Communications Department and the researchers of the Alliance. The incumbent will be based in New Delhi.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue business development (i.e. fundraising) opportunities in South Asia in alignment with the Alliance’s fundraising action plan to support the region’s fundraising objectives;
• Highlight to partners the Alliance’s expertise, experience and successes in addressing regional and national level development priorities, and steward relationships with priority partners;
• Build an overall narrative mapping of priority audiences, target outputs and outcomes, and implementation mechanisms to support business development and regional positioning and visibility;
• Create compelling narratives geared towards targeted fundraising, visibility and advocacy opportunities aligned with the Alliance’s priorities addressing regional and national development priorities. Work with the Communications Unit to create compelling communications materials;
• Provide support in relation to the Alliance’s participation in relevant regional events, and facilitate dialogues related to the Alliance’s mission in South Asia;
• Highlight the values of engagement of Alliance in South Asia through identified networks among key government, philanthropy and diplomatic sectors in the region to expand business development opportunities among partners, investors and funders;
• Engage the Alliance research community in South Asia and the Communications Unit to capture key messages and narratives about their work to create better synergies with partners, investors and funders in the region;
• Supervise interns and service providers in South Asia as needed.

Essential Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferably in international development, public policy, journalism, marketing, development communications or another relevant technical field
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in partnerships, business and project development, strategic communications, and policy advocacy in South Asia.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary program related to agriculture, environment and development studies.
• Experience with international cooperation and/or international organizations will be valued and be an added advantage.
• Strong knowledge of and experience with exercising diplomatic language.
• Excellent facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively interact with people at all levels and build consensus in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment.
• Fluency in English is essential to communicate in writing and speaking.

Required technical competencies

• Demonstrate initiative and creativity in reaching and enthusing new and existing partners and working in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain, positive, cooperative and effective relationships with among research teams, management team, and various government and non-government partners including funders.
• Must be able to work independently with little supervision, but also participate as a team member in the accomplishment of duties.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and communicate effectively with scientists and interdisciplinary teams in the accomplishment of duties.
• Well-developed organizational skills with the ability to deliver on time and manage numerous tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize between tasks with excellent record keeping and data management skills.

Terms of Appointment

This is a contractual role for 12 months (01 year). It may be renewed based on performance and the Institute’s continuing need for the position.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining a progressive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether they have a disability.