Partnerships Manager

About the role

Acasus works with governments and partners to improve the delivery of essential public services. As we expand across countries, sectors and funding partners, we are strengthening our Partnerships team to support the organisation’s next phase of growth.

We are looking for an exceptional Partnerships Manager who combines outstanding project management and team leadership skills with strong commercial judgement and a proactive approach to delivering results.

You will lead and develop colleagues, independently manage complex Partnerships workstreams and take ownership of priority funding opportunities from initial engagement through proposal development, negotiation and contracting. Working with senior leadership, country teams and technical experts, you will develop compelling funding propositions and help convert opportunities into funded programmes. Over time, you will increasingly build funder relationships, identify new opportunities and contribute to Acasus’s broader Partnerships strategy.

Key responsibilities

Lead teams and deliver complex workstreams

• Independently lead complex Partnerships workstreams, translating ambiguous objectives into clear plans, priorities and deliverables.
• Manage and develop Senior Associates and Associates, setting clear expectations, delegating effectively, providing regular coaching and feedback, and holding colleagues accountable for high-quality delivery.
• Oversee multiple concurrent opportunities, coordinating multidisciplinary teams and ensuring effective prioritisation and resource allocation.
• Anticipate risks, resolve bottlenecks and exercise independent judgement to maintain momentum and deliver results.

Develop and convert funding opportunities

• Independently manage priority opportunities from initial assessment through proposal development, negotiation and contracting.
• Work with senior leadership, country teams and technical experts to develop compelling, practical and fundable programmes.
• Lead the development of high-quality proposals, concept notes, investment propositions, presentations and budgets.
• Drive opportunities through key decision points, maintain effective funder engagement and ensure successful handover to project teams.

Apply commercial judgement and build funder relationships

• Understand funder priorities, decision-making processes and financing models to identify and develop opportunities.
• Assess opportunities against Acasus’s priorities, delivery capabilities and commercial considerations, determining how best to position the organisation.
• Work with Finance and project teams to develop credible budgets, resource plans and commercial assumptions, supporting negotiations where required.
• Progressively build relationships with new funding partners, independently lead funder meetings and identify opportunities to expand existing partnerships.

Contribute to Partnerships strategy and performance

• Identify new funders, sectors and opportunities aligned with Acasus’s growth ambitions.
• Contribute to the development of investment propositions, service offerings and approaches to partnership development.
• Maintain oversight of assigned opportunities, including progress, risks, next steps and expected funding, contributing to pipeline reviews and forecasting.
• Strengthen Partnerships processes, tools and ways of working to improve team performance and opportunity conversion.

What we are looking for:

Essential

• Exceptional project management and execution skills, with a strong track record of independently leading complex workstreams and delivering results.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing teams, including setting priorities, delegating effectively and holding colleagues accountable.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to develop compelling propositions, assess opportunities and navigate commercial decisions.
• Outstanding structured problem-solving, analytical and communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality, senior-ready materials.
• Confidence working with budgets, financial assumptions and commercial trade-offs.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to engage senior partners and lead multidisciplinary teams.
• High levels of initiative, ownership, adaptability and excellent written and spoken English.

Desirable

• Approximately 6–10 years of relevant experience in consulting, international development, global health, public sector advisory, philanthropy or partnerships.
• Experience developing proposals, bids or commercial opportunities, ideally with evidence of successful conversion.
• Familiarity with institutional funders, foundations, grants or development financing.
• Experience working with governments or development programmes in low- and middle-income countries.
• French language skills.

What's in it for you?

• The opportunity to drive a truly impactful set of reforms that can improve health outcomes for entire generations.
• The chance to work with influential leaders in government and among international partners.
• High degrees of responsibility and autonomy.
• A strong focus on development, with regular coaching and feedback.
• Opportunities to rise in seniority, enabling you to have a greater impact on citizens.
• Open up a wide array of career opportunities through the skills, knowledge and experience you develop.
• Be part of a diverse international team, with 29 nationalities working across 18 countries.
• You will be joining an organisation committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Attend international conferences at least twice a year, where you can connect with colleagues from around the world.
• Enjoy working alongside people who are like-minded in their passion for helping others.
• Competitive compensation.
• A year-end bonus based on individual performance.
• Health insurance.

Our team is diverse in nationality, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, class, age, education and sexuality. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

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