Partnership Development Specialist

Introduction: Ipas Pakistan is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) which works to assist the Government of Pakistan in achieving the country's commitment towards the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (good health and wellbeing). It seeks to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity associated with complications due to unsafe practices. We collaborate with provincial governments to provide technical assistance and support for strengthening the public and private healthcare system. Ipas is seeking to hire a competent Business Development Advisor to join its team in its Islamabad-based head office.

Job Summary: Under the supervision of the Head of Programs, the Partnership and Business Development Specialist contributes to Ipas Pakistan's efforts to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors in support of Ipas Pakistan's mission and the priorities of the strategic plans. The position will lead the identification and cultivation of funding opportunities, performing donor and partner analyses, maintaining records of donor funding calls, opportunities, and outreach activities, preparing high-quality written materials including concept notes and proposals, maintaining donor relationships through stewardship and communication efforts, and coordinating with both internal and external stakeholders. The position requires strong writing, research, communication, and coordination skills, and a solid understanding of NGO fundraising practices and donor engagement, especially in the health sector. This is a full-time position.

Primary Responsibilities:

Fundraising, Partnership and Donor Engagement Support

• Prepare and update the fundraising strategy and plan.
• Support senior management in donor cultivation and stewardship activities, including preparation of donor communication materials, briefing documents, and presentations.
• Prepare, edit, and finalize high-quality concept notes, proposals, donor marketing materials, and PowerPoint presentations in alignment with donor guidelines and strategic priorities.
• Liaise with donors and potential donors for initial engagement, information gathering, or coordination, as delegated by senior leadership.
• Lead the preparation and coordination of partnership agreements, pre-/teaming agreements and MoUs with external third-party organisations.

Proposal Development and Project Design

• Collaborate with technical and program teams to gather inputs and develop proposal content, logical frameworks, and results frameworks aligned with donor expectations.
• Edit and refine programmatic narratives, ensuring clarity, consistency, and donor-oriented messaging.
• Ensure all donor materials reflect Ipas's values, priorities, and programmatic approaches.

 Knowledge and Information Management

• Organize and maintain business development materials, including proposal templates, concept notes, donor profiles, and related documents.
• Maintain records of submissions, feedback, and outcomes related to fundraising efforts.
• Track upcoming funding opportunities and support internal coordination for proposal planning.

Donor Landscape Scanning

• Conduct targeted research and donor mapping to identify relevant funding institutions, trusts, and foundations at national, regional, and global levels.
• Prequalify donors by reviewing funding priorities, eligibility, and alignment with Ipas's strategic goals.
• Maintain updated donor profiles and summaries for internal reference.

Internal Coordination and Communication

• Liaise with Ipas Network's global Business Development staff to align with broader organizational strategies and receive technical support.
• Coordinate with internal program teams for the preparation of donor materials, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Contribute to strategic planning discussions and provide inputs on future program design based on donor trends and opportunities.

Requirements: Education and Experience:

Minimum:

• Bachelor's degree in international development, public health, communications, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• Minimum 5-7 years proven experience writing successful donor proposals, concept notes, and communication materials for bilateral, multilateral, and private donors.
• Demonstrated understanding of donor engagement and cultivation methodologies, especially in the health or reproductive health sectors.
• Successful track record of raising large grants from donors (bi-lateral, multi-lateral and private trusts and foundations)
• Experienced in working with major institutional donors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Experience working with donor templates, logframes, and project design frameworks.
• Understanding of teaming agreements and experienced in preparing partnership agreements and MoUs.
• Experience of preparing risk-management frameworks for projects.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills; attention to detail and ability to meet tight deadlines.

Preferred:

• Prior experience working with global teams or across country programs is an advantage.
• Experience of raising major gifts from high net worth individuals.
• Experience of planning and executing successful fundraising appeals for humanitarian crises.
• Experience in successfully winning commercial contracts for development projects with payment-by-results modality.
• Familiarity with SRH indicators.
• Familiarity with the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) sector and terminologies is highly desirable.

Additional Requirements:

• Commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Commitment to Ipas core values
• Software Applications: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint). Some experience with or ability to learn client resource management and database applications.
• Adaptability to adjust to diverse working styles and derive information from stakeholders for proposal development.
• Fluency in Urdu language (written and spoken).

Confidentiality:

• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding work-related information.

Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity.  We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy. Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.