Job summary
The Programme Manager for Governance in Philanthropy will lead the design, development, and execution of Pearl Initiative’s (PI) Governance in Philanthropy. This role will build Pearl Initiative’s thought leadership and impact in strengthening and enabling the philanthropic sector, including supporting next-generation philanthropy, in the GCC Region. Programming will especially focus on building the long-term success and resilience of the philanthropic organisations and philanthropists by advancing governance in giving; ethical, strategic, and accountable community engagement and decision-making; transparency and collaboration; and social innovation. They will lead the business development, revenue generation, and fundraising initiatives of the programme, ensuring high-impact and compliant delivery of all projects and contracts.

Success in this role requires a strategic, detail-oriented, and relationship-driven leader who can design and implement high-impact programming. This includes managing a strategic regional working group, delivering targeted interventions and projects, producing research and thought leadership that address the evolving needs of the sector, and hosting convenings and dedicated trainings.

Key responsibilities

Programmatic development and innovation

• Lead the design, development, planning, and budgeting of the programme strategically aligned with organisation goals and impact objectives ensuring cost-effectiveness and efficient resource allocation.
• Drive programmatic innovation within existing offering, identifying opportunities to enhance programme effectiveness, efficiency, and impact.
• Identify and enable cross-programmatic synergies, intersections, and collaborations.
• Identify and integrate subject matter experts, executive trainers and coaches, researchers, and any other third parties to co-create programmatic projects and deliverables.
• Co-create a strategic communications strategy, including priority social media channels and email campaigning, for the programme.

Business development, community enablement, and financial sustainability

• Develop and execute a business development and market stakeholders’ engagement strategy by identifying key target markets, potential funding sources, and partnership opportunities.
• Manage an annual market engagement calendar.
• Co-define funding targets to cover programmatic costs and work towards reserving longer-term working capital to ensure the financial sustainability of the programme.
• Explore and develop new revenue streams for the programme to diversify funding and enhance financial sustainability.
• Develop and lead community-building initiatives, such as workshops, convenings, online forums, and networking events, to facilitate knowledge sharing, collaboration, and relationship development.
• Represent the organization by actively participating in relevant events, building new relationships with potential partners and collaborators, and promoting the organisation’s programmes.
• Lead the development of compelling proposals that effectively communicate the value proposition of programmes to potential funders and partners, highlighting impact, sustainability, and strategic alignment with their objectives.
• Negotiate and finalise funding agreements and partnership contracts.

Projects management and contracts compliance

• Manage the design, execution, and timely high-quality delivery of collaborative needs-based projects and flagship initiatives, focused on research, executive education, capacity-building, and convenings.
• Adopt best practices in project management across all projects and initiatives, defining clear project scopes, developing detailed project plans, assigning roles and responsibilities, and implementing robust tracking and reporting.
• Manage programme teams and insourced third parties to ensure high accountability, strong performance, and preemptive risk management.
• Oversee the successful execution and delivery of all projects in line with contractual obligations, project timelines, and quality standards.
• Run projects and initiatives with careful cost control and resource allocation to support efforts to achieve financial sustainability with long-term working capital.
• Proactively communicate project and initiative updates to clients, partners, and internal stakeholders with timely reports on progress, challenges, and successes.

Expertise development and thought leadership

• Identify, study, and learn from market needs and pain points through research and stakeholder engagement to identify strategic opportunities for impact and growth.
• Lead the development of market-driven solutions by translating identified market needs and pain points into actionable programme initiatives.
• Curate and convene the programme’s working group, bringing in together working group members and special guests.
• Monitor the market’s offering, notable trends, and any disruptions to consistently strategically position the programme.
• Produce a consistent pipeline of high-quality, original bi-lingual content (e.g., op-eds, articles, blog posts, white papers, research reports, and working group position papers) that showcases expertise and generates meaningful conversations within the industry.
• Build a strong online presence by actively engaging in priority social media channels (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter, industry-specific forums) to share content, participate in discussions, and network with other thought leaders.
• Cultivate relationships with journalists, analysts, and other industry influencers to amplify thought leadership and reach a wider audience.

Team mentorship and development

• Mentor and coach Programme Associate, providing timely and actionable feedback, creating teachable opportunities, and offering programme career guidance.
• Define and monitor the development plan of Programme Associate, with regular pulse checks, ensuring time and any needed resources are allocated for training.
• Enable career growth, including promotions, for Programme Associate.

Year: 2024

For media inquiries, please contact us, or email us at: enquiries@pearinitiative.org