Director of Programmes and Partnerships at Rhizome Consulting

Summary

• The Director of Programmes & Partnerships is responsible for providing strategic direction, programme governance, and partnership leadership across the entire initiative.
• The role exists to ensure that all programme interventions are strategically coherent, technically sound, donor-compliant, and impact-driven, while building and sustaining high-level partnerships that enable scale, sustainability, and long-term systems change.
• The Director will serve as the primary interface with donors, strategic partners, and senior stakeholders, and will be accountable for overall programme performance, credibility, and results.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Programme Direction:

• Provide overall strategic leadership for programme design, implementation, and scaling.
• Translate the programme’s vision into clear strategic priorities, portfolios, and implementation pathways.
• Ensure alignment between programme objectives, donor strategies, and national development priorities.
• Lead adaptive management processes to respond to learning, evidence, and contextual changes.

Programme Oversight & Delivery:

• Oversee the end-to-end delivery of all programme components, ensuring quality, coherence, and results.
• Ensure interventions are grounded in sound market systems and MSME development principles.
• Provide executive oversight to programme teams, technical leads, and implementing partners.

Donor Engagement & Partnership Management:

• Lead and manage high-level relationships with donor agencies, development partners, and funders.
• Support resource mobilisation, proposal development, and donor negotiations.
• Ensure compliance with donor agreements, reporting requirements, and governance expectations.
• Represent the programme in donor reviews, steering committees, and high-level forums.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Impact:

• Ensure robust MEL frameworks are embedded across all programme components.
• Oversee the use of data and evidence to track results, inform decision-making, and demonstrate impact.
• Promote a strong learning culture that supports continuous improvement and accountability.
• Ensure credible reporting of outcomes, outputs, and systemic change indicators.

Stakeholder Engagement & Ecosystem Building:

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with government institutions, private sector actors, and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Support policy dialogue and institutional strengthening where relevant.
• Position the programme as a trusted and credible actor within the economic development ecosystem.

Governance, Risk & Accountability:

• Ensure strong internal governance, risk management, and fiduciary oversight.
• Work closely with finance, compliance, and audit functions to uphold donor and organisational standards.
• Identify and mitigate strategic, operational, and reputational risks.
• Uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct.

Educational Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Development Studies, Economics, Public Policy, Business Administration, or a related field.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience:

• 18–20 years’ progressive experience in international development or economic development programmes.
• Proven experience leading large, donor-funded, multi-stakeholder programmes.
• Demonstrated experience managing donor relationships and complex partnership arrangements.
• Strong background in MSME development, entrepreneurship, access to finance, or market systems development.