Senior Technical Advisor - Institutional Capacity Strengthening and Transformational Leadership at Pathfinder International

Requisition Number: SENIO002496

Your Impact

• As the Senior Technical Advisor - Institutional Capacity Strengthening and Transformational Leadership, you will drive Pathfinder’s global efforts to build resilient, adaptive, high-performing institutions and strengthen local capacity.
• You will shape and support country offices, sub-partners, and national governments in strengthening their systems and leadership to support the overall well-being of women and girls.
• Reporting directly to the Director Business Development and Partnerships, you will work closely with the Director of Business Development and Partnerships, the Senior Partnership Advisors, and other Senior Technical Advisors to position Pathfinder as a thought leader in institutional capacity strengthening and transformational leadership.
• This includes elevating Pathfinder’s visibility in the global development arena, enhancing partnerships, and contributing to resource mobilization efforts.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Thought Partnership:

• Develop and implement Pathfinder’s capacity-strengthening strategy—designing and producing practical tools, resources, briefs, and guidelines for country offices and partners.
• Co-design and operationalize organizational capacity strengthening strategies with country offices and HQ teams to elevate Pathfinder’s program quality and operational agility.
• Shape Pathfinder’s global positioning through external thought leadership, contributing to evidence, dialogue, and innovation in localization and locally led development.

Program Design & Technical Leadership:

• Lead and support the design of integrated, context-specific institutional development programs that center on improving the overall well-being of women and girls.
• Develop and disseminate evidence-based tools, frameworks, and models to guide capacity strengthening efforts across countries.
• Serve as technical lead on capacity development components in multi-country programs and large-scale partnerships

Capacity Strengthening & Coaching:

• Work alongside Country Directors and leadership teams to identify organizational capacity gaps, develop plans with KPIs,  and co-create solutions.
• Lead the end-to-end capacity assessment process—developing assessment frameworks, tools, and resources; conducting organizational capacity evaluations; and creating tailored capacity-strengthening plans.
• Support sub-grantees, local NGOs, and government counterparts with tailored capacity strengthening packages on leadership, governance, program implementations, and institutional effectiveness interventions.
• Lead training, mentorship, and peer learning platforms to support country-level transformation.
• Develop, facilitate, and maintain an internal community of practice for capacity strengthening and leadership.

Government & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with ministries, policies, and regional intergovernmental institutions.
• Support country teams in developing strategic partnerships with local actors and positioning Pathfinder as a key player in local capacity strengthening, policy advocacy and systems strengthening.
• Support government and local stakeholder capacity strengthening

Technical Input into Proposals & Business Development:

• Serve as a technical lead, program design lead, or contributor on proposals involving institutional development, systems strengthening, or capacity building.
• Collaborate with Business Development and Partnerships teams to ensure alignment of program design with funder priorities and local realities.
• Contribute to capture efforts and strategic planning around upcoming capacity strengthening opportunities.

Representation & Global Advocacy:

• Represent Pathfinder at high-level fora, technical working groups, and global platforms focused on systems change, localization, and SRHR integration.
• Serve as an ambassador for Pathfinder’s institutional transformation work and its contribution to global health and development goals.

Capacity Building:

• Work with the Budgeting and Reporting Manager to provide training to country office staff to improve the financial management capacity of staff.

Quality Assurance & Cross-Team Collaboration:

• Support learning agendas, MEL frameworks, and performance management systems that assess organizational capacity and leadership outcomes.
• Collaborate with Pathfinder’s Senior Technical Advisors, Gender and Social Inclusion specialists, and Innovation and Learning teams to document best practices and drive synergies across programming.
• Foster internal cross-learning and integration across thematic and geographic areas.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Development, Public Health, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Development Studies, Business Administration or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in international development with a strong focus on institutional capacity strengthening, governance, or systems transformation.
• Demonstrated experience working with national governments, local NGOs, and sub-partners in designing and implementing large-scale institutional development or public sector strengthening initiatives.
• Familiarity with SRHR programs and cross-sectoral integration in health, education, gender, and social protection.
• Proven ability to influence and engage at senior levels of government, donors, and multilateral organizations.
• Strong experience in proposal design and technical writing for USAID, FCDO, GIZ, BMGF, and other major donors.
• Prior experience in working across multiple countries or regional contexts, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.
• Proven writing and speaking skills using English language.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field, or a combination of education and experience that yields the required competencies.
• Experience implementing or advising non - USAID-funded capacity development programs.
• Previous experience with locally led development approaches and system-thinking models.
• Proven writing and speaking skills in French, Portuguese, Arabic desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to foster inclusive and equitable leadership and organizational culture.

Why You’ll Love Working with Us

• Join an innovative, forward-thinking organization that values your growth and ideas.
• Work within a supportive, collaborative environment.
• Make a meaningful impact on our institutional capacity and global leaders.
• Enjoy a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Benefit from the opportunity for global engagement.