Job Summary
About the Company
Silver Jubilee Development Agency (SJDA) was established in 1984 and incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee under section 23 of the Companies Act 1913 (now, section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017) on October 30, 1984. The objective of establishing SJDA is to promote the socio-economic progress of the communities by developing and supporting programmes and institutions.
Programme Overview
The Poverty Elimination (PE) Programme is SJDA’s integrated, institutional response to improve the Quality of Life of the underprivileged members of the communities by supporting the families to increase income. The PE Programme is a flagship initiative aimed at reducing multidimensional poverty within the local communities in Pakistan. It focuses on enabling vulnerable families to graduate out of poverty through targeted interventions such as income generation, access to finance, education, skill development, health, and social protection. The programme aligns with the global vision of driving sustainable poverty elimination and promoting resilience through economic empowerment and social inclusion.
The programme aims to:
- Increase the Employment and Self-Employment opportunities;
- Support to establish small enterprises;
- Improve Agriculture productivity;
- Improve Livestock breeding/rearing.
Position Overview
The Head of Strategic Development & Partnerships plays a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction, forging impactful partnerships, ensuring strong monitoring and evaluation systems, and supporting data-driven decision-making through robust MIS supervision.
Position Description
To provide strategic leadership for the Poverty Elimination Programme by advancing economic opportunity creation through resource mobilization, innovative partnerships, and market-driven solutions. Resource mobilization in this role entails securing and leveraging financial, technical, institutional, and human resources to expand economic opportunities, strengthen value chains, and scale the program’s impact.
The position will strengthen employment pathways within and outside Pakistan, unlocking the potential of rural value chains (agriculture, livestock, and allied enterprises) and urban value chains (services, trade, and entrepreneurship). It will create inclusive pathways tailored to the diverse profiles and readiness levels of families, ensuring equitable access to opportunities and progression toward sustainable livelihoods.
The role will also foster cross-sectoral collaborations with government, private sector, and development partners to expand market access, enhance competitiveness, and generate scalable impact, while ensuring alignment with national priorities and global best practices. Additionally, it will strengthen institutional capacities, M&E, and MIS systems to deliver evidence-based programming, influence policy, and achieve long-term poverty reduction.
Reporting Relationships
Reports to the Director of Poverty Programme or any other person designated by SJDA. Supervises the economic development team.
Role and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Programme Development
- Lead the design and execution of strategies for the Poverty Elimination Program’s economic development arm, ensuring alignment with national priorities and global best practices.
- Translate the vision into actionable plans that expand economic opportunities, strengthen value chains, and scale programme impact.
- Drive innovation by piloting and scaling market-driven solutions addressing livelihood and employment barriers in rural and urban contexts.
Resource Mobilization & Strategic Partnerships
- Mobilize and leverage technical, institutional, and human resources to expand economic opportunities, strengthen rural (agriculture, livestock, allied enterprises) and urban (services, trade, entrepreneurship) value chains, and enhance programme effectiveness.
- Build strategic collaborations with government agencies, private sector actors, and development partners to expand market access, enhance competitiveness, and create employment pathways.
Economic Pathways & Livelihoods Development
- Develop inclusive pathways tailored to diverse family profiles and readiness levels, ensuring progression from basic livelihood support to integration in higher-value markets.
- Oversee the design and delivery of skills development, vocational training, and job placement services for both domestic and overseas employment opportunities.
- Guide the implementation of interventions in rural and urban value chains to enhance productivity, competitiveness, and income-generation opportunities for marginalized families.
Institutional Strengthening & Systems Development
- Oversee the development and implementation of robust systems to support evidence-based decision-making, programme accountability, and adaptive management.
- Integrate learning, research, and best practices into programme design and delivery to continuously improve effectiveness and scalability.
- Build institutional and staff capacities for effective programme management and innovation.
Team Leadership & Capacity Building
- Provide vision, mentorship, and oversight to a multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration.
- Strengthen team capacity to design and implement market-driven, scalable, and sustainable livelihood solutions.
- Ensure effective internal coordination, performance management, and professional growth of staff.
General Administration
- Set periodic goals with team, agree on the key performance indicators and conduct performance reviews for any direct reports.
- Ensure confidentiality of sensitive matters relating to the institution and its operations and safeguard all documents, files and records.
- Undertake other duties and responsibilities as may be required from time to time.
Key Deliverables
- A Resource Mobilization Plan to expand opportunities, strengthen value chains, and scale programme impact.
- A Partnership and Collaboration Plan with government, private sector, and development partners to enhance market access and employment pathways.
- Inclusive Pathways tailored to the diverse profiles and readiness levels of families, enabling progression toward sustainable livelihoods.
- Evidence-based knowledge products (policy briefs, reports, case studies) produced annually to inform policy and programme improvements.
Required Skills
Skills and Competencies
- Strategic Leadership & Visioning: Ability to set strategic direction, design scalable solutions, and translate vision into actionable plans.
- Economic and Market Systems Expertise: Strong understanding of rural and urban value chains, enterprise development, employment pathways, and inclusive market-driven solutions.
- Resource Mobilization: Proven ability to secure and leverage financial, technical, and institutional resources through innovative approaches.
- Partnership Development: Skilled in forging and sustaining cross-sectoral collaborations with government, private sector, civil society, and development partners.
- Programme Design & Management: Expertise in designing, implementing, and scaling multi-sectoral livelihood and poverty elimination programmes.
- Knowledge Management: Competence in leading evidence-based programming, adaptive management, and use of data/knowledge products for learning and impact.
Attitudes and Behaviours
- Integrity, Accountability & Results Orientation: High level of professionalism, discretion, and ethical standards; analytical and results-driven with focus on strategic impact.
- Collaborative Mindset: Values teamwork, shared ownership, and collective problem-solving.
- Adaptive & Innovative: Open to new approaches, technologies, and models to address evolving challenges.
- Resilient & Persistent: Maintains focus and determination in complex, high-pressure, and resource-constrained environments.
- Empowering Leadership Style: Builds, mentors, and motivates diverse teams to achieve excellence.
- Comfort with public speaking in front of small groups and wider audiences.
Academic Credentials
- Master’s Degree from an HEC-approved university or from an internationally recognized university (for degree holders having degrees issued outside of Pakistan), preferably in social or management sciences or other relevant fields.
Professional Experience
- Minimum 10 to 12 years of progressively responsible experience in programme strategy, partnerships, and resource mobilization, preferably in the development sector.
- Experience of working in one or more of the following areas would be an asset: business skills training, business incubation hubs, business development service, livelihoods & value chains development, etc.
- Proven ability to build partnerships with government, private sector, NGOs and other civil society organizations.
Travel and Schedule
- Position will be based in Karachi with travel within programme area and across the country.
- Requires a flexible schedule in order to accommodate a non-traditional work week, including some evenings and weekends.
Language Proficiency
- Must have excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Urdu; fluency in local language would be an added advantage.