About IREX

IREX is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. Founded in 1968, IREX has an annual portfolio of over $140 million, work in more than 100 countries worldwide with offices in 20 countries, and a global staff of over 600.  

Position Summary

IREX seeks a qualified Strategic Partnerships Manager to support an anticipated, USAID/LAC Bureau-funded activity, the LAC Regional Fund for Basic Education. The primary goal of the activity expanded inclusive access to quality basic education for marginalized and vulnerable learners sustained over time. The Private Sector Engagement Lead may be based in El Salvador, or Guatemala. The project will accomplish this goal by managing a regional fund which will have three main components: 1) a grant facility that provides sub-grants to local organizations to expand their work in inclusive education and/or fund their ideas for promising innovations; 2) a technical assistance component to strengthen the capacity of local organizations to work with USAID, monitor and adapt their interventions, and increase access and improve quality of education for marginalized groups; and 3) a component that seeks to generate, disseminate, and use evidence and learning from the local education sub-grants. The activity will closely monitor and evaluate improvements in inclusive access and quality of education with an emphasis on improved foundational skills for marginalized groups, especially in, but not limited to, the early primary grades. 

The activity will work through local organizations across the LAC region, focused on but not necessarily limited to countries in which USAID has a presence in education through regional or bilateral programming. These countries currently include Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, select English-speaking Eastern and Southern Caribbean countries, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Paraguay. USAID anticipates that the activity will issue multiple calls for sub-grant applications during the life of the activity, and the USAID LAC Team will seek concurrence for each call from the USAID Missions, relevant ministries of education, and other donor partners working in the countries of interest. It is possible and probable that one call could include a subset of the above-listed countries, while another includes a different subset of countries, depending on the inclusive education contexts in each of the target countries. 

This position is contingent on project award. 

• The Strategic Partnerships Manager will report directly to the Chief of Party. In close collaboration with the Chief of Party, the Strategic Partnerships Manager will design and manage program activities to promote and enhance resource mobilization from private-sector entities, foundations, partners, and other donors across the LAC region.  

• Serves as an expert on resource mobilization and strategic partnership approaches in the education sector and provides both advice and management on related issues in the LAC Regional Fund team. 

• In close collaboration with the Chief of Party identifies and engages foundation, partner, donor, and private sector entities seeking to provide financing, resources, or develop new or enhance existing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs in the LAC Region.  

• Develops innovative pathways to mobilize additional financial resources for the LAC Regional Fund through mechanisms such as cost sharing agreements and designs partner-specific resource mobilization plans to outline each step of engagement. 

• Monitors the success and impact of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization in close collaboration with the MEL Director and Chief of Party, identifying ways to scale successful collaborations to increase impact. 

Skills and Experience

• A master’s degree in business or related field with at least nine (9) years of progressively responsible experience leading strategic partnerships and relationship management or private sector engagement for donor-funded projects; or a bachelor’s degree with at least ten (10) years of relevant experience required.  

• Demonstrated experience and technical knowledge in strategic partnerships and relationship management with foundations and donors or private sector engagement, this may also include experience facilitating and managing public and private sector partnerships. 

• Existing familiarity with USAID’s Private Sector Engagement Policy and experience successfully mobilizing resources for public-private partnerships in the LAC region strongly preferred. 

• Commitment to inclusive programming that encourages full participation of individuals regardless of gender, disability status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or other marginalized status.  

• Experience working in one or more of the following countries in the LAC region is required: Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, English-speaking Eastern and Southern Caribbean countries, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Paraguay. 

• Excellent ability to communicate effectively on the technical aspects of implementation with a wide variety of stakeholders.  

• Proven track record of working effectively with other projects, media, civil society, high-level host country host government counterparts, and other international partners.  

• Effective oral and written communication skills. Fluency English and Spanish (written and spoken) required. 

• Strong representational and organizational skills. 

• Work authorization in the country of preferred location, El Salvador, or Guatemala.