Job ID
45276
Job Title
Country Director for Accelerate Prosperity
To work for
Aga Khan Foundation
Country
Syria
City
Damascus
Field of Work
Humanitarian/Disasters
Job Type
Full time
Military service
Not Specified
Minimum Education Level
Master
Responsibilities
The Aga Khan Foundation in Syria seeks to employ a full-time Country Director for Accelerate Prosperity for its office in Damascus.
JOB NUMBER: AP/ 01
ACCELERATE PROSPERITY:
Accelerate Prosperity initiative (AP) launched in 2016 as a joint initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development’s Industrial Promotion Services (AKFED-IPS). AP’s overall mandate is to create an inclusive and prosperous society powered by entrepreneurs. Through a mix of technical support and tailored financing for start-ups, small and growing businesses (SGBs), AP facilitates entrepreneurship, employment especially for youth and women and socio-economic development within its relevant geographies.
JOB SUMMARY:
With an entrepreneurial disposition, the Country Director (CD) is responsible for the overall success of AP in the country, its management, and operations. The CD identifies his/her in-country team to achieve intended results, and in line with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by AP’s Global Executive Director (AP ED). The main objective of the CD is threefold:
1) Management of AP in Syria, including strategy, program, investment portfolio quality, financial management, along with ensuring an inclusive team environment, a good and improving talent pool, productive workspace for all, importantly, women and youth.
2) Donor and grant management, including resource mobilization, oversight, and compliance.
3) Strategic engagement, including local institutional partnerships and legal compliance.
AP CD reports to the AP ED on strategy, management, programme, investments, operations, associated day-to-day matters, and overall performance. He/she will also report to the Chairman of the AP national board on legal and compliance matters, resource mobilisation, government relations and associated matters, and will report contractually to the AKF Chief Executive Officer
The CD will work in close coordination with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders to accomplish these objectives. She/ he will be required to travel frequently to all program areas of AP and to other AP country units as and when required and needed (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, etc.).
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Management of AP in Syria, including Strategy, Program and Investment Portfolio
- Program Delivery: Lead and oversee design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of AP’s services to startup and SGBs across the target regions, including awareness-raising and inspiration/ ideation events, training and technical assistance to start-ups and SGBs, business mentorship including the development of mentors pool as well as promotion of Virtual Accelerate, a one stop shop solution of AP for itself and other incubators, accelerators and investment funds.
- Investment Disbursement & Quality: Lead and oversee investment due diligence and structuring, deployment of patient investments, and ensure good quality of the portfolio through improved repayment and recoveries. Ensure execution of effective and timely measures on non-performing investments.
- Operational Structure: Develop an effective financial, human resources, and operational structure that is lean, efficient, and delivers improved value for money than the current status and market benchmarks. Put in place the KPIs and the incentive structure that gets the best of the staff, drives high levels of productivity and quality outputs. Improve the existing talent pool, improve the proportion of women in decision-making roles and youth as a proportion of total staff. Ensure that the structure is consistent with AKDN’s internal policies and ethical standards and that meets local laws and regulations.
- Governance: Organise quarterly AP national board meetings, especially on legal, regulatory, compliance and matters related to grants management.
- Investment Approvals: Seek National Investment Committee’s (NIC) approvals for all business financing. In addition, seek reviews and approvals from AP ExCom for deals above and equal to $50,000.
- External Investments: Lead and oversee the design and effective delivery of AP’s support to the entrepreneurs/ companies to access new sources of capital and technical assistance from partners, including banks, Small and Medium- Sized Enterprise (SME), Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equality (PE) Funds, angel investors, and business service providers through national pitch sessions, investment platforms, strategic partnerships with external investment funds and multiple financing partners.
- Financial Management and Compliance: Ensure effective financial management and compliance with regulatory and donor requirements, leading to low-risk internal and external audit ratings, no disallowances and/or litigation issues.
- Data Management and Analysis: Ensure complete application of AP’s performance and data management framework and architecture in Syria. This includes collection, storage and analysis of all data required for AP’s institutional performance management framework (PMF), Business Plan (BP) and donors. Support AP national and regional data and insights team for improving the systems for data, collection, storage, monitoring and oversight of AP’s program and financing activities.
- Reporting: Ensure regular and timely reporting to the AP ED on AP performance against business plan.
* Donor and Grant Management, including resource mobilization, oversight and compliance:
- Fundraising: Lead AP’s resource mobilization efforts for the country in close coordination with country-level AKF and donor units, including co-designing new projects for donors and corporate sponsors.
- Planning: Develop detailed project implementation plans (PIP) and budgets for each donor grant, to ensure timely implementation of activities according to donor requirements.
- Implementation: Ensure quality implementation of the programs committed to donors, including achievement of program and financial targets.
- Reporting: Establish and ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and learning practices for donor reporting. Ensure quality grant reports are prepared and timely submission to the donors according to the contract.
- Compliance: Ensure complete compliance to donor requirements with support from AKF.
- Relationship Management: Support AKF in donor relationship management as and when needed to continue/ expand the existing partnerships and develop new partners.
* Strategic Engagement, including local partnerships and legal compliance
- Institutional Partnerships: Lead AP’s engagement, partnership and coordination with AKDN stakeholders in the country - AKF, AKFED/IPS, AKTC, partner banks, etc and other ecosystem incubators/ accelerators, angel, SME, VC and PE investment funds as well as with line ministries of the Government in close coordination and support from AKDN stakeholders.
- Legal/ Regulatory Compliance: Ensure effective communication and engagement and relations with the regulators over time
JOB NUMBER: AP/ 01
ACCELERATE PROSPERITY:
Accelerate Prosperity initiative (AP) launched in 2016 as a joint initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development’s Industrial Promotion Services (AKFED-IPS). AP’s overall mandate is to create an inclusive and prosperous society powered by entrepreneurs. Through a mix of technical support and tailored financing for start-ups, small and growing businesses (SGBs), AP facilitates entrepreneurship, employment especially for youth and women and socio-economic development within its relevant geographies.
JOB SUMMARY:
With an entrepreneurial disposition, the Country Director (CD) is responsible for the overall success of AP in the country, its management, and operations. The CD identifies his/her in-country team to achieve intended results, and in line with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set by AP’s Global Executive Director (AP ED). The main objective of the CD is threefold:
1) Management of AP in Syria, including strategy, program, investment portfolio quality, financial management, along with ensuring an inclusive team environment, a good and improving talent pool, productive workspace for all, importantly, women and youth.
2) Donor and grant management, including resource mobilization, oversight, and compliance.
3) Strategic engagement, including local institutional partnerships and legal compliance.
AP CD reports to the AP ED on strategy, management, programme, investments, operations, associated day-to-day matters, and overall performance. He/she will also report to the Chairman of the AP national board on legal and compliance matters, resource mobilisation, government relations and associated matters, and will report contractually to the AKF Chief Executive Officer
The CD will work in close coordination with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders to accomplish these objectives. She/ he will be required to travel frequently to all program areas of AP and to other AP country units as and when required and needed (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, etc.).
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Management of AP in Syria, including Strategy, Program and Investment Portfolio
- Program Delivery: Lead and oversee design, marketing, promotion, delivery and quality of AP’s services to startup and SGBs across the target regions, including awareness-raising and inspiration/ ideation events, training and technical assistance to start-ups and SGBs, business mentorship including the development of mentors pool as well as promotion of Virtual Accelerate, a one stop shop solution of AP for itself and other incubators, accelerators and investment funds.
- Investment Disbursement & Quality: Lead and oversee investment due diligence and structuring, deployment of patient investments, and ensure good quality of the portfolio through improved repayment and recoveries. Ensure execution of effective and timely measures on non-performing investments.
- Operational Structure: Develop an effective financial, human resources, and operational structure that is lean, efficient, and delivers improved value for money than the current status and market benchmarks. Put in place the KPIs and the incentive structure that gets the best of the staff, drives high levels of productivity and quality outputs. Improve the existing talent pool, improve the proportion of women in decision-making roles and youth as a proportion of total staff. Ensure that the structure is consistent with AKDN’s internal policies and ethical standards and that meets local laws and regulations.
- Governance: Organise quarterly AP national board meetings, especially on legal, regulatory, compliance and matters related to grants management.
- Investment Approvals: Seek National Investment Committee’s (NIC) approvals for all business financing. In addition, seek reviews and approvals from AP ExCom for deals above and equal to $50,000.
- External Investments: Lead and oversee the design and effective delivery of AP’s support to the entrepreneurs/ companies to access new sources of capital and technical assistance from partners, including banks, Small and Medium- Sized Enterprise (SME), Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equality (PE) Funds, angel investors, and business service providers through national pitch sessions, investment platforms, strategic partnerships with external investment funds and multiple financing partners.
- Financial Management and Compliance: Ensure effective financial management and compliance with regulatory and donor requirements, leading to low-risk internal and external audit ratings, no disallowances and/or litigation issues.
- Data Management and Analysis: Ensure complete application of AP’s performance and data management framework and architecture in Syria. This includes collection, storage and analysis of all data required for AP’s institutional performance management framework (PMF), Business Plan (BP) and donors. Support AP national and regional data and insights team for improving the systems for data, collection, storage, monitoring and oversight of AP’s program and financing activities.
- Reporting: Ensure regular and timely reporting to the AP ED on AP performance against business plan.
* Donor and Grant Management, including resource mobilization, oversight and compliance:
- Fundraising: Lead AP’s resource mobilization efforts for the country in close coordination with country-level AKF and donor units, including co-designing new projects for donors and corporate sponsors.
- Planning: Develop detailed project implementation plans (PIP) and budgets for each donor grant, to ensure timely implementation of activities according to donor requirements.
- Implementation: Ensure quality implementation of the programs committed to donors, including achievement of program and financial targets.
- Reporting: Establish and ensure effective monitoring, evaluation and learning practices for donor reporting. Ensure quality grant reports are prepared and timely submission to the donors according to the contract.
- Compliance: Ensure complete compliance to donor requirements with support from AKF.
- Relationship Management: Support AKF in donor relationship management as and when needed to continue/ expand the existing partnerships and develop new partners.
* Strategic Engagement, including local partnerships and legal compliance
- Institutional Partnerships: Lead AP’s engagement, partnership and coordination with AKDN stakeholders in the country - AKF, AKFED/IPS, AKTC, partner banks, etc and other ecosystem incubators/ accelerators, angel, SME, VC and PE investment funds as well as with line ministries of the Government in close coordination and support from AKDN stakeholders.
- Legal/ Regulatory Compliance: Ensure effective communication and engagement and relations with the regulators over time
Qualifications
- The applicant must have a Master’s degree in Business Management, Economics and/or related fields.
- International exposure (in-person) in formal education and/or other educational programs.
- Executive Education and/or diploma in investment management, investing and/or related fields. Prior experience in space will also be counted towards it.
- Minimum 4-5 years of experience in the private sector, along with significant exposure in designing and executing new business ventures, investing, raising external investments and/or associated work. Strong networking in the private sector. Experience in founding and investing in a new business venture (own venture as the founder) and/or managing an early-stage business will be required.
- Minimum 2-3 years of experience in the startup business incubator, accelerator and/or a similar role, preferably in business pipeline development and/or raising financing
- Reasonable exposure in the development and not-for-profit space, especially in grants management, compliance and reporting.
- Significant experience in designing innovative solutions (product, service and/or program) that have demonstrated success.
- Creativity, inclusiveness, innovation and agile thinking with a strong sense of purpose, passion and commitment for promoting entrepreneurship in Syria as a means to address critical challenges faced by the Community.
- Vision, professional integrity, resilience, with an intense passion for AP’s mandate.
- A go-getter with an entrepreneurial mindset capable of navigating through systematic challenges.
- Calculated and informed risk-taking guided by experience and belief in the potential of youth and women, to deliver the expected results.
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion and viewing them as opportunities to create prosperity and success for all.
- Role modeling for young leaders, demonstrated through respectful behaviour, integrity and actions that inspire others and earn mutual respect.
- Excellent command of English both written and spoken.
- International exposure (in-person) in formal education and/or other educational programs.
- Executive Education and/or diploma in investment management, investing and/or related fields. Prior experience in space will also be counted towards it.
- Minimum 4-5 years of experience in the private sector, along with significant exposure in designing and executing new business ventures, investing, raising external investments and/or associated work. Strong networking in the private sector. Experience in founding and investing in a new business venture (own venture as the founder) and/or managing an early-stage business will be required.
- Minimum 2-3 years of experience in the startup business incubator, accelerator and/or a similar role, preferably in business pipeline development and/or raising financing
- Reasonable exposure in the development and not-for-profit space, especially in grants management, compliance and reporting.
- Significant experience in designing innovative solutions (product, service and/or program) that have demonstrated success.
- Creativity, inclusiveness, innovation and agile thinking with a strong sense of purpose, passion and commitment for promoting entrepreneurship in Syria as a means to address critical challenges faced by the Community.
- Vision, professional integrity, resilience, with an intense passion for AP’s mandate.
- A go-getter with an entrepreneurial mindset capable of navigating through systematic challenges.
- Calculated and informed risk-taking guided by experience and belief in the potential of youth and women, to deliver the expected results.
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion and viewing them as opportunities to create prosperity and success for all.
- Role modeling for young leaders, demonstrated through respectful behaviour, integrity and actions that inspire others and earn mutual respect.
- Excellent command of English both written and spoken.
Specific Vacancy Requirements
Deadline for application submission is Wednesday, November 26th 2025.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Salary and Benefits
According to AKF salary scale
Health and Life Insurance
Health and Life Insurance
About us
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of development agencies with mandates that include the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, and the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalization of historic cities. AKDN agencies conduct their programmes without regard to faith, origin or gender.
Safeguarding Commitments:
AKF is committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour among its staff, representatives, and partners to make sure of do no harm of the beneficiaries and whom they deal with. In line with this commitment; the selected incumbent must adhere to the AKF Code of Conduct and the relevant Safeguarding policies
Safeguarding Commitments:
AKF is committed to maintaining the highest standard of ethical behaviour among its staff, representatives, and partners to make sure of do no harm of the beneficiaries and whom they deal with. In line with this commitment; the selected incumbent must adhere to the AKF Code of Conduct and the relevant Safeguarding policies
Required employees number
1
Posted On
Nov 05, 2025
Expiry Date
Dec 05, 2025
CV Language
English
