Senior Partnership Specialist, Donor Relations, GPE

Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.

Who We Are 

GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency. 

What We Do 

GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue. 

How We Work 

Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality. 

Raise Your Hand 

In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.

A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.

Governance And Organizational Arrangements 

The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Dr Susan Liautaud. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.

The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C. and the European office is in Paris with a satellite office in Brussels and a support office in Chennai.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The External Relations team (EXR) responsibilities include donor relations, communications, advocacy, civil society outreach, private sector and private foundation outreach and it has the primary responsibility for overseeing GPE’s Financing Campaigns.

The Donor Relations Team is part of the External Relations Team (EXR). This team is responsible for all aspects of sovereign donor engagement via a “whole of country” relationship management approach, including fundraising for the GPE Fund and support to the six donor board constituencies; engagement with all relevant branches of government, parliaments, private sector, foundations & national advocacy partners.

ABOUT THE JOB

This position will be based in London, Paris or Brussels. 

The position reports to the Donor Relations Team Lead. 

The overall role of the position is to lead on the relations with the United Kingdom, Ireland and other key donor countries and to contribute to the overall resource mobilization strategy.

An initial identification of tasks includes the following; however, additional tasks may be identified according to the needs of the team and donors’ requests from the Secretariat. 

Under the supervision of the Donor Relations Team Lead, the top 3 priorities of this role are:

• Lead on relations with the UK and additional donor countries such as Ireland (others to be determined). Manage relations with the government, Parliament, CSOs and other relevant stakeholders in these respective donor countries;
• Set strategies for comprehensive partnerships and resource mobilization for these donor countries that align with GPE’s strategic priorities;
• Develop, manage and implement key donor country influencing strategies and coordinate future replenishment strategies for these donor countries.

In addition, other key tasks include:

• Develop and coordinate advocacy strategies in support of cross-market strategies and other key global and regional policy processes (to be identified)
• Translate policy positions into compelling advocacy messages and tools.
• Create materials tailored to individual donors/potential donors.
• Work with GPE youth leaders and other champions in support of the national strategies.
• Prepare and manage leadership trips to key donor countries.
• Support the head of the donor team in cross-team work.
• Cooperate with communication and campaign colleagues in relevant national NGOs and champions, coalitions and networks to develop effective and creative advocacy campaigns.
• Coordinate the national “Friends of Education” group in the UK for policy change in support of global education and GPE.
• Collaborate with other team members in the External Relations (EXR) Team and contribute productively to the EXR team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.

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