Partnership & Delivery Unit (PDU) Manager - AFS Programme

Position: Partnership & Delivery Unit (PDU) Manager

Location(s): Damascus, Syria

Reports to: PDU Lead - Programming

Duration: 1st July 2026 – 31st December 2026

About ASI and AFS

Adam Smith International (ASI) is a global advisory company that works locally to transform lives by making economies stronger, societies more stable, and governments more effective. Our clients are governments, international organisations, companies, and foundations. They come to us to develop strategies and to design, deliver and evaluate programmes that address the big challenges facing the world. Our core team of staff and technical experts, in multiple offices around the world, ensures the quality of delivery and high ethical standards that we and our clients require.

ASI is owned and operated by its employees. We are committed to corporate integrity and a triple bottom line of social, environmental and financial performance. This commitment was formally recognised when we became a certified B Corp. The certification indicates we balance profit and purpose through the highest standards of transparency and accountability as well as social and environmental performance.

The Aid Fund for Syria (AFS), formerly the Aid Fund for Northern Syria (AFNS), is a multi-donor pooled fund established in October 2022 to meet critical needs in Syria. Initially focused on addressing acute humanitarian needs in northern Syria through the cross-border response, AFS has since evolved into a flexible funding mechanism supporting efforts towards Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus. Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, AFS expanded its strategic focus to areas previously not accessible to AFS partners, adapting to Syria’s evolving political, economic, and institutional landscape. The Fund continues to work with aid actors, including communities, civil society organisations, the cluster coordination mechanism, the United Nations, and donors to identify where needs and opportunities are greatest and where it can add the most value.

Objective

The PDU manager will oversee the technical implementation, partner coordination, and strategic planning. The role involves managing a multi-million-dollar portfolio, ensuring high-quality program delivery, and engaging with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen AFS’s impact in the Syrian response.

Key Responsibilities

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Delivery & Grants Support

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Participate in grants kick-off meetings with partners when new grants are awarded.

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Serve as the focal point for grants and ensuring partners follow AFS manuals and standard guidelines in Syria.

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In cooperation with technical experts, provide technical guidance and support for integrated sectoral interventions that contribute to AFS’s overall strategic objectives, both during the proposal development phase and throughout implementation.

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Ensure programmatic oversight by reviewing implementing partners’ reports (quarterly, inception, financial, and final narrative) submitted through the GMS, ensuring quality and compliance.

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Ensure timely and transparent feedback to partners, addressing delivery concerns.

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Follow up on payments in collaboration with AFS finance focal points.

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Ensure meaningful engagement of local and community led initiatives and grassroots in grants where they are included and support their equal participation.

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In cooperation with other AFS staff, provide hands-on capacity-building support for partners throughout project implementation.

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Partnership Management & Compliance

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Ensure partner staff are aware of AFS manual, guidelines and policies, immediately raising any compliance issues.

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Track partner-related technical, operational, financial, HR, or grant issues and coordinate support.

· Lead and/or participate in PPA (Partner Performance Assessment) meetings, providing data-driven evaluations in close cooperation with the MREL Unit and Risk Management Unit of partners’ capacity and performance on the AFS GMS.

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Address outstanding partnership issues, ensuring timely resolution of concerns, including compliance-related allegations.

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Participate in Due Diligence and Capacity Assessments (DDCA) for new and potential partners.

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Review the partners' standard and incident reports, to provide necessary feedback in a timely manner.

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Conduct partner reviews/meetings and participate in learning sessions as needed.

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Assist partners in strategizing ways to ensure program delivery meets targets.

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Support on special conditions updates meetings mentioned in the PFA (Partnerships Framework Agreement) in close cooperation with the Risk Management Unit.

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Coordination & Representation

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Attend sectoral meetings and any coordination ad-hoc and relevant meetings.

· Contribute to the development of Regular & Special Allocation Strategies.

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Actively coordinate with Quality & Impact Officers throughout implementation, including but not limited to field visits, spot checks, and complaints validation processes

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Serve as AFS’s representative in engagements with local authorities and community stakeholders in Syria.

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Collaborate with the AFS Communication Team to develop success stories, showcasing program impact.

· Monitor, review and share security updates from implementing partners, work with the AFS Head of Operations & Security to assess communicated partner risks and escalate where needed.

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AFS Strategy & Policy Development

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Contribute to overall development of AFS allocations strategies and interventions packages required for the allocation and an ensure full efficient role through transitional dynamics and standards to bridging towards resilience and development.

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Collaborate with audit teams and provide necessary support during internal and external audits.

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Participate in reviewing and improving the AFS manual when required.

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Track and analyse key external trends, reports, and policy discussions, to inform AFS’s strategic direction.

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Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)

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Ensure integration of gender equality and social inclusion principles across all program activities and partner engagements.

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Promote inclusive participation of marginalized groups in program design and implementation. Monitor and evaluate partners' adherence to GESI standards and ensure technical support is provided to strengthen their capacity in this area.

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Advocate for gender-responsive approaches in humanitarian interventions and ensure that data collection and reporting reflect gender-disaggregated metrics. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to identify and address barriers to inclusion within AFS programs.

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Accountability for Affected Population and Community Engagement (AAPCE)

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Implement the accountability mechanisms that ensure affected populations have meaningful input into program design, implementation, and evaluation.

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Strengthen community feedback systems and complaint response mechanisms across partner activities.

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Ensure partners adhere to AAPCE standards and provide capacity building support where needed.

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Document and share best practices in community engagement to improve program effectiveness and responsiveness to community needs.

Note: As the situation evolves in Syria, the PDU Manager may be required to undertake additional related tasks not currently detailed here. These tasks will be communicated by the Deputy Executive Director – Fund Management (with input from the leadership team), in line with the allocated days for the role.

Reporting, Management, and Accountability

This role reports to the PDU Lead - Programming and will work closely with the Deputy Executive Director – Fund Management.

Availability

The Adviser must be available to serve on the programme between July 2026 and December 2026 with an average of up to 18.33 working days per month. The level of effort may vary monthly, but the total number of days for the role will remain fixed.