Institutional Partnerships & Programming Manager (Contract)

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Institutional Partnerships & Programming Manager to support the development and delivery of a high‑profile, government‑led international summit in Abu Dhabi. The role will manage institutional contributions, evaluate proposals and safeguard the programme’s neutrality.

Key responsibilities

• Own the intake, evaluation and review of institutional partnership proposals, preparing written recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Identify, assess and map relevant institutions across government, multilateral, NGOs, academia and foundations.
• Lead outbound engagement with partners and shape their contributions to fit the programme format and objectives.
• Manage programme‑side contributions such as roundtables, workshops, youth programmes and knowledge products.
• Maintain rigorous partner and proposal tracking systems and provide daily/weekly progress reports.
• Coordinate with the Marketing partnerships team to ensure a unified approach to institutional relationships.

Required profile

• 6–8 years of experience in partnerships, institutional relations or programme development with governments, multilateral bodies or foundations.
• Proven ability to evaluate and shape institutional contributions to high‑level programmes.
• Experience in UN, COP‑level or government summit environments is a strong advantage.
• Experience working with UAE government entities or international organisations in the UAE is highly desirable.
• Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Public Policy, Communications, Business or a related field.
• Strong judgement, discretion and cultural awareness when dealing with senior stakeholders.
• Excellent research, writing, reporting and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Fluent written English; Arabic is an advantage.

Required skills

• Excel
• CRM systems