The undefined path to a career in partnerships

Cross-sector partnerships are key to reducing poverty and tackling social and environmental challenges around the world. Their success depends, in large part, on those meant to bring such unions to fruition: the partnerships professional. To create a partnership, all parties involved must understand one another’s objectives and priorities — not always easy when one party is, for example, focused on nothing but improving maternal health while the other is taking a hard look at what a proposed solution might mean for its bottom line. A partnership, though, must be built from a foundation where all parties feel they can succeed and meet their objectives. A partnerships professional, then, must be part advocate, part negotiator, part listener and part decision-maker. Simply put, for a partnership to get off the ground well, someone will need to make decisions based on an understanding of the impact those decisions could have on each stakeholder, according to Mark Fitzgerald, principal in KPMG’s International Development Assistance Services practice. READ: Where partnerships are taking global development “I would say that the career choice of partnership development is the glue to it all,” said Nazanine Scheuer, director of global corporate partnerships for Save the Children, of recognizing that each partner has an expertise to bring to the table. The path to partnership Becoming successful at curating partnerships has less to do with coming from a particular background and much more to do with being open-minded, according to Fitzgerald. And as partnerships become more diverse, those working on them are hailing from a diversity of professional and educational backgrounds. Scheuer, too, commented on the variety of career paths that have led her peers into this field. Within the iNGO and development world, partnerships are key to ensuring sustainability and expanding impact. Whether it’s a private sector-nonprofit partnership, a multi-stakeholder partnership including private sector coalitions, a public-private partnership — these are all critical to increasing reach and delivering results on the ground. But there is still no defined path to the role of a partnerships professional, explained Jim Thompson, director of innovation in the secretary’s office of global partnerships at the United States Department of State, who added that there is no established criteria for hiring a partnerships professional within the department, and he only knows of two people who have formally studied the field. The defining characteristic, though, is someone in the middle who “understands the touch points and can identify potential opportunity that meets with the expectations,” Fitzgerald said. Many of the individuals now championing partnerships in the private sector have come from the nonprofit sector, and vice versa. Scheuer, who has previously worked in the private sector in marketing, analytics and research, stressed the importance of identifying what issues potential partners are facing and familiarizing oneself with how they approach problem solving. A multisectoral background is an advantage for a career in partnerships, she suggested; the more experience you have both from the private sector and the nonprofit world, the better the chances you will be able to identify opportunities and develop strong partnerships. Each entity represents something different. The for-profits at the table want a clear financial return — they're interested in supporting community efforts to improve health care, which will in turn give them a healthier workforce, which supports the bottom line of the local mine, for example. Government agencies, on the other hand, may be worried about country-to-country interaction at the very highest level and how a new program would fit within those parameters. It’s all a balancing act, Fitzgerald explained. Success in partnerships The most successful partnership development professionals are those who have refined influencing and negotiating skills. But first, you have to be a great listener, keep an open mind and enthusiastically seek to understand the other party’s perspective, according to Scheuer. In addition, you must be able to build coalitions internally and get buy-in from the various internal players within the organization. In the case of private sector partners, the ability to embed yourself in their business model to understand the issues and challenges they’re facing is crucial. A few other key attributes include: 1. Clarity of purpose The first stage of any partnerships is forming a concept, and the more clarity you bring, the better. If the idea gains momentum, you want to formalize it into an agreement. And if you’ve said it’s going to take a few days knowing full well it’s going to take two months, “that’s not helping,” Fitzgerald said. Partnerships also needs people who immediately think of opportunities to bring an initiative to scale. Five to 10 years ago, private sector entities wanted to be involved in corporate social responsibility but downplayed their for-profit intent. Now, private sector partners feel OK saying, “We’re interested in northern Ghana because that’s where our raw materials come from,” or, “We need to grow in Ghana because the market is saturated in Nigeria.” “It’s a much more honest discussion, and it builds trust,” Fitzgerald said. 2. Discipline and diplomacy Clear project management experience and the ability to set expectations is important, but it must be done in a way that you’re facilitating the entire conversation even though you might be representing one of the partners. “You're trying to show: ‘I’m not coming in with just my view and just my expectation, I’m trying to set expectations and clarity of purpose for whole partnership,’” Fitzgerald explained. There is also a high degree of diplomacy required. If partners are giving equal amounts of money, then who is first among equals? Who’s driving the agenda? It’s important to have that discussion upfront to clarify the role of each person in the room; in the absence of that clarity, you may end up dominated by who isn’t in the room, Fitzgerald suggested. 3. Communication skills Good communication often requires more than emails and conference calls, but face-to-face interaction. “Deals are done in person, even today,” Fitzgerald said. “You're not going to get a lasting partnership through email or phone calls. Those are useful tools to back up a message.” At some point, you all have to be all be in the same room to “take a deep dive,” Scheurer said. A future in partnerships Partnerships are becoming increasingly complex. It’s critical that those entering the field be aware of the landscape and willing to take on a long-term view on building them. The instances where the private sector or institutional donors provide funds to support a specific program with a narrow focus run by an NGO, for example, are becoming rarer, Scheuer explained. A majority of people are good at their job, but aren’t so good at getting out of their comfort zone or persevering if given a “no” by a superior, Fitzgerald said. “We want people who say, “You may have told me no, but if I tweak it this way, will you say yes?” That’s the type of profile we need more of,” he added. For those interested in getting involved in partnerships, it’s not necessary to currently be sitting in a partnerships unit to bring stakeholders together. Anyone who works in development could be working on a public-private partnership, Thompson said. “Just about everything we do as a nation has potential to be done through a partnership,” he said. “Think about what you're doing right now and who else is interested in it, what they can bring to the table and what you can offer them as an opportunity to work with you,” he said. And even when a partnership is off the ground, “our job is never done,” Scheuer suggested. When you have a signed agreement, that partnership is strengthened — or not — over time, and you must visit it constantly. “Building consensus is an art,” Scheuer said. “It is a very exciting time for those of us who are in the partnership building space and see the powerful potential we have to raise the bar.” Aid professionals increasingly focus on innovative ways to build partnerships across industries, within competitive settings and with a multisectoral programmatic focus. What skills must a partnerships professional possess? Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search - all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.