Associate Director, Shared Impact Philanthropy

About ACF and Shared Impact Philanthropy

Asia Community Foundation (ACF) is the first Asia-wide platform for collaborative and strategic giving. ACF enables donors to pool resources, co-create solutions, and drive positive social and environmental impact across the region. Through donor-advised funds, impact funds, and bespoke giving vehicles, ACF helps philanthropists give with confidence, transparency, and impact. 

ACF has recently launched Shared Impact Philanthropy (ShIP), a new regional offering that will make it easier for funders and nonprofits to work together, providing shared systems, hosting, and operational support so partners can focus on what really matters: driving impact across Asia.

This is the work of putting good intention into action. Helping to incubate transformative solutions and turn ideas into results. It’s about building what doesn’t yet exist: new systems, new partnerships, new ways of enabling philanthropy to flourish.

Role Overview 

The Associate Director, Shared Impact Philanthropy will work closely with the Deputy Executive Director to lead the strategic development and operational delivery of ACF’s platform. This is a senior role with primary ownership of ShIP’s service delivery, platform operations, and partner ecosystem across the region. 

The Associate Director will manage the delivery of end-to-end project lifecycle of hosted funds and projects, while ensuring consistency, compliance, and continuous improvement across the platform. They will represent ShIP externally with senior funders, partners, and hosted project teams, and will be instrumental in building the platform’s reputation and reach. The Associate Director will also manage and develop the ShIP team members, providing leadership and direction.

This role suits a senior professional who combines strategic thinking with operational rigour, and who brings the credibility and relationship depth to represent ACF at the forefront of regional philanthropic infrastructure. 

Key Responsibilities: 

1. Strategy and Platform Development 

• Support the Dy ED in shaping ShIP’s strategic direction, service models, and growth roadmap. 

• Support the design, refinement, and scaling of ShIP’s service offerings, including workflows, delivery frameworks, governance structures, and operational templates. 

• Contribute to business development efforts, including developing compelling propositions for new anchor funders and hosted project partners. 

• Monitor and evaluate ShIP’s effectiveness and impact, translating learnings into continuous platform improvements and sector knowledge. 

2. Operations and Delivery 

• Collaborate with internal teams and external vendors to ensure integrated and responsive service delivery. 

• Project manage the end-to-end flow of ShIP funds and projects, ensuring high-quality and consistent service delivery to funders, grantees, and hosted project teams. 

• Lead onboarding of new funders, grantees, and hosted project teams, setting the standard for a professional and positive client experience. 

• Partner relevant teams to facilitate grant management and hosted project processes, including contracting, due diligence, disbursement, compliance, and reporting. 

• Drive continuous improvement of operational workflows, SOPs, policies, and procedures for greater scalability and efficiency. 

3. Financial Management, Documentation, and Compliance 

• Oversee budget management, disbursement schedules, and financial reporting across ShIP’s grant and hosted project portfolios. 

• Ensure compliance with ACF’s financial, legal, and governance requirements in close coordination with finance and legal teams. 

• Maintain accurate and well-organised records across grants and hosted projects to facilitate internal and external audits. 

4. Stakeholder and Partnership Management 

• Serve as the senior point of contact for funders, grantees, hosted project teams, and other external stakeholders, managing relationships with professionalism and care. 

• Lead the coordination of funder convenings, partner networks, and hosted project Steering Committees. 

• Represent ShIP externally at sector events, peer networks, and working groups, building ACF’s profile as a leading regional philanthropic infrastructure provider. 

5. People and Team Leadership 

• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and contracting processes for hosted project teams, in coordination with ACF’s HR and Operations functions. 

• Manage and develop ShIP team members, including direct line management of programme staff.

• Provide coaching, mentorship, and performance management to support team effectiveness and professional growth. 

• Champion a high-performance, mission-driven team culture aligned with ACF’s values. 

Experience and Skills 

• 10+ years of relevant experience in grant management, fund management, shared services, fiscal hosting, or related areas, ideally within philanthropy, nonprofit, or international development sectors. 

• Demonstrated leadership experience, with a track record of managing teams and building high-performing operations. 

• Strong strategic thinking and the ability to contribute meaningfully to platform and organisational development. 

• Excellent project management skills with proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder workstreams to completion. 

• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills, with the credibility to engage senior funders, partners, and ecosystem actors. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication in English; additional Asian language proficiency an advantage. 

• Regional or international experience across Asia strongly preferred. 

Attributes 

• Strategic Leadership: Combines big-picture thinking with operational discipline; able to set direction and drive execution across a complex, multi-partner platform. 

• Operational Excellence: Highly organised, dependable, and proactive in ensuring seamless and high-quality service delivery. 

• Collaborative: Builds effective and trusted partnerships across internal teams, funders, partners, and in cross-cultural contexts. 

• Mission-Driven and Values-Led: Deeply committed to advancing social and environmental impact through collaborative and equitable approaches. 

  ACF is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are an equal opportunity employer, selecting on merit regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, religion, disability, or any other characteristic unrelated to the role.