Strategy & Programmes Lead, Rice Funder Collaborative (RFC) Secretariat

About Rice Funder Collaborative

The Rice Funder Collaborative (RFC) is a new, Asia-led philanthropic collaborative that aims to mobilise coordinated capital to transform rice farming systems, reducing emissions, building farmer resilience, and improving the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers across Asia. By 2030, the RFC aims to mobilise around US$30 million in philanthropic capital and catalyse a further ~US$100 million in aligned public and development finance.

The RFC initiative is hosted at the Asia Community Foundation (ACF) and the Secretariat team is led by Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC).

Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) is a leading platform that mobilises Asia-focused philanthropists to deepen their practice of philanthropy and address systemic challenges collaboratively, through shared learning, peer exchange and joint action across the region.

Asia Community Foundation (ACF) is APC’s sister organisation, providing the infrastructure that makes collaborative action possible, including regranting, fiscal hosting, shared infrastructure and back-office support, so that philanthropists, funders and impact initiatives can focus on the work itself rather than the operational load.

For more details on RFC, you can find the overview document by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yc8zd492

Role Overview

This is a full-time role on a 2-year contract (with the opportunity for renewal based on performance and regulatory approvals) with a preference for candidates living in and/or able to work in Singapore.

Reporting to the Interim Secretariat Director, and accountable to the RFC Steering Committee, the Strategy & Programmes Lead owns the RFC’s programmatic strategy and is responsible for its grantmaking. This role shapes the RFC’s shared vision into a coherent, fundable portfolio: developing and refining the strategy and theory of change, building and curating a high-quality pipeline, designing and overseeing grants across both aligned and pooled capital, and managing the portfolio for impact and learning.

The role leads a team of up to two Programme Officers and Programme Associate(s), oversees the Communications & Knowledge function on the programmatic and evidence side, and works closely as a peer with the Partnerships & Community Lead, who leads funder relations, the Community of Practice, and donor cultivation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategy and Theory of Change

Develop, operationalise, and continually refine the RFC’s overarching strategy, theory of change, and three-year implementation roadmap, validated with founding members. Translate the four impact priorities and four pathways for change into clear grantmaking theses, funding priorities, and sequencing across geographies. Establish the initial prioritisation framework for pooled fund grantmaking, adapting the mix to the readiness, opportunities, and needs of different countries.

1. Pipeline and Grantmaking

Build and maintain a high-quality, curated pipeline of investment-ready opportunities aligned with the strategy, including sourcing internally and incorporating funder-vetted opportunities, with a near-term target of approximately ten high-potential opportunities in the first year Lead landscape scans and opportunity assessments, identifying priority gaps and areas for philanthropic collaboration Design and oversee grantmaking strategies, processes, and guidelines for both aligned and pooled capital, and lead due diligence in coordination with ACF’s grant administration Develop grant recommendations and present them, with clear rationale and evidence, to the Grants/Investment Committee Ensure grantee support is effective, equitable, and aligned with the Collaborative’s broader goals

1. Pooled Fund and Portfolio Management

Programme the pooled fund’s investments in line with the shared strategy, ensuring grantmaking is informed by, and contributes to, the Secretariat’s learning and pipeline development Manage the overall portfolio for impact: responsible for outcome and impact frameworks, tracking portfolio-level results, and conducting periodic reviews to shift capital towards the strongest-performing approaches Build the monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework, with clear indicators for methane reduction, farmer outcomes, and ecosystem strengthening Sequence funding to support different stages of development, from early exploration and evidence generation to demonstration, scaling, and systems change, while keeping the partner base sufficiently diverse

1. Team Leadership

Recruit, lead, and develop the programmatic team, including two Programme Officers and Programme Associate(s), with a supportive, empowering, and inclusive style Oversee the Communications & Knowledge function on the evidence and programmatic side, and commission consultants and technical experts as the work requires Build a culture that values rigour, reflection, and innovation Recommend additional staff and consulting capacities necessary for the successful implementation of the RFC strategy

1. Knowledge, Evidence, and Ecosystem

Generate and disseminate evidence on what does and does not work to funders and the wider ecosystem, and enable South-South learning across priority geographies Connect strategy, capital, knowledge, and implementation so that funding is deployed where it can generate the greatest combined impact across mitigation, resilience, livelihoods, and sustainable production In partnership with the Partnerships & Community Lead and the Secretariat Director, support the case for investment and help crowd in government, multilateral development banks, development finance institutions, and private-sector capital around proven approaches

What Success Looks Like in 12 Months

In the first 12 months, the Strategy & Programmes Lead will have co-developed and validated the RFC’s strategy, theory of change, and three-year roadmap with founding members, and finalised and rolled out the operational and grantmaking guidelines and initial funding priorities that allow both aligned and pooled capital to move.

A first pipeline of approximately ten high-potential opportunities will be curated with clear rationale and evidence, ready for aligned or pooled giving. The programmatic team will be recruited and onboarded, supported by an established MEL framework, and the pooled facility will be progressing towards its US$30 million target, with grantmaking opportunities identified that build credibility with funders and grantees alike.

Experience and Skills

We expect candidates to demonstrate a majority of the following. We are more interested in the right combination of strategic judgment, grantmaking craft, and regional fluency than in any single credential.

At least 12 years of experience in :

• Senior grantmaking and strategy leadership. A strong track record of designing and overseeing grantmaking or investment portfolios with clear impact pathways, ideally in climate, agriculture, food systems, or rural development, including experience translating strategy into implementation.
• Systems thinking . Demonstrated ability to synthesise complex, technical information into clear strategies and to identify the levers (e.g., policy, finance, research, farmer partnership) that drive change at scale.
• Regional depth . Significant experience working in or across Southeast Asia, with a genuine understanding of the diverse contexts, institutions, and realities of the region’s agricultural and climate systems.
• Portfolio and impact management . Experience building or running monitoring, evaluation, and learning approaches and using evidence to allocate and reallocate capital.
• Team building and leadership . A capable and empowering manager able to build and develop a small, high-performing, multidisciplinary team.
• Partnership and influence . Skill in building trusted relationships across funders, grantees, governments, MDBs, research institutions, and civil society, often across cultural contexts.
• Communication . Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to crystallise complex issues for diverse audiences. Languages relevant to priority geographies are welcomed.

Desirable experience:

• Direct topical expertise in rice, agricultural methane, or climate-smart agriculture; knowledge of interventions such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), seed systems, and/or straw management, and familiarity with the importance and practical approaches to Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) of changes in agricultural systems.
• Experience with blended or catalytic finance and with mobilising MDB, DFI, or government co-financing.
• Experience in or alongside philanthropy and donor collaboratives.
• Experience standing up a new initiative, team, or fund from the ground up

Attributes

• Proactive, solutions-driven, and comfortable with ambiguity, iteration, and long-term horizons for change.
• A lateral thinker with sound judgment and a strong eye for detail.
• Reflective and self-aware, with high integrity, diplomacy, and humility.
• A collaborative style that builds partnerships on trust, transparency, and mutual respect.
• Deeply committed to a just transition for smallholder farmers, and to the Asia-led mission and values of the Collaborative.

To Apply

Please submit a CV and a short covering letter setting out how you meet the role and person specification.

Closing date: 20 October 2026

The Rice Funder Collaborative believes the transformation of rice systems must be shaped by, and serve, the farmers and communities at its heart. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and we are especially keen to hear from candidates based in and connected to the priority geographies of Southeast Asia.