Director of Partnerships at Michael Page

About Our Client

• Our client is a leading development finance organisation dedicated to supporting innovative businesses that drive economic growth, create jobs, and improve livelihoods for rural and underserved communities across Africa. Operating in over 25 countries, they provide patient capital, advisory services, and knowledge support to enterprises in the agribusiness, renewable energy, and climate resilience sectors. With a proven track record of funding hundreds of enterprises and impacting millions of lives, the organisation is recognised for bridging the investment gap between early-stage ventures and scalable, sustainable operations. Headquartered in Nairobi, they maintain a strong regional presence and a commitment to gender equality, resilience, and inclusive development.

Job Description

The Director of Partnerships will be responsible for the following:

• Lead the design and execution of strategies to identify, engage, and secure funding from public donors, foundations, high-net-worth individuals, and private sector partners.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with bilateral, multilateral, and philanthropic donors to meet and exceed annual fundraising targets.
• Oversee proposal development, ensuring alignment with internal processes and proactive engagement with funding opportunities.
• Develop and implement strategies to diversify the programme portfolio, including securing bilateral investments.
• Collaborate across the organisation to identify opportunities in agribusiness, renewable energy, and climate resilience, removing barriers to innovation.
• Ensure high-quality donor reporting, relationship management, and adherence to donor compliance requirements.
• Lead the integration and implementation of the organisation's gender strategy across programmes, processes, and governance.
• Embed gender lens investing principles into investment and operational practices.
• Collaborate with internal teams to design and roll out gender-focused tools, training, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Act as a key representative in gender-related partnerships, forums, and networks to attract capital and build influence in women's economic empowerment.
• Generate, analyse, and share gender-related insights to inform decision-making and programme design.
• Develop and implement a knowledge management framework to capture, store, and disseminate organisational learning.
• Ensure insights and evidence from projects are used to influence programme improvements and attract investment.
• Build internal capacity for effective knowledge sharing and thought leadership.
• Represent the organisation in external forums to share learnings and showcase impact.

The Successful Applicant

A successful Director of Partnerships should have:

• Extensive senior-level experience in fundraising and partnerships, with a proven history of securing large-scale, multi-million-dollar funding for impactful initiatives.
• Strong track record of building and maintaining high-value relationships with international donors, governments, and private sector partners.
• Expertise in shaping winning proposals and business cases for diverse funding streams.
• Deep understanding of development challenges in Africa, particularly in agribusiness, renewable energy, climate resilience, and gender equality.
• Strategic leadership skills, comfortable working with executive teams and boards to drive organisational growth.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify opportunities and remove barriers to innovation.
• A collaborative, inspirational leadership style with a commitment to integrity, inclusivity, and measurable impact.
• Fluency in English, with French language skills considered an advantage.