Strategic Engagement, Partnerships and Fundraising Manager at Born Free Foundation

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• To lead the country office to drive growth for private non-sponsorship and public/institutional grants income in alignment with the Born Free global strategy.
• To comprehensively and systematically scan for local donor interest, opportunities and giving trends.
• Prepare sound resource mobilization proposals for submission identified key partners, both local and International.
• Identify, nurture, develop, and maintain both existing and new relationships which are part of the Born Free portfolio, and ensure that they are leveraged to their full potential, and donor requirements are fulfilled while assessing the continued benefit of the partnership(s)
• To work closely with the UK-based Fundraising Department, in particular the Director of Fundraising, to ensure that funding opportunities are aligned with the overall global Born Free Fundraising Strategy and that fundraising activities and opportunities are aligned and not duplicated
• To build relationships, capacity, and collaboration to grow the portfolio, ensuring effective pipeline and win rate to meet programmatic needs.
• To support productive engagement and retention of county governments, multilateral and private sector donors through successful grants implementation and strong donor relations with the aim of maximizing and diversifying the funding base.
• Undertake proactive research, donor intelligence & knowledge sharing and information on prospect funding.
• Perform due diligence of new partners according to policy and procedures.
• Lead on timely and accurate registration of funding contributions (pledges) in line with Born Free global policies and procedures.
• Ensure that relevant updates in the registration system are included, and that agreed conditions are shared with donors and understood by budget holders and the UK Fundraising and Finance Departments
• Disseminate key information related to compliance of agreed contributions to ensure timely administration of pledges, consistent with donor requirements and procedures.
• Follow up on overdue unpaid pledges aiming to minimize overdue pledge balances.
• Ensure that Budget Holders and Finance team are aware and receive information on MoUs and donor requirements.
• Negotiate with donors to extend and amend their existing contributions
• Organize online and offline meetings and events to promote the funding opportunities available and to enable existing and potential funders to hear from our field teams.
• Support the development of funding proposals for specific programmes.
• Work closely with Finance and project managers in PMER (Planning ,Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting )  to ensure that quality donor reports are prepared and shared in a timely manner.
• Maintain and regularly update the partners and donors contact list.
• Travel as required to meet with partners and to understand the work of Born Free.

Requirements include:

• Must have a minimum of Bachelor Degree in International Relations, Marketing or any related field.
• At least 10 years of relevant practical experience coupled with team management, coordination, organizing and planning abilities.
• Membership in relevant Professional bodies  will be an added advantage.
• Experience in managing relations with corporate partners, donors and other stakeholders.
• Experienced networker with an ability to maintain a good up to date knowledge of the grant opportunities and trends in the humanitarian sector.
• Excellent knowledge and experience of project management.
• Excellent proposal writing skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• The position requires ability and willingness to travel domestically and regionally.
•  The position requires high levels of integrity in the performance of roles.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages:

• Excellent ability to build effective relationships with a wide range of people in different organizations at a range of different levels regionally and internationally, and to represent the organization externally.
• Able to work independently and prioritize workload according to agreed schedules.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and handle multiple tasks.
• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, customer service, and negotiation skills.
• Team player, self-motivated and proactive.
• Strong project management skills.
• International and public relation skills
• Excellent computer skills.
• Preferred experience of writing winning grants and funding proposals.
• Ability to establish and implement strategies and plans according to priorities, manage, and mitigate risks, and balance different and sometimes competing needs and interests.
• Experience in managing and coordinating between multiple stakeholders, with an ability to multi-task, manage time, keep with tight deadlines, and thrive in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to produce high-quality written materials tailored to specific audiences.