Senior Manager, Fundraising & Partnerships Job

  Communication Jobs.

• Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO),
• Direct Reports: Grants Manager, Fundraising Officer,
• Industry: NPO,
• Location: Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel to counties,
• Contract Term: One-Year Renewable Contract,
• salary: 337,562 plus added benefits

Our client is one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing global demand-driven youth employment programs, providing young adults with the opportunity to launch successful careers and change their life trajectories. They recruit, train, and place diverse adults of all ages, whether unemployed or underemployed, into careers that would otherwise be beyond their reach.

Job purpose:

The Senior Manager, Fundraising and Partnerships plays a critical role in advancing the company’s 2025-2029 Strategy, transitioning from direct program implementer to systems orchestrator to train and place 30,000-50,000 youth with a sustainable pipeline of a minimum of 10,000 graduates annually by securing diverse funding while building strategic public sector partnerships. The primary role is to generate revenue from donors, foundations, corporations, and government entities while developing partnerships with TVET institutions, county governments, and employer networks to embed proven methodologies within existing systems.

He/she will develop and implement fundraising strategies and partnership initiatives leveraging the track record of training over 50 TVET trainers across six counties, implementing programs in 17 public institutions with nearly 3,000 graduates, and achieving 97% placement rates. The role includes overseeing grant management processes, timely report writing, and ensuring key grant systems, processes and policies are in place / updated.

Roles & Responsibilities: Fundraising

• Strategic Planning & Pipeline Management: Develop and continuously refine fundraising strategy aligned with the company’s 2025-2029 vision. Maintain robust pipeline of local and global funding opportunities, including consortium partnerships to maximize competitive positioning.
• Proposal Development & Submission: Lead creation of compelling, high-quality proposals that align with programmatic priorities and meet all donor compliance requirements.
• Donor Relations & Partnership Management: Identify, cultivate, and steward relationships with current and prospective funders through strategic engagement, site visits, and consistent communication to ensure long-term commitment.
• Performance Analysis & Optimization: Track fundraising metrics and donor data to inform strategic decisions, improve retention rates, and enhance campaign effectiveness.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Operations, Business Development, Finance, Data & Insights, and Communications teams to develop proposals, monitor deliverables, and create impactful donor communications.
• Public Sector Engagement: Secure government co-financing by actively engaging national and county authorities to invest in the company’s workforce development programs.

Stakeholder Engagement and Management

• Strategic Partnership Development & Relationship Management: Identify and prioritize key stakeholders (youth beneficiaries, government agencies, private sector partners, civil society organizations), establish formal collaborations through MoUs and teaming agreements, build trusted relationships with key decision-makers through consistent engagement, and diplomatically manage stakeholder dynamics to ensure inclusive participation and collaborative solutions
• Sector Leadership & Advocacy: Position the company within relevant technical working groups and sector associations to enhance visibility, influence policy discussions, and stay informed on workforce development trends.
• Stakeholder Intelligence & Feedback Management: Monitor stakeholder sentiment through surveys, focus groups, and consultations, using insights to inform strategy and improve satisfaction levels.
• Strategic Convenings & Showcase Leadership: Lead sectoral convenings and coordinate the company’s annual Impact Showcase event, ensuring meaningful public and private sector participation to strengthen engagement and attract new support
• External Representation: Professionally represent the company at key forums and convenings, effectively communicating vision, progress, and priorities to enhance influence and visibility.

Grant Management

• Oversee Grant Management Systems: Ensure implementation of robust institutional systems for tracking grants, managing compliance, and supporting donor requirements through direct supervision of the Grants Manager.
• Monitor Reporting Standards: Oversee timely submission of high-quality narrative and financial reports to donors, ensuring alignment with agreed timelines and standards.
• Financial Analysis & Optimization: Direct collaboration between Fundraising and Finance teams to analyze grant budgets and expenditure trends, providing strategic insights for cost optimization.
• Grant Closure Oversight: Ensure proper coordination of grant close-out processes, confirming all reporting, documentation, and compliance requirements are met.

Team Leadership and Continuous Improvement

• Team Management & Development: Lead and supervise the grants and fundraising team, providing strategic direction, mentorship, and professional development opportunities through regular check-ins and targeted coaching.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate across departments to address fundraising and partnership challenges, ensuring organizational alignment and goal achievement.
• Knowledge Management: Oversee documentation and sharing of key fundraising insights, donor intelligence, and partnership learnings for strategic organizational use.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Marketing, Business Administration, Management, Social Sciences, Non-profit Management, or Communications. Master’s degree or fundraising/grant management certification preferred.
• Minimum 7 years in fundraising and funder relationship management, with at least 4 years in non-profit environments. Must demonstrate proven track record of successfully securing significant funding from diverse sources.
• In-depth knowledge of fundraising strategies, grant writing, and compliance requirements across local, regional, and international funding landscape (corporate donors, foundations, multilateral institutions, government agencies).
• Deep understanding of developing, managing, and maintaining strategic partnerships and collaborations with organizations, individuals, and corporations.
• Excellent leadership abilities to motivate and manage teams, combined with outstanding written and verbal communication skills for donor relations and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Experience with CRM tools such as Salesforce preferred.

How to Apply

NO LONGERS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not receive any communication from us within two weeks of your application, kindly consider your application unsuccessful. We appreciate your interest and thank you for applying