Director – Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations

The African Initiatives for Relief and Development (AIRD) is a non-political, non-religious and non-profit making NGO with Country Program Offices in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Niger, Tanzania, and Uganda. AIRD registration in South Sudan was recently finalized. AIRD’s objective is to offer operational technical support, including but not limited to: supply chain, logistics and infrastructure in partnership with relief and development organizations that focus on disaster-affected, poverty-infested and development oriented areas. AIRD delivers for and through partners including but not limited to UN Agencies, international and national donor organizations and governments.

AIRD now seeks to recruit a qualified and motivated Director of Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations to be based at the Head Office in Kampala, Uganda.

The Director – Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations will lead AIRD in developing and implementing an integrated resource mobilization and fundraising strategy to ensure funding and donor diversification, increased grant funding, income generation, quality and timeliness of donor reports, funding proposals and other external communication materials for optimizing the office’s resource mobilization capacity and demonstrating “value for money” to donors through effective resource mobilization, communication, messaging and marketing of results. She/he will spearhead the overall effort to build partnerships, donor relations, reporting functions, grants proposal writing and mobilizing an appropriate and sustainable funding base.

In partnership with the Director of Programs, this position is responsible for all fundraising and development activities. The successful candidate will help maintain donor relationships and form new relationships. She/he will also design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing key external alliances by cultivating individual and philanthropic support and representing AIRD in relevant workshops, meetings, and events.

She/he will have primary responsibility for establishing and implementing the infrastructure needed to grow AIRD budget through the solicitation of major gifts, grants, special events, government, private corporate, foundation, UN Agencies, bi-laterals, multi-laterals as part of supporting an extensive fundraising and donor strategy to build AIRD’s financial resources.

She/he will expand and diversify AIRD’s donor base/pipeline and work closely with other AIRD Head Office team members to secure funding for new initiatives. In addition, in collaboration with the CEO, She/he will work closely with the Board of Directors and support board members as they take on a more active fundraising role.

The Director of Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations is: (a) a project manager, ensuring that all relevant resource mobilization activities are developed, coordinated and implemented in the most efficient and effective manner in line with quality management standards and the results-based approach; (b) a substantive expert contributor, developing customized fundraising strategies and policies, tools and mechanisms for implementation; (c) an adviser to Aeras on resource mobilization and related communication aspects; (d) a focal point to ensure full alignment of resource mobilization activities with internal AIRD colleagues and partners; and (e) an advocate, promoting AIRD’s fundraising activities to potential donors and partners in resource mobilization.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Manage relationships with key donors and stakeholders, including but not limited to:

Design and implement a strategic, results-oriented and coordinated approach to the mobilization of significant additional resources from traditional and non-traditional sources such as private sector organizations, foundations, bi-laterals, multi-laterals, UNHCR and non-UNHCR agencies, net worth individuals, income generation projects, fundraising events, donor breakfast

Actively liaise with internal and external partners in the implementation of this plan and ensure systematic and transparent reporting on fundraising and related communication activities and results

Oversee reporting back to donors and CEO and AIRD Board and initiate and oversee grant proposal submissions

Project manage the reporting and application processes, including liaising with Program Department, Finance and Administration, relevant AIRD Country Program Teams, monitoring progress against milestones and objectives and reporting overall progress

Work with the AIRD relevant departments and staff to develop external materials, resources and messages tailored to specific constituencies and target existing and potential donors

Coordinate the functional areas within various AIRD Departments to develop and implement cohesive short, medium, and long-term departmental strategies for resource mobilization

Developing departmental work plans based on inputs from functional areas

Overseeing financial management for the department, including developing and monitoring the departmental budget, preparing, and submitting quarterly best estimates, and systematizing contracts management

Represent AIRD at relevant external meetings and events as appropriate

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Support and partner with the Director of Programs, Director of Finance and Administration, CEO and AIRD Board members on all major fundraising initiatives

Deepen relationships with various diversified donors and partners

Raise funds from various diversified sources

Actively work with the Director of Programs, CEO and senior staff to develop and implement a comprehensive development strategy to include corporate, foundation, and other grants, etc.

Have primary responsibility for the development and execution of all proposals and concept notes

Oversee research funding sources and trends, with foresight, to help ensure that AIRD is ahead of major funding changes or trends

Monitor all donor information and interaction; provide and present statistical analyses to CEO, AIRD board and senior leadership

Develop and implement a stewardship program aimed at cultivating deeper ties with donors

Monitor and report regularly on the progress of the AIRD development activities

Work with development consultants

Identify, develop, and mentor the development team

Design and Execute Development Strategy

Design the framework of the AIRD Resource Mobilization Strategy, and under the framework, develop and execute activities of the AIRD Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations Department to enhance the level of externally funded projects for AIRD operational countries, providing guidance to AIRD Country Programs and other departments in the development of resource mobilization activities.

Conduct a comprehensive analysis and mapping of potential donors (traditional and non-traditional) by Country Programs to assess the feasibility of securing multi-year funding for critical initiatives and other priority initiatives of the Organization. This includes mapping donors’ strategic areas of interest and exploring opportunities for partnerships, mobilizing and leveraging resources from potential partners such as the private sector, philanthropic foundations; the Government (through development services) and other organizations;

Prepare an inventory and accompanying analysis of the various funding modalities available for both a developmental and humanitarian context.

Partnership

Develop and negotiate strategic partnerships with relevant institutions and organizations including the private sector, the United Nations system, bilateral and multilateral funding agencies and organizations, seeking to encourage their commitment to AIRD and leading to successful applications for funding;

Act as the AIRD focal point for engagement with Program/operational Financing institutions, including the UN Bodies, USAID and other relevant institutions and develop and regularly update guidelines and information materials to support Country Programs in accessing funding;

Actively develop and explore partnerships with potential donors seeking to encourage their commitment to AIRD. This includes both traditional and newly established donors and funding mechanisms (through traditional donors, the UN, World Bank, donor special programmes, private sector and foundations) and analyze specific funding trends and patterns which can assist in predicting donor interest in AIRD programmes.

Liaise with the United Nations system and other specialized agencies in connection with resource mobilization, as well as on policies adopted by the United Nations system on this matter;

Manage networks of partners in the region, and create mechanisms for interaction among partners (parliamentarians, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), etc.);

Support to Country Programs

Support AIRD technical programmes, country Offices to prepare funding proposals for major projects, ensuring that objectives are aligned with country operation’s identified needs and priorities and AIRD long-term goals and Strategic Objectives as set in the AIRD Strategic Plan;

Cooperate with country offices on funding opportunities and when relevant, conduct donor negotiations for contributions to regular and co-financing contributions demonstrating AIRD’s comparative advantage and reflecting priorities of donor countries.

Support the Country Offices in mapping out development partners strategic plans, priorities and projects implemented at regional and national levels;

Communications and Marketing

Actively collaborate with the Communication and Marketing Manager on raising the visibility and promoting results from Country Programmes (CPs) and other relevant programming modalities.

Support the Funding Coordinator in capturing and adequately documenting in the needs and priorities of country programs in terms of resources mobilization;

Others

Build the AIRD Organizational wide resource mobilization knowledge;

Qualifications

Education

Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in advocacy, resource mobilization, international relations, and sustainable development.

Experience

A minimum of 15 years of combined national and international progressive level experience in resources mobilization, partnership development, and project management preferably related to socially and environmentally sustainable development in Least Developed and Emerging economies.

Ten years of relevant experience in a responsible position in an international organization in developing, or facilitating the development of resource mobilization strategies and mobilizing resources, especially in a low to middle-income context and setting, particularly, LDCs;

At least seven (7) years of experience in developing and/or assessing and analyzing corporate and national development strategies, plans and programmes;

Ability to identify innovative approaches and opportunities to funding in a challenging the norm; Experience in designing partnership strategies and building partnerships with a diversity of development actors;

Demonstrated experience with project/Programme design, negotiation, marketing and partnership building.

Proven experience in resource mobilization and knowledge of funding mechanisms of various funding agencies as well as complex project management leadership and execution.

Proven ability to draft clearly and succinctly reports and documents.

Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.

Other requirements

Excellent supervisory, managerial, networking, financial management, strategic and operational planning and international dialogue and relations.

Sense of responsibility, maturity of judgement and initiative.

Sound knowledge of AIRD Programmes and activities, of the international cooperation needs and of the evolving development policies.

Good managerial skills.

Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to foster team spirit.

Proficiency and working knowledge in French