Fundraising Director, Africa

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Fundraising strategy and pipeline development:

• Serve as the senior fundraising lead for Africa, working with the Managing Director, Business Development and Partnerships, the Vice President, Africa, and the global fundraising team to ensure an integrated approach to funder strategy, prospect ownership and engagement across regional and global relationships.
• Lead implementation of the Africa fundraising strategy, drawing on Mission 300 and other relevant platforms and partnerships to advance the Alliance's fundraising objectives.
• Own delivery against agreed annual and multi-year fundraising targets, building and actively managing a robust, diversified and qualified pipeline. This includes prospect identification and qualification, funder segmentation, opportunity evaluation and sizing, stage management and forecasting.
• Develop and execute engagement strategies for priority prospects, mapping the pathway from first contact through to close and orchestrating senior leadership and technical input as needed.

Funder engagement and proposal development:

• Lead the origination, cultivation, solicitation, negotiation and closing of priority funding opportunities, building trusted relationships with senior philanthropic, public and private funders across Africa and globally.
• Work with Africa leadership, country teams, Partnerships, Communications, Programs, Investment and Impact teams to translate the Africa Strategy into compelling, fundable propositions at country, regional and thematic levels, tailored to the priorities of different funder segments.
• Lead the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, pitches and funding requests for priority opportunities, ensuring a compelling impact case, an appropriate budget and a credible pathway to delivery.
• Lead funder discussions, due diligence and negotiations through to signed commitment, working with Finance, Legal, Programs and other relevant teams.

Fundraising stewardship and performance:

• Develop and execute stewardship, renewal and growth strategies for existing Africa funders, working across teams to demonstrate results, maintain strong engagement and position successful partnerships for renewal and expansion.
• Drive fundraising discipline across the Africa portfolio, maintaining accurate pipeline information in Salesforce and participating in regular pipeline performance reviews against targets, forecasts, opportunities and risks.
• Work with Programs, data and impact teams to ensure major initiatives are designed with fundability in mind, support co-creation with funders and remain aligned with programmatic and investment strategy.
• Advise Africa and global senior leadership on funder priorities, market trends, positioning and opportunities, bringing external intelligence into strategy and program development.
• Build fundraising capability across the Africa team, equipping country and program colleagues with the materials, guidance and preparation needed to contribute effectively to funder cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. This is an influence-based leadership responsibility, as the role has no direct reports.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE

• At least 10 years of progressively senior experience in institutional fundraising and resource mobilization, including significant experience independently managing high-value funder relationships and opportunities.
• A demonstrated track record of securing significant, multi-year funding commitments and managing a substantial fundraising pipeline against annual and multi-year revenue targets, including prospect qualification, prioritization, forecasting and conversion.
• Demonstrated experience engaging and raising funds from a diverse range of global and African funders, including bilateral and multilateral agencies, philanthropies, family offices and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, corporates and other sources of catalytic capital.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex strategies and programs into compelling, fundable propositions and to lead the development of high-quality proposals, pitches and funding requests.
• Strong understanding of the African development and financing ecosystem, including the respective roles of governments, philanthropy, bilateral and multilateral institutions, development finance institutions and private capital, coupled with the ability to build trusted relationships with senior decision-makers across these institutions.
• Proven ability to think and act entrepreneurially to identify new funders, pools of capital and partnership models, and to pursue the opportunities with the greatest potential for funding and impact.
• Strong leadership, judgment and collaboration skills, with a demonstrated ability to orchestrate senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams around priority fundraising opportunities and to work effectively across regional and global teams in complex, multicultural environments.
• Ability to think strategically while also working hands-on in a small, entrepreneurial team.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of energy, energy policy, climate finance or international development is an advantage.
• Fluency in French, in addition to English, is an advantage.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A self-starter who takes the initiative to identify areas for improvement and applies an energetic, pragmatic and creative approach. Comfortable with the pace and ownership of a start-up environment, and ready to add value wherever it is needed.
• Relationship Building: Represents the Alliance credibly and professionally in line with our values, acting as a proactive liaison who strengthens relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Communication: Outstanding listening, writing and speaking skills, with strong interpersonal instincts and a clear awareness of reputation, positioning and brand.
• Project Management: Plans and runs complex, multi-stakeholder processes to deadline, sequencing workstreams, anticipating dependencies and holding colleagues to commitments without relying on direct authority.
• Decision-Making: Analytical and decisive, with strong problem-solving ability. Takes the initiative, prioritizes well, drives for results, and raises problems alongside proposed solutions.
• Execution: Comfortable with ambiguity. Sets clear and challenging goals and is tenacious and accountable in delivering them, taking measured risks and anticipating threats or unintended consequences.
• Integrity: Widely regarded as bringing a high degree of integrity and forethought to decisions. Acts transparently and consistently, with the best interests of the organization in mind.
• Passion and Optimism: Deep enthusiasm for the Alliance's mission and a belief in the power of collective action to tackle global challenges.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Committed to our core values of inclusion, equity and diversity and brings them into every aspect of the work, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason and amplifying dissenting, unconventional and marginalized voices.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Vice President, Africa and the Africa Management Team: aligning fundraising priorities with regional and country strategies and mobilizing leadership around priority opportunities.
• Global Partnerships and Fundraising Team: co-developing fundraising strategy, coordinating prospect ownership and engagement, and maintaining an integrated global pipeline.
• Programs, Data, Investment, Impact, Finance and Communications teams: developing fundable propositions and supporting proposal development, due diligence, reporting and stewardship.
• Funders and strategic partners: building and deepening relationships that generate funding and advance the Global Energy Alliance's mission.