Business Development Manager at Islamic Relief

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Business Development Manager

Qualification/ Experience

• Minimum master’s degree in social sciences, humanities, development studies, international relations/development, or other relevant discipline.
• Minimum of seven years’ experience with INGO or UN entities in a senior programme funding position(s) involving proposal development and donor liaison.
• Experience of developing successful proposals and tender bids to the EU, EC, USAID, SIDA, DFID and the UN as well as other institutional donors.
• Experience in local fundraising and resource mobilization.

Overall Purpose

• As part of its strategic growth, an additional position has come up within the organisation for a Business Development Manager. The position will help devise, develop, and deliver a comprehensive strategic and tactical plan for business development; use an entrepreneurial approach in working with IRK staff including programmes, communications, finance, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEAL). The position will develop and submit high quality donor proposals and tender bids that are aligned with IRK’s priorities, demonstrate impact, and offer value for money. S/he is proactive in identifying new and non-traditional sources of funding from a range of institutional, corporate, and local community donors and working with IRK’s country/field staff and other fundraising teams to leverage IRK’s funding prospects. S/he builds the capacity of IRK country offices to develop and manage strategic consortium partnerships with other INGOs, Local NGOs and private sector organisations where appropriate. Skills development and capacity building of IRK staff is also a key part of the role through training, mentoring, and feedback on proposal development processes, fundraising strategies, and donor scoping activities.
• To coordinate these activities, IRK is looking for a strong influencer and negotiator, who is self-motivated and has a proven track record of business development, fundraising, marketing, and communication experience and skills. S/he should be capable of analytical thinking, developing new and innovative strategies for communicating IRK’s values/strengths/achievements/lessons. The position holder will all the time be working in a diplomatic and practical manner to ensure that change is delivered in a sustainable way.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Business Development (40%)

• Develop and deliver the strategy for IRK’s new business development, marketing, and communication that is appropriate to the need and responsive to the opportunity, in close collaboration with the Country Director, Senior Management and Programme Technical team.
• In coordination with IRK’s senior management and programme technical team, coordinate the establishment and operation of proposal and bid teams-at country level and field offices.
• Work with IRK staff and/or IR Regional Office (including programme, finance, fundraising, Communication and MEAL to develop and submit large scale/multi-year proposals and tender bids ensuring that applications are high quality, aligned with IRK’s priorities that demonstrate impact, and offer value for money.
• Review and provide feedback on proposals and tender bids ensuring compliance with proposal development guidelines.
• Provide ongoing guidance on donor policy and focus. Develop and identify institutional funding prospects beyond IRK’s traditional donors including initiating local fundraising methods.
• Help to build the turnover of the organisation to the set annual target (i.e. £11 Million).
• Identifying new business opportunities and is responsible for researching and identifying new markets, and partnerships that can drive growth for the organization.
• S/he is responsible for developing and executing fundraising strategies that align with the IRK’s mission and goals. This includes researching and identifying potential funding sources, creating proposals, and managing relationships with donors.
• Identifying and pursuing funding opportunities and stay informed about the funding landscape for the IRK’s area of focus, identify potential funding opportunities, and pursue those opportunities through the development of high-quality proposals and engagement with potential funders.
• S/he is responsible for leading the development of high-quality proposals that meet the requirements of potential funders. This includes identifying and working with internal and external partners, developing project budgets, and coordinating the submission process.
• S/he must build and maintain relationships with current and potential donors, ensuring that they are kept informed about IRK’s activities and impact and their support is valued and recognized appropriately.
• S/he must stay informed about trends and best practices in fundraising, as well as the specific issues and challenges facing the IRK’s area of focus. This includes conducting research and analysis to inform fundraising strategies and proposal development.
• S/he must work closely with program teams to understand their needs and priorities, and to ensure that fundraising efforts are aligned with IRK’s programmatic goals and objectives.
• S/he must track and report on fundraising activities, including the status of proposals and donor relationships, and monitor progress towards fundraising targets.

Donor/Partner Liaison, relationship building, fundraising, and influencing (45%)

• Work effectively across the organisation to identify current funding requirements to realise strategic plan. Take responsibility for contributing to an annual fundraising target.
• Support IRK programme staff to develop and manage strategic consortium partnerships with appropriate INGOs, CSOs, academic organisations and private sector firms to leverage IRK’s chances of success in competitive calls for proposals and tender bids.
• Support IRK Programme unit to conduct donor scoping exercises and develop programme-led fundraising strategies.
• Support IRK senior management and programme technical teams by identifying and facilitating opportunities for relationship building with key donors and partners.
• Initiate and manage existing and potential strategic corporate and media relationships, together with the senior management team/country director.
• Review IRK’s current communication tools in relation to business development and re-work the communication strategy in line with key business plan principles.
• Review existing corporate and community fundraising systems and concepts and develop appropriate plans and strategies with support from the senior management team/country director.
• Engaging local partners and supporting program team timely projects implementation, reporting to donors and involving in the selection of local grass root partners.
• Providing technical assistance, coordinating with program teams and ensuring timely project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, reporting to donors, and building relationships with stakeholders.
• Contribute to the development and embedding of the programme-led funding approach across all IRK’s programmes-Country Office and Field Offices.

Programme Quality and Information systems (5%)

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of information and contract management systems for quality assurance and to minimize risks.
• Contribution to development of theory of change for programme and align it to the proposals developed.
• Coordination with the MEAL unit to ensure M&E systems that help to effectively collect evidence and demonstrate impact, learning, accountability, and value for money to donors are in place and functioning.

Managing people, capacity building and organizational leadership (10%)

• Oversee and where appropriate, develop a small team of staff and interns in your area of responsibility.
• Contribute to the gathering and sharing of intelligence on policies, guidelines and funding prospects, including keeping the internal intranet site up to date.
• Contribute to federation-wide learning initiatives by developing and disseminating guidance on important institutional fundraising topics.
• Ensure all budgeting and follow-up of project costs and negotiation of contracts is completed.
• A strong commitment to develop, promote and practice IRK’s vision, mission, values, and strategy.
• The role holder will from time to time be required to carry out any other duties that are within the scope of the job.

Person Specification

Education, Qualification, and experience

• Minimum master’s degree in social sciences, humanities, development studies, international relations/development, or other relevant discipline.
• Minimum of seven years’ experience with INGO or UN entities in a senior programme funding position(s) involving proposal development and donor liaison.
• Experience of developing successful proposals and tender bids to the EU, EC, USAID, SIDA, DFID and the UN as well as other institutional donors.
• Experience in local fundraising and resource mobilization.

Essential Knowledge, skills, and Language

• Excellent English language skills (written and spoken).
• Clear understanding and knowledge of development and humanitarian issues, particularly those that have implications on people living in poverty or affected by disasters.
• In-depth understanding of logical frameworks as a tool to develop theory of change and intervention logic.
• First class communication skills, excellent interpersonal, and negotiation skills to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment, often at a distance.
• Ability to facilitate, maintain and manage good working relationships between staff, volunteers, partners, and donors.
• Excellent writing, reasoning, and analytical skills.
• Capacity building experience including training and skills development.
• Ability to prioritize own workload and work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to lead complex proposal development teams and local fundraising initiatives.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 20% of time, mostly to remote areas.

Other Desirable Experience

• Programmatic expertise on the following themes: humanitarian interventions, Disaster Risk Reduction, gender and cross cutting issues, conflict management, sustainable livelihoods etc.
• Experience of working in a country team and providing support from a distance.
• Strong computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS Power Point, MS Project, SPSS).
• Sympathetic with aims, values & objectives of Islamic Relief Kenya

Method of Application

• Please send us your cover letter and detailed CV, including your qualifications, experience, names and addresses of three referees, a working e-mail address and daytime telephone contacts. The forwarding e-mail and cover letter must clearly indicate the position title on the subject line. Send your application to Recruitment.irk@islamic-relief.or.ke by Tuesday, 27th February 2024.