Business Development Manager – Remote, preference for within 3 hours travel time to Washington, DC At RefuSHE

About RefuSHE

RefuSHE’s holistic programming is designed to meet the imminent and longer-term needs of unaccompanied, separated and orphaned refugee girls, young women, and their children. RefuSHE protects, nurtures, educates, and empowers refugee women and girls in East Africa through a unique holistic model that provides protection, shelter, education, case management, counseling, childcare, vocational training, and legal support.

Founded in 2008, RefuSHE is registered as a non-governmental organization with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a 501(c)3 charitable organization with offices in Chicago, USA. It is the first and only organization dedicated to supporting refugee girls in East Africa. Over the past fifteen years, RefuSHE has grown to become a leading institution and global thought-leader in the field of refugee protection. Today, RefuSHE is poised for strategic growth and scale.

The Opportunity

The purpose of the Fundraising and Grants Manager position is to lead proposal development and oversee reporting and compliance for government/institutional grants, corporate partnerships, and foundation support. They will support the Chief Fundraising Officer to develop, design, and write strong grant proposals and concept notes and support the Managing Director (US) and CEO (Kenya) with donor cultivation and relationship management for US-based donors. They will also work closely with the Kenya-based Grants Management Officer to ensure timely, efficient, and compliant narrative and financial reporting, monitoring and evaluation, and donor communication for the grants portfolio. The postholder will report directly to the Managing Director (due to time zone issues) but collaborate across the RefuSHE team in both the US and Kenya to help expand the organization’s donor base and grant income.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to and/or lead proposal development activities related to government, foundation, and corporate funders, including, but not limited to: preparation of data/content and log frames (with the M&E and programs teams), development of proposal budget (with finance team), articulation of proposal activities (with programs team), writing narrative sections, proof-reading and editing, proposal submission, and follow-up.
• In collaboration with the Chief Fundraising Officer, and in line with the global research and engagement strategy, identify and prioritize new potential US donor leads.
• Meet annual revenue targets as agreed with the Chief Fundraising Officer.
• Write and edit high quality, compelling written materials including Expressions of Interest/Letters of Intent, Concept Notes, and Proposals.
• Develop, maintain and regularly update the organizational grant proposal and reporting schedule, ensuring that all team members are aware of upcoming deadlines and requirements.
• Help the Chief Fundraising Officer to oversee financial and programmatic monitoring, reporting, compliance, and donor communication for RefuSHE grant agreements.
• Assist the finance team with grants budget reallocation and realignment as necessary.
• Oversee the report writing process, including editorial reviews of content produced by the Grants Management Officer and additional content creation as needed.
• As delegated by the Chief Fundraising Officer, ensure that the terms of grant contracts and agreements are communicated effectively to the Executive leadership, finance, and program teams both at inception and during program implementation.
• Contribute to legal compliance review of grant agreements and obtaining all the necessary sign-offs/signatures.
• Assist with providing grant-related documentation for the annual US financial audit as required.
• Update and maintain grant related information within the organizational business development software (currently Salesforce).
• Support communications and M&E staff to collect success stories and case studies of program beneficiaries in a sensitive manner.
• Support the CEO/Managing Director with outreach to existing and potential new donors in the US, particularly the Washington, DC area, including arranging and participating in meetings and visits.
• Maintain a comprehensive record of all RefuSHE staff interactions with US donors.
• Assist the Chief Fundraising Officer to manage the RefuSHE SharePoint files for all proposals and grants.

Educational requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject (e.g. international relations, social sciences, communications).
• Master’s degree in a relevant subject is desirable.

Job experience/qualifications

• At least 5 years’ experience of successful technical grant writing and proposal development.
• Substantial experience of managing grants and/or contracts in the global development/social change space, preferably in an INGO setting.
• Experience using Salesforce is desirable.

Technical and behavioral skills

• Knowledge of, and a personal network of relationships with, institutional donors, government and multilateral agencies, and foundations.
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills in English, including a proven ability to turn data and numbers into concise and compelling narratives.
• Ability to form productive working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Detail and deadline oriented with a demonstrated ability to ensure compliance and communication in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• A high degree of flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing needs.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across teams and time zones, to manage multiple assignments and deadlines.

Compensation and Expectations

Annual salary will be around $65,000, depending on experience. RefuSHE offers a competitive benefits package, inclusive of flexible paid time off, medical (health, dental, vision) insurance, and 401(k).

Travel to Washington, DC will be required. Some travel to Kenya will also be required, estimated at once per year.