KickStart International Partnerships & Resource Mobilization Associate Director Job

KickStart International Inc.Vacant Position: Associate Director of Partnerships & Resource Mobilization

KickStart International prides itself in being an award-winning, global nonprofit social enterprise that develops and mass- markets low-cost irrigation solutions that are bought by thousands of small-holder farmers in developing countries and used to increase their income by up to a factor of ten, enabling them to lift themselves sustainably out of poverty.Function: Partnership & External Relations
Location: Nairobi – Kenya

Role Purpose: The Associate Director of Partnerships & Resource Mobilization is responsible for expanding and managing donor development & fundraising activities from its office in Nairobi, Kenya.

Scope of Role:Reports to:

Director of Partnership & External Relations in New York
Works with: Close cooperation with program teams in Africa and with the U.S. fundraising team

Nature and Scope:
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Identify and generate new sources of funding from foundations, corporations, and government development agencies
• Develop and write compelling and impactful grant proposals and donor reports
• Steward existing donor relationships to ensure future funding opportunities
• Help to coordinate/project manage the establishment and implementation of KickStart’s donor funded projects across Africa and to ensure on-time and complete implementation and reporting
• Work closely with KickStart’s development, management and program teams in the US and Africa to lead and manage funding concepts/proposals from start to finish, including conceptualizing projects/ proposals, developing budgets, writing proposals and reports, monitoring implementation and reporting on results to donors
• Represent KickStart at international meetings (e.g. Africa and Europe) and public forums related to its mission and programs (e.g., development aid, job creation, technology, agriculture, food security)
• Initiate and maintain strong, ongoing partnerships with relevant community members, including governmental consultants, other non-governmental and non-profit organizations , and for-profit corporations to collaborate on funding proposals

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor degree required.
• Knowledge of international development and/or international agriculture and rural development
• 7+ years of direct experience managing donor relationships, including establishing new funding partnerships
• Proven success in securing significant funding from foundations, companies and/or multilateral/bilateral donors
• Good understanding of the project management cycle to achieve results
• Experience living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa or in a developing country in another part of the world

Skills and Behaviours

• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal (e.g.: public speaking, presentations, correspondence, proposals and reports), including compelling, clear, succinct and jargon-free writing abilities.
• Proven writing skills are an absolute must in developing and presenting proposals and donor reports for both internal and external audiences
• Team oriented and able to work effectively with cross-functional teams to develop and analyze proposals that have both a realistic chance of success, but are also realistic in terms of KickStart’s capacity to implement
• Self-motivated and entrepreneurial – must be able to work with limited supervision
• Creative, critical and analytical thinker – able to co-design implementable projects with program teams.
• Resilient and persistent: Must be able to bounce back from donor rejection (e.g. to proposals) and, where the is funding potential, able to identify alternative avenues to secure support
• Charisma, able to articulate KickStart’ s mission and programs to inspire others through in-person meetings, phone and video conference
• Strong computer skills – Microsoft Office, Internet, fundraising database (i.e. eTapestry or Raiser’s Edge), and demonstrated competency working with and developing budgets using Excel
• Commitment to KickStart’ s mission, purpose and values, and to its methodology, history, culture, programs and constituencies
• Fluent in written and spoken English, French fluency a plus

How to Apply

If you feel you are the right candidate to fill this position, please email your application to hr@kickstart.org by 21st August, 2015.
Please type “Associate Director of Partnerships & Resource Mobilization” on the subject line of your e-mail application.
All candidates MUST include both a cover letter and resume/CV to be considered for this position.
Qualified women candidates encouraged to apply. Note: Please limit your CV/resume to 3 pages.(See www.KickStart.org for more information).