Specialist Sr., Grants Writer and Business Development

Childfund Work LocationNairobi, KenyaChildfund DivisionGlobal ImpactChildFund DepartmentCountry ManagementJob DetailsPosition title: Specialist Sr, Grants Writer and Business DevelopmentLocation:NairobiChildFund office: Nairobi, KenyaManager/Supervisor title: Manager Sr, Grants Acquisition & ManagementPosition type:Full-time fixed termWork environment:On-siteAbout ChildFundChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 23 countries to connect children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are.ChildFund's ValuesChildFund values a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment where everyone is welcomed and celebrated equally. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.ChildFund's CommitmentChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.About This RoleThe Specialist Sr, Grants Writer and Business Development will be a key driver in ChildFund Kenya's funding portfolio by securing transformative funding from global institutional donors, multilateral and bilateral donors, private sector donors, Foundations and Corporate donors. The Grants Writer will also lead end-to-end proposal development, enhance organizational capacity, and amplify ChildFund Kenya's ability to empower vulnerable children in Kenya through acquisition of diversified funding. This role requires a deep understanding of the Kenyan development sector, local and international donor landscapes, and compliance with Kenyan NGO regulatory frameworks.The Specialist Sr, Grants Writer and Business Development will be responsible for leading the Proposal development process and writing project proposals and concept notes, will provide direct technical support as well advice to proposal teams throughout the proposal development processes. This includes but is not limited to preparing technical narratives and corresponding annexes, leading specific project proposals, and training staff on proposal development and grants writing. The successful candidate will evaluate funding opportunities, lead the preparation of competitive and donor-compliant proposals, and enhance the capacities of ChildFund Kenya's teams through targeted training and mentorship.Primary ResponsibilitiesSTRATEGIC FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS & POSITIONINGThe Grants Writer will conduct rigorous assessments of various funding opportunities from a variety of donors (US, FCDO, EU, Multilateral (UN), Bilateral, Foundations, and corporate funding opportunities for suitability, strategic alignment and organizational competitive viability, sharing findings with colleagues and advising on appropriate steps for the organization.Provide strategic advice to ChildFund Kenya's leadership on bid/no-bid decisions through data-driven risk-benefit analyses, aligned with ChildFund Kenya's priorities and capacities.The proposal writer will work with GAAM lead to ensure that all required documents including annexes, logframes, Theory Of Change, Organogram, Work plans, and all other required annexes are prepared and submitted to GAAM Lead in readiness for submission.END-TO-END PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT & WRITINGThe Grants Writer will lead the full proposal writing and guide the development process, ensuring alignment with donor guidelines, ChildFund Kenya's Policies and Kenyan NGO compliance.The Grants Writer will work with technical teams to guide the design of project proposals and concept notes by orchestrating diverse cross-functional teams' collaboration (including programs, finance, MEAL, Admin, Sponsorship and Partnerships Portfolio Management teams) to integrate technical, financial, and monitoring components into compelling competitive and compliant grant applications (technical project proposal narratives/financial budgets) based on donor guidelines.Ensure 100% donor compliance and zero-error submissions through meticulous quality assurance of technical content, annexes, and formatting.The Grants Writer will provide copy editing support to proposal teams in the last stages of proposal development.Respond to internal and external queries on drafted and submitted proposals.Maintain positive relationships with fund providers and other stakeholders as may be requiredMaintain records and submit reports related to grant opportunities to the manager on a regular basis.CAPACITY STRENGTHENING & KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENTDesign/deliver training and coaching sessions for ChildFund Kenya's staff and partners on proposal writing skills, donor compliance awareness, and innovative resource mobilization approaches (e.g., logframe development, donor cultivation, pipeline development, proposals and concept notes development process), increasing proposal win rates.Develop and maintain knowledge management system for tracking opportunities from capture to award including maintaining a repository of proposal development templates, pre-award tools, program concepts, capacity statements, proposal templates, pricing tables etc.Curate/share best/promising practices, templates, and donor intelligence via Grants Acquisition & Business Development teams and ChildFund's digital resource hub.Lead the management of the knowledge database to ensure information is shared among technical team, field program and other concerned staff, to capture new opportunities and track the ongoing grants.EXPERT/TECHNICAL ADVISORY & QUALITY CONTROLServe as lead technical writer/ reviewer for Project Proposals and Concept Notes, providing real-time feedback and technical guidance on proposal structure, narrative strategy, theory of change articulation, logical frameworks, gender inclusion and risk analysis, tailored to the Kenyan development context and donor expectations.Conduct rigorous research including advanced intelligence gathering for grant opportunities including research institutional donors as appropriateReview and perform final copy-editing of project proposals and concept notes to ensure clarity, consistency, coherence, flow, technical accuracy, and persuasive impact as well as in complete adherence to donor and ChildFund standards.Ensure that project proposals and concept notes are culturally appropriate and sensitive to local contexts.Maintain effective communication channels with internal teams and external stakeholders including donors, partners, and government bodies.Support the development of strategic partnerships to enhance funding opportunities.Required Experience and EducationA master's degree in international development, Social Sciences, Economics, Development Studies, or relevant discipline.Certifications (APMP, PMD Pro).At least 8+ years progressive Institutional grants acquisition experience in grants acquisition and proposal writing within Kenya and/or East Africa, with documented success securing funds from local and international donors including:US Government Agencies (USAID, USDA, BHA, etc).Required CompetenciesEuropean Union (EU)/European Governments (ECHO, FCDO, SIDA, etc.)Multilaterals/Bilateral Organizations (UNICEF, WFP, UN Habitat, WFP, UNHCR, World Bank, African Development Bank, etc)Foundations (>US$ 500k awards)Corporations (>US$ 500k awards)Proven success in leading proposal development processes for Kenyan registered NGOs or international organizations operating in Kenya.Experience navigating Kenyan NGO regulatory frameworks and donor compliance requirements.ChildFund's Core CompetenciesTeamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.Other Required CompetenciesLanguages: Excellent command Fluent Written and Spoken English (C2). Proficiency in Kiswahili is an advantage.Excellent writing skills of proposals, i.e. concise, appealing and clear writing that complies with the language and expectations of the donor. These writing skills will be tested for short-listed candidates.Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines effectively.Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and external partners.Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines effectively.Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and external partners.Ability to distill complex technical concepts into compelling, donor-aligned narratives (assessment required).Organized, detail-oriented, team player, self-starter and results-oriented individual.Ability to lead and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, work well under pressure and meet deadlines.Excellent presentation, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.Donor Compliance Expertise: Mastery of EU PRAG, FCDO, UN, and USG rules, etc.Digital Fluency and Mastery: Advanced MS Office Suite Proficiency on digital proposal management tools (Word/PowerPoint), SharePoint, CRM (e.g., Salesforce), and virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom, etc).