Specialist II, Business Development

Childfund Work Location
Nairobi, Kenya

Childfund Division
Global Impact

ChildFund Department
Country Management

Job Details
Position title:
Specialist II, Business Development

Location:
Nairobi, Kenya

ChildFund office:
Kenya

Manager/Supervisor title: Senior Manager, Regional Business Development
Position type:
Full-time fixed term

Work environment:
On-site

About ChildFund
ChildFund 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 Values
We aspire for every person in our organization—program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers alike—to feel free, safe, and confident to be themselves. 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 Commitment
ChildFund 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 Role
The Specialist II, Business Development will support ChildFund's corporate and foundation engagement in Africa by cultivating strategic partnerships that generate resources, strengthen program impact, and advance the organization's Growing Connections 2030 strategy.

The Specialist will identify and engage corporates and foundations, support the development of tailored concepts and proposals, and play a critical role in building ChildFund's reputation as a
partner of choice
for impactful child- and community-focused initiatives. This position will support both single-country and multi-country proposal development with corporates and foundations.

This is a full-time, regional position and is open to internal and external candidates with current residence and work authorization in Nairobi, Kenya.
Primary Responsibilities
Positioning and Visibility

• Participate in strategic pre-positioning efforts across the region to enhance the organization's visibility and competitiveness, including:

• identifying emerging opportunities

• cultivating early relationships with potential partners and stakeholders, and

• aligning internal capabilities with anticipated needs well ahead of the formal announcement of the funding opportunity.

• Collaborate closely with regional teams to tailor focused messaging, value propositions, and engagement strategies that resonate with corporate and foundation partners.

• Capture success stories, best practices, and lessons learned from ChildFund's portfolio of grants and contracts to strengthen future proposals and donor engagement.

Corporate and Foundation Engagement

• Identify, research, and establish a comprehensive database of potential partners in Africa and develop engagement strategy for priority corporates and foundations.
• Gather market and CSR intelligence (e.g., annual budgets and focus areas) to position ChildFund as a strategic CSR partner of choice.
• Coordinate the development of concepts tailored to corporate priorities; review and refine concepts to align with requirements.
• Proactively engage corporate and foundation contacts based on strategic alignment, regional priorities, and for early feedback and appraisal of concepts to build credibility and trust.
• Facilitate executive-level engagement with high-priority foundations, preparing briefs and supporting meetings with senior leaders.

Proposal Development and Coordination

• Support both single-country and multi-country proposal development, ensuring alignment with donor priorities.
• Work collaboratively to facilitate high-quality proposal submissions and timely donor reporting in coordination with Country Offices and technical teams.
• Coordinate multi-stakeholder processes, engaging technical specialists, M&E, grants management, finance, GHR, and other relevant departments to align the submission with donor requirements, meet deadlines, and integrate expert inputs.
• Lead proposal development for foundation opportunities, including drafting narratives, budget frameworks, and theories of change, in collaboration with technical advisors and cross-functional teams.

Donor Stewardship and Relationship Management

• Cultivate innovative partnerships that unlock new pathways for scaling impactful solutions, enabling children, youth, and communities to thrive amid social and environmental challenges.
• Build and manage strategic donor relationships, including facilitating introductions and co-developing joint engagement strategies that align with donor priorities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

• Orchestrate matrixed team engagement in cultivating corporate and foundation partnerships, coordinating with regional and global colleagues.
• Share best practices, tools, and lessons learned on corporate and foundation engagement across Africa and globally.
• Maintain an internal tracking system for corporate and foundation engagement, ensuring learning and accountability.
• Support cross-divisional initiatives with External Engagement and Partnerships to influence the broader child development ecosystem.

Other

• Remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
• Travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.

Required Experience and Education
Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in business development, resource mobilization, or fundraising in the development or humanitarian sector.
• Proven track record of securing funding from a variety of donors, including institutional, philanthropic, and private sector sources; with demonstrated prior experience preparing large multi-million-dollar proposals.
• Experience in consortium building and managing complex proposal processes.
• Experience working in or supporting multiple countries in the Africa region.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and/or equivalent combination of education and demonstrated experience.
• Project management certification or training is a plus but not required.

Required Competencies
ChildFund's Core Competencies

• Teamwork: 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 Competencies

• The ability to read, speak, and write fluently in English. Proficiency in French or a local African language is beneficial.
• Excellent proposal writing skills, with the ability to craft proposals aligned to donor expectations, ChildFund's Results Framework, key sectoral and global practices, and evidence of impact.
• Ability to effectively represent the organization externally and build strong networks with technical partners, multilateral agencies, foundations, and other external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated technical skills in proposal preparation, including familiarity with funding models and donor trends.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, matrixed environment both virtually and on-site.
• Familiarity with grant development processes, especially for foundations and the private sector.
• Willingness to be hands-on and innovative in support of ChildFund's growth goals.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.