Manager, Partnerships-Blended Finance at Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

The role

• The Manager, Partnerships, will help AECF deliver its ambitions by securing new funding and building strong partnerships for the recently created blended finance vehicle AECF Capital. The role identifies and pursues opportunities, develops strong and fundable proposals, manages key partner relationships, and coordinates internal teams to deliver high-quality partnership engagements. 

Key responsibilities

Business development and fundraising 

• Identify and pursue new financing opportunities aligned with AECF Capital’s blended finance mandate (grant funding to anchor the capital stack and for providing technical assistance, concessional debt for on-lending, and equity for de-risking) and manage opportunities from lead to close. 
• Develop strong proposals and partnership offerings (concept notes, bids, grant applications, advisory/fund management proposals), coordinating input across AECF to produce compliant, competitive submissions.  
• Design and package catalytic funding approaches with partners (e.g., DFIs, blended finance structures, innovative vehicles) that unlock investment into AECF Capital. 
• Maintain and grow existing fundraising streams by strengthening relationships, tracking renewals and follow-on opportunities, and improving conversion of the pipeline into signed partnerships. 
• Develop Resource Mobilization standard operating procedures (SOPs) with specific guidelines on how all stages of the blended finance business development cycle will be planned for and executed against, including the assignment of roles and responsibilities across departments (e.g., programs team, finance team, communications, gender, etc.) 
• Manage all Financing Relationship/Business Development-related events – including donor liaison meetings, partnerships, and other meetings relevant to resource mobilization. 

Partnerships development  

• Manage priority partner relationships, understand partner objectives, maintain active engagement, and identify new opportunities to deepen collaboration. Scope and identify strategic future blended finance partners by assessing their priorities, strategies, and long-term goals.  
• Build new strategic partnerships with funders that expand AECF’s reach and delivery options.  
• Represent AECF internally/externally in partner meetings, sector forums, and stakeholder engagements, positioning AECF Capital’s work and capabilities clearly and consistently.  
• Connect program delivery to partnership opportunities by working closely with program teams to package results, evidence, and stories into partner-ready materials.   
• Develop and implement comprehensive donor relations/stewardship strategies to enhance engagement and retention. Further, support enhanced stewardship through oversight of reporting and robust use of data and CRM systems.  

Team management  

• Manage and support partnerships team delivery, ensuring clear work plans, quality control, and on-time execution across bids, proposals, and partner engagement.  
• Improve processes for the partnership pipeline specifically for AECF Capital (lead tracking, bid/no-bid decisions, proposal calendars, review processes, partner touchpoints), and coordinate internal delivery across functions (sector/program, finance, legal, MEL/impact, communications) to ensure timely, compliant submissions.  

The suitable candidate should have;

• At least 6-8 years’ relevant experience, five of which must be related to professional experience in strategic partnerships and fundraising from major government donors, multilateral agencies, corporate donors, and/or foundations and DFIs 
• Strong networking and relationship-building skills;  
• Demonstrated ability to form productive working relationships with a wide range of external and internal parties  
• Experience in data-driven decision-making and planning relating to strategic partnerships and resource mobilization. 
• Proven record of success in institutional, foundation, individual, and/or corporate partnership building.  
• Familiarity with the international development sector and understanding of major public and private donor perspectives, with specific experience in blended finance and working with DFIs and other concessional capital providers. 
• Familiarity with fundraising in the impact investments space.  
• Strong team and project management skills. 
• High degree of initiative and energy, “can-do” attitude, flexibility, teamwork, and attention to detail. 
• Excellent writing and communication skills. Fluency in English & French is required.