Program Development Manager at Save the Children

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Fundraising strategy 

• In close coordination with the Impact, Innovation and Influencing team, and Program Operations team, to implement fundraising plans for each of the Country Office’s five strategic goals for 2025-27 to assist in growing the Kenya portfolio in alignment with the Country Strategic Plan and child rights.
• Support the monitoring system to track progress of the fundraising plans per strategic goal on quarterly basis and capture learnings for continuous improvement 

Proposal Management 

• Lead the proposal development process in line with CO procedures for all funding opportunities with PDQI, Technical Specialists including MEAL, Operations (for field team inputs, logistics requirements, costings, etc.), Security, Awards Management, Finance, and HR (for staffing requirements).
• Produce proposal development schedules and track timelines, ensuring and facilitating coordination amongst teams (i.e. PDQI, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, HR, and Security).
• Support the Finance team, PDQI, Operations, Supply Chain, and other necessary stakeholders to develop proposal budget.
• Draft key sections of the proposals that are standard inputs – such as capability statements, country context, and programme experience, while drawing on the expertise of technical specialists, MEAL, Operations, Finance, HR and Security.
• Strengthen CO capabilities to facilitate effective in-person and online proposal design workshops and undertake design workshop facilitation when called on to do so, including developing work plans and lessons learned.
• Represent Save the Children as a generalist, alongside PDQI, in proposal development meetings and discussions.

Donor engagement and capture planning 

• Work with the existing Program Development Specialist to develop proactive donor engagement strategies and plans for key donors in Kenya. 
• Work with III and Program Operations teams to gather and assess donor, partner, and internal information relevant to upcoming major opportunities.
• Develop proactive Member engagement strategies to improve Member fundraising for the Kenya Country Office 
• Facilitate and lead on Domestic Fundraising efforts and plans’ execution in coordination with the Impact, Innovation and Influencing Director

Continuous Learning & Knowledge Management 

• Ensure all donor opportunities and engagement are tracked and updated on the shared informational management systems. 
• Ensure that all appropriate donor and Save the Children resources, templates, and tools are available to relevant staff, as well as a clear understanding of donor requirements.
• Maintains strong knowledge management systems (OneNet, SharePoint, Teams, etc.) to support intra-country office communication and continuous learning. 
• Ensure all proposals and related documents are saved and circulated and work with Awards and Operations teams to share programme results and lessons learned.

Humanitarian Response 

• Support effective and joined-up strategic resource mobilisation for Category 1&2 Emergencies within the country. 
• When possible, deploy immediately to support funding coordination in the first phase of major regional responses as required. 

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

 QUALIFICATIONS 

• Advanced university degree (master’s preferred) in Development Studies, International Relations, Social Development, Business Administration, or a related field. 
• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive professional experience in programme development, proposal management, or fundraising within an INGO/NGO or similar environment. 
• Demonstrated strong background in proposal development, coordination, and donor engagement at a senior level

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

Required 

• At least 7 years of experience coordinating and facilitating the development of major, high-value proposals to institutional donors, multilateral agencies, corporate donors, and/or foundations.
• Proven understanding and minimum 5 years of experience working with funding mechanisms for development programming, including exposure to innovative financing approaches.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in INGO/NGO or nonprofit environments, with a strong grasp of operational and programmatic issues.
• At least 5 years of experience in Managerial role in developing project and proposal budgets in collaboration with finance and programme teams.
• Demonstrated track record (5+ years) of writing persuasive, competitive, and compliant proposals for institutional donors.
• Proven ability to solve complex issues through critical thinking, analysis, and stakeholder engagement, with at least 5 years in roles requiring strategic problem-solving.
• Strong experience (7+ years) leading proposal processes under tight deadlines, with high attention to detail and ability to deliver quality outputs under pressure.
• Highly developed networking and stakeholder engagement skills, with demonstrated experience (7+ years) working across cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organisational, time management, and prioritisation skills with a consistent record of meeting deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, influencing, and negotiation skills, with at least 7 years of demonstrated application in senior roles.
• High level of flexibility and adaptability, with experience working in dynamic and emergency-prone contexts.
• Proven cultural awareness and ability to work effectively in diverse, multicultural environments (minimum 7 years in international or cross-cultural settings preferred).
• Demonstrated experience (7+ years) in project or change management involving organisational development and cross-functional teams.
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) is required.