Job Opportunities at Heifer International

Responsibilities & Deliverables  

Donor and Partnership Development (25%)   

• Cultivate, build, and develop donor relationships driving business development (BD) and partnerships in the subregions, to promote strategic partnership, relationship, coordination, and collaboration with institutional donors, foundations, corporations, philanthropies, strategic partners, governments, private sector, public sector, etc., for increased funds for Heifer in the subregion in Africa with the aspiration of the 2030 targets, in support of signature programming and aligning Heifer’s global and Africa strategic framework and objectives.
• Develop and manage relationships with key Tier 1 Foundations, institutional funders in the subregions, as well as government and private sector strategic partners in the agricultural sector.
• Identify and close on strategic funding opportunities that will help fund the Heifer subregions' signature programs (SPs).

Strategic Planning and Execution (10%)   

• Work and coordinate with the Senior BD and Partnership Director to develop the subregions’ strategic priorities, workplans, and budgets, and submit them for the review and consideration by the Senior BD and Partnership Director for final approval by the Vice President (SVP) – Africa Programs.
• Plan with the Senior BD and Partnership Director, BD team members, including BD Operations Manager, Senior Livestock Development Expert, Policy and Partnerships Leads, and the respective Country Directors (CDs) in the subregions, for annual revenue generation/resources mobilization for the given FY and beyond.
• Develop/update Heifer subregional business development and fundraising strategy in coordination with the Senior BD and P Director, CDs, and in collaboration with global BD and Partnership leaders.
• Lead the execution and delivery of Heifer Africa’s BD and Fundraising strategy in the subregions with the respective country leadership and teams, in collaboration with and under the direction of the Senior BD & P Director for Africa.

Coordination and Collaboration (15%)   

• Contribute to the organization of and/or participate in regular pipeline meetings, conferences, workshops, and field visits as needed; contribute to building collaborations and partnerships.
• Proactively engage and take part in Heifer Africa’s regional weekly BD meetings and update/engage with the Senior BD&P Director regularly.
• Participate in various coordination and collaboration sessions with Heifer Africa Communications, Knowledge Management, MELs, etc., to enhance support and contribute to developing pitching materials, briefing materials, country briefs, lessons learned, etc., for BD in the subregion.
• Coordinate and collaborate with the Senior BD & P Director and CDs in the subregions on opportunities identification, intelligence, and information for better capture strategy, to help in quality pre-positioning, positioning, and pursuit efforts on strategic opportunities to present competitive, compelling, responsive, and winning proposals and concept notes submissions.

Capacity Building and Process Improvement (15%)  

• Coordinate and collaborate on strategic capacity building plans and prevailing opportunities with the Senior BD & P and BD Operations Manager for online, offline, and virtual training towards the capacity building of CDs and their teams in BD and partnerships.
• Work with the Senior BD & P Director, BD Operations Manager, and country leadership teams in the subregions to annually update the Heifer BD processes in coordination with the HQ Proposal Design Hub team.

Risk Management and Reporting (5%)   

• Review the Heifer Africa risks exposure of the BD department and the mitigation actions in collaboration and coordination with the Africa BD&P Senior Director together with and in consultation with CDs in the subregions and prepare the subregional BD risk register and risk mitigation strategies.
• Provide regular updates to the Senior BD & P Director on the subregions’ BD and partnership function.

Proposal Design and Submission (15%)   

• Coordinate and work with opportunities design team members as a team member in the assignment of design team roles and responsibilities during design kick-off meetings: Strategic Proposal Lead, Proposal Coordinator, Cost Proposal Lead, Cost Quality Assurance Lead, Proposal Quality Lead, Opportunity Response Lead, Staffing Requirement Lead, MEL Lead, Analytics Lead, Program representation inputs, etc., for proper design of proposals and concept notes submission to donors.

Government and Private Sector Engagement (10%)    

• Coordinate and collaborate with the subregional Policy and Partnership Leads to build strategic relationships, collaboration, and partnership with government agencies, civil society, private sector actors, bilateral and multilateral organizations to catalyze change and programs that contribute to Heifer’s strategic and operational decision-making.
• Work with the Senior BD&P Director, Senior Livestock Development Expert, and country leadership/teams for co-designs/co-creation opportunities with IFAD/World Bank/AfDB – governments, SIDA, NOARD, GCF/GEF/UNDP, Mastercard Foundation, BMGF, AGRA, etc., which offer co-design opportunities for quality planning and execution of co-design processes.

Other Duties (5%)    

• Perform any other related duties as assigned by the Senior Business Development and Partnership Director – Africa Programs.

Minimum Requirements   

• Bachelor’s degree plus at least fifteen (15) years of job-related experience. 
• At least 5 years of experience in a management position supporting Business Development and Partnerships in East and Southern Africa subregions. 
• Relevant experience in value chain development, agribusiness, business, agricultural economics, agribusiness financing, economics, food systems, and/or digital technologies for value chain development.
• Experience in data analysis, market systems analysis, access to finance, value chain analysis, and co-designing.
• Relevant experience in grant/proposal development, fundraising, and business development.
• Public-private partnership experience and experience working on project partnerships with government at a senior level of engagement.

Preferred Requirements    

• A relevant postgraduate degree (an MBA will be desirable). 
• Experience working in multiple countries in East and Southern Africa. 
• Experience in a donor-funded international development environment with compliance requirements of the U.S. government and institutional funders for international development, such as USAID, EC, IFAD, World Bank, AfDB, FCDO, Mega-foundations such as the Mastercard Foundation, BMGF, and others. 
• Demonstrated experience in winning large-scale project proposals and practical co-design experience in East and Southern Africa.

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Business Development Support (60%) 

• Provide support to the business development team in Heifer Africa in setting meeting times and schedules and coordinating with regional teams and the Business Development and Partnership Team.
• Provide business development and partnership operations management requirements as directed and advised by the Senior BD & P Director Africa.
• Engage and provide critical support for the execution of the Africa BD department processes.
• Support sharing lessons across the department on risk mitigation and best practices in the BD process.
• Work and coordinate with PFID coordinators in the HQ for alignment and ensure that all Africa opportunities are captured in Heifer’s PFID system, once Signature Programme checklists are approved by the SVP.

 Contract Management (20%)

•  In coordination and consultation with the Senior Programmes Operations Director, oversee the development and execution of business operations to ensure they meet Heifer International BD policies and requirements.
• Coordinate with country directors in the respective country programmes at the Heifer Africa region, including capacity building and training for country programmes' relevant teams for efficient and effective BD and partnership operations management processes.
• Implement and manage BD operations and BD contract management tools, systems, and procedures to streamline BD operations and enhance productivity.
• Analyze BD processes execution and BD performance to provide strategic recommendations and optimize business development opportunities.
• Collate BD risk mitigation action plans in the BD department, including the sub-regional risk mitigation plans, and ensure BD risk mitigation action quarterly reports are produced.

Collaboration and Coordination (15%) 

• Collaborate with various Heifer internal departments, such as Africa’s Contract Specialist, legal, finance, and procurement, to align BD processes and agreement documents and contracts with the organization’s strategies and risk management policies.

Other Duties (5%)

• Perform any other related duties as assigned by the Senior Business Development and Partnership Director – Africa Programs.

Minimum Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience.
• Proven experience working with non-Federal clients, including state and local agencies, as well as philanthropic organizations for funding.

Preferred Requirements 

• A relevant postgraduate degree, such as an MBA, is desirable.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and manage tight deadlines.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands 

• Ability to work under pressure, perform multiple tasks, manage consistently competing priorities, and be comfortable in a rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work cooperatively, tactfully, strategically, and diplomatically with a culturally diverse group of people.
• Ability to work in a highly matrixed environment and deliver through others.
• Ability to maintain close relationships and work with team members from a distance with limited opportunities for personal interaction.
• Constant face-to-face, electronic, and telephone communication with colleagues and the general public.
• Willingness and ability to work with a flexible schedule and outside of normal business hours.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively, both domestically and internationally.
• Ability to work with sensitive information and maintain confidentiality.