Jobs at Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH)

Your responsibilities will include the following:

Provide Organization & Department Leadership (20%)

• This role is part of the Leadership Team and plays a key role in providing strategic direction to TICAH and ensuring the Strategic Plan is implemented.
• Contribute to the annual reviews of the Strategic Plan. Ensure the fundraising and communication strategies, processes and systems align to the Strategic Plan and its revisions.
• Spearhead, lead and facilitate regular reviews of the fundraising strategy, aligning our programming and core organizational funding needs with the donor landscape. Ensure strategic positioning of TICAH’s vision and work, while iterating the packaging of our programs in line with changes and trends in the funding space.
• Actively participate in the Programs Committee, to ensure our fundraising work and messaging is informed by a deep understanding of our programs, methodologies and approaches. Contribute insights about the funding landscape to program decision making where relevant.

Provide consistent and effective leadership on fundraising across the organization and program portfolio (60%)

As the only person fully dedicated to fundraising at TICAH, you will directly work to mobilize funding towards our mission. At the same time, your strategies, guidance and systems will ensure that everyone in the organization plays an active role to meet our fundraising goals. This includes chairing the Fundraising Committee. We envision this duality of the role as follows:

• Manage and guide the donor research, scouting, evaluation and prioritization process. You will both, personally look for and bring in new highly strategic opportunities and oversee the committee’s work.
• Oversee our pipeline development: Ensure we have effective donor stewardship/engagement plans in place (for new and existing relationships) and responsibilities assigned for each relationship. Support the team to deliver on these plans through individual check-ins. Ensure proper documentation of all donor touchpoints in our CRM.
  • You will personally manage a good number of donor relationships, both for programs with pipeline challenges and for organization-wide unrestricted funding.
• Oversee the proposal writing process: Ensure that each identified opportunity has a timeline and team set up to flesh out the concept and write the proposal. Advise the team and engage in regular feedback loops, leading to the submission of high-quality, compliant proposals that effectively communicate our work and unique approach in alignment with the donor’s specific interests.
  • Personally take lead in concept development and proposal writing for large-scale, multidisciplinary and core organizational funding opportunities.
• Lead the fundraising committee, ensuring strong ownership and participation of all employees in our fundraising strategy and activities.
• Evaluate the Implementation of the Fundraising Strategy on a quarterly basis, analyzing the performance of our fundraising efforts against goals, highlighting changes, trends and opportunities to pursue.
• Evaluate our Processes, Procedures and Systems and put in place nimble, effective ways to streamline and improve our fundraising activities and workflows.
• Build fundraising capacities across the organization. Work closely with the Head of Programs and Program Managers to ensure all 4 programs meet their specific fundraising objectives, by providing support, guidance, training and coaching as needed.
• Take lead on new strategic initiatives, e.g. hosting donor round tables, annual appeal, etc.
• Upon securing funding, ensure effective hand over to the program and operations teams for grant implementation and donor relationship.
• Ensure TICAH is represented in different fora relevant for funding growth by leading research and prioritization of opportunities, identifying the best person to attend and supporting their preparations as needed. This will include personally attending events as well.

Supervise Internal and External Communications (20%)

• Closely partner with the Communications Manager on the design and regular review of the Communications Strategy, ensuring streamlined and strategic approaches to
  • internal communications (staff, board, etc)
  • external communications (brand positioning, impact reporting, media engagement, raising institutional profile, communications channels, pitch decks, donor updates, etc)
  • capacity building the team on external communications
  • Note: Setting objectives, strategies and work plans for Program specific communications (materials, advocacy/influencing, our communities, etc) will be the responsibility of the Communications Manager under guidance of the Head of Programs.
• Provide supervision and line management to the Communications Manager in the implementation of the Communications Strategy. This includes ensuring they have clear objectives and work plans and appraisal of the same. (The Head of Partnerships  does not necessarily need to be a communications expert, but provides strategic guidance and general managerial support to the Communications Manager.)
• Active participation in the Communications Committee, led by the Communications Manager. Represent the interests, needs and preferences of various funder types, so that our materials and messaging resonate with them, ultimately ensuring our Communications supports our Fundraising goals.
• In collaboration with the Communications Manager imagine and strategize how we will tell our impact stories powerfully, leveraging insights and data from MELS that can support our fundraising work. Ensure these are included in our external communications strategically.

Who we are looking for:

• You hold a deep belief that communities own their challenges, solutions and decisions and you have dedicated your career to driving programming that strengthens communities’ self-determination through a facilitative approach. You believe in the individual’s right to choose and self-determine when it comes to their health, e.g. sexual and reproductive health rights, alternative treatments.
• You share our passion for holistic health and fundamental human rights and are dedicated to addressing the intersections of the climate crisis, health and inequalities in Kenya. The multidisciplinary opportunities between our 4 program areas ignite your creativity and curiosity.
• You have a vision for positioning TICAH and our work to raise our corporate profile and attract like-minded funding partners to meet our fundraising and growth goals.
• Excited to co-lead an organization through a growth and change journey. Ideally you have contributed to cross-cutting discussions on organizational strategy and management.
• A passionate and experienced fundraiser:
  • You have 10+ years of progressive experience in this field. Previous roles have given you a deep understanding of community realities and programming/models. You have a track record building strategic collaborations with key funding partners and networks, as well as leveraging existing and new donor funding opportunities
  • You have excellent proposal writing and editing skills. You know how to bring out the unique angle, approach and impact of a program to make the proposal stand out - and you love this part of the job!
  • Strong demonstrated relationship building skills and extensive experience in stewarding new donors relationships, from research and first contact to identifying joint objectives and submitting proposals. You relish the external side of fundraising and are energized by digging into a new issue/sector to look for funders and build relationships from scratch.
  • Track record in leading teams to identify and manage successful funding proposal processes.
  • Track record of raising funds of 500,000 USD upwards a year incl. both, programmatic and unrestricted funding.
  • You have worked in a busy environment before with a track record of moving multiple proposal processes forward at the same time and ability to deliver under pressure when deadlines near.
  • You have experience in fundraising from a range of funder types, especially from foundations, embassies, corporates and institutional donors, and understand their varying requirements and know how to adjust your fundraising approach.
  • Added advantage: Experience developing proposals for rights-based programming for marginalized groups or programming that addresses systemic barriers to access and equity in health.
  • Added advantage: Existing networks and experience in fundraising for programs in indigenous culture and traditional knowledge, art/artivism, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, NCDs or climate justice.
• A collaborative, empowering and organized leader
  • Track record of using highly collaborative and inclusive approaches when creating (or improving existing) processes and workflows
  • Strong coordination skills and ability to keep everyone on track in a time-bound project or activity
  • You know how to keep colleagues accountable while helping them grow their skills with kindness.
  • You are highly organized, systematic and detail oriented.
  • Previous results in streamlining organizational processes for efficiency and effectiveness in fundraising, programming or communications. You will enjoy building the fundraising engine and processes that will churn out strategic and strong proposals.
  • You are happy to play a supportive, behind-the-scenes role and put in the effort even if your name does not appear on each proposal and you are not the main speaker in all donor calls or events.
• For the Communications aspect of the role:
  • You have previously been involved in the design and implementation of communications strategies in the non-profit context, e.g. for fundraising, programming and partnership building.
  • You know how to tease out impact stories and tell them in a way that influences various stakeholders.
  • Your immersion in social impact spaces in Kenya, regionally and globally allows you to see opportunities to boost TICAH’s external communication and messaging.
  • Technical communications experience/training is not required.
• You are highly strategic and analytical: You keep the big picture in mind and prioritize well.
• You are organized and able to bring efficiency and structure into organizations WHILE being comfortable with uncertainty, multiple urgent arising priorities and change.
• You hold at least a relevant bachelor's degree.

go to method of application »

About the role

The Head of Programs leads TICAH programming strategically, driving innovation and learning to achieve the ambitious Strategic Plan. You will lead the creation of the systems, team and culture needed to achieve our impact at scale.

This is a highly strategic, creative and collaborative role to ensure our programs truly amplify community action to realize the transformative power of culture. You will help institutionalize a multidisciplinary way of working, developing and proving our art-culture-health framework and unique methodologies further.

This is a new role at TICAH, and together with the ED, Head of Finance & Operations and Head of Partnerships forms the leadership team. You will manage the 4 Senior Programs Managers, the MELS Manager, chair the Programs Committee and participate in the Communications & Fundraising Committees.

Your responsibilities will include the following:

Provide Organization & Department Leadership

• This role is part of the Leadership Team and plays a key role in providing strategic direction to TICAH and ensuring the Strategic Plan is implemented.
• Provide technical leadership to the annual reviews of the Strategic Plan. Ensure all Programs and MELS strategies, frameworks and SOPs align to the Strategic Plan and its revisions.
• Steer progress towards all strategic goals and outcomes relating to our programming through leading initiatives to refine and innovate our programming and models. Bring key insights, proposed changes and decisions to be made to the Leadership Team and Board.
• As a member of the Communication Committee, help identify, support and pursue strategic opportunities for promotion and advocacy of TICAH’s work, impact and learnings.
• As a member of the Fundraising Committee, contribute to identifying fundraising gaps and opportunities, ensuring we grow relationships with existing donors and attract new financial supporters towards our work. This includes contributing to stewarding new potential partners, concept design and proposal writing/editing.
• Represent TICAH and our beliefs and work externally through speaking engagements, networking in the industry, and collaboration on creation of op-eds, articles, research, publications, reports, pitch decks, etc.

Spearhead Programs Strategy, Design and Goals

• Chair and lead the Programs Committee towards its purpose of ensuring quality and consistent implementation of the Strategic Plan across all programs. Realize an intersectional perspective by promoting multidisciplinary collaborations across the program portfolio and actively supporting and synergizing with the MELS Committee and the Communications and Fundraising Committees.
• Provide strategic oversight to program design, ensuring our work is truly community driven and creates transformational outcomes. Spearhead the articulation and implementation of our Culture-Art-Health Framework and our unique TICAH methodologies as we grow.
• Lead program innovation by shaping internal conversations to reimagine things, helping creative ideas and approaches emerge, be refined, and prioritized for internal innovation funding.
• Drive Program Learning: Ensure that insights from Monitoring & Evaluation are drawn and applied organization wide for program improvement and made available for external sharing as relevant.
• Ensure we are plugged into relevant networks and big conversations around what works in our areas of work.
• Grow non-funding partnerships in service of Strategic Goals, e.g. replication of our model, advocacy efforts, organizational and technical learning, etc..
• Lead a TICAH-wide Impact and Goals Dashboard, tracking progress on the corporate and programmatic strategic outcomes.
• Identify capacity building needs in the organization relating to programming for our new strategy

Oversee Program Implementation and Reporting

• Lead the annual work planning process, supporting Senior Program Managers to facilitate creation of realistic work plans, budgets and implementation frameworks with their teams.
• Coordinate the quarterly program review process, including the creation of quarterly Strategic Plan Implementation Briefs in collaboration with the Programs, MELS and Fundraising Committees, analyzing the progress and highlighting changes, trends and opportunities.
• Shape internal tracking and reporting procedures to ensure issues around implementation, outcomes, and compliance are effectively identified and handled as early as possible.
• Ensure effective use of funds by supporting the link between the Finance and Program teams as necessary towards thoughtful budget creation, monthly tracking and timely reallocations.
• Evolve workflows and processes in line with org chart changes and our learning and strategy review processes.
• Oversee the program team’s work in building strong relationships with current donors (as per donor stewarding plans developed by Fundraising Committee). This includes ensuring timely, smooth, excellent and compliant donor reporting by overseeing the donor reporting calendar, working with team members in charge to meet timelines. The final approval on all donor reports is shared with the Head of Finance & Operations.
• Ensure implementation of the Program SOP and updates as needed. 

Team Management

• Lead, manage and support the Senior Program Managers in charge of the four programs and the MELS Managers to meet their and their teams’ goals. Provide mentorship and advice so staff carry out their responsibilities effectively.
• Partner with HR in the development of the program team structure over the next years to ensure adequate staffing for our big ambitious goals.
• Spearhead Performance Management for the Program and MELS team (goal setting, training needs and development opportunities, appraisals), working closely with HR and the Senior Program Managers.

Who we are looking for:

• You hold a deep belief that communities own their challenges, solutions and decisions and you have dedicated your career to driving programming that strengthens communities’ self-determination through a facilitative approach. You believe in the individual’s right to choose and self-determine when it comes to their health, e.g. sexual and reproductive health rights, alternative treatments.
• You share our passion for holistic health and fundamental human rights and are dedicated to addressing the intersections of the climate crisis, health and inequalities in Kenya. The multidisciplinary opportunities between our 4 program areas ignite your creativity and curiosity.
• Excited to co-lead an organization at a growth and change phase. You have previously contributed to cross-cutting discussions on organizational strategy and change management.
• A visionary and strategic community programming leader:
  • At least 10 years of relevant progressive program management experience, with a strong track record leading the program management cycle from concept/design, fundraising, planning to implementation, evaluation and reporting.
  • Experience implementing rights-based, participatory approaches to holistic health, and especially the intersections of art, culture, HIV, NCDs, nutrition, SRHR, particularly for the most marginalized population groups incl. Indigenous People, AGYW, LGBTIQ+, people living with disability, and people living in urban slums.
  • You possess strong strategic thinking skills with a track record of creating successful strategies in various contexts, incl. promoting outcomes/impact thinking in programming.
  • You are plugged into relevant networks and spaces, stay abreast with trends and big conversations about what works (in at least one of our focus areas: holistic health, gender justice, climate justice)
  • Experience scaling programs while retaining depth and quality is crucial for this role.
  • You know what great M&E looks like. Experience in designing, setting up and coordinating monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment systems and processes of a program.
  • Track record in building strong relationships with current donors and writing/coordinating excellent donor reports.
• Strong management and leadership skills
  • Vast experience managing various teams. You have a track record in mentoring and developing people, while holding them accountable to their goals and plans.
  • You have previously supported managers in leading their teams to achieve ambitious goals.
  • Your strong listening skills allow you to build rapport and unearth challenges, needs, opportunities and solutions.
  • You have a toolbox of participatory methodologies, with a strong ability to bring people together and facilitate insightful conversations that lead to consensus around the way forward, e.g. change in strategies or processes
  • Demonstrated experience in leading annual work planning cycles, and monitoring implementation.
  • You care about efficiency and have a track record of improving and optimizing processes and procedures in organizations and influencing people to use the new and improved way of working.
• Strong ability to understand, communicate, and effectively interact across cultures
• You have succeeded in engaging a WIDE range of stakeholders, from policy makers in high-level forums to traditional elders in the communities to young women in urban slums.
• You are happy to roll up your sleeves, help implement activities as needed and meet our communities where they are.
• You hold at least a relevant bachelor's degree.