Senior Manager - Public Finance & Partnerships, Africa

Main purpose of the role

The objective of this role is to support Africa's self-determination by institutionalising approaches that will build meaningful partnerships with key African stakeholders and institutions, elevate strategic engagement and communications in-country, and ensure African voices and perspectives are amplified in CIFF Africa decision making. Ultimately, leverage African giving and government funding for CIFF Africa priority investments and initiatives in our focus countries.

The role will be responsible for execution of CIFF’s strategic partnerships and co-funding plan with governments, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners / financing institutions, and other funders in (and for) Africa. A centre piece of the plan is also to drive communications with Africa’s audiences over our commitment to meaningful partner in the co-design, co-investment and co-execution of shared priorities and sustain Africa’s self-determination.

CIFF aims to play a catalytic role as a funder and influencer to deliver urgent and systemic change at scale. The Senior Manager – Public Finance and Partnerships, Africa is a key member of the For Africa by Africa Pillar and shall actively support the Director - Co-funding and Partnerships, Africa and other Africa team members in maintaining good working relationships with host government officials, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners, financing institutions and other funders.

The role will manage a high-quality portfolio of investment proposals and active programmes that contribute to the delivery of the For-Africa-by-Africa sector team priorities and meet the corporate objectives of the CIFF Board.

Role’s responsibilities

The role will be accountable to maximising areas for partnership and co-funding with government, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners/ financing institutions, and other funders in (and for) Africa; building and maintaining CIFF’s engagement with policy makers and leaders on public financing policy matters that may advance the leverage domestic co-funding, specifically:

• Inform and implement a creative and modern government engagement and stakeholder relations partnerships and communication plan that expands CIFF’s success in Africa’s multi-year, sector-specific engagement and co-funding with governments, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners / financing institutions and other funders alongside private sector actors and other stakeholders. Deepens CIFF’s alignment of global, regional, and country level development agendas, opportunities and priorities as well as increasing domestic partnerships with local implementing organisations.
• Lead dialogue with government and regional bodies officials, bilateral and multilateral partners / financing institutions and other funders to identify, co-design, co-investment and co-deliver integrated and innovative government big-bets to optimise CIFF’s delivery of impact, sustainability and localisation through context-specific investments accelerated by strong partnerships and increased domestic co-funding.
• Negotiate meaningful partnerships and targeted co-funding initiatives with governments, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners / financing institutions, other funders and stakeholders including local implementing organisations, to build CIFF Africa’s alignment with the public (and private) sector in resource mobilisation for development of locally led solutions to support bold ideas that transform the lives of children and adolescents.
• Work with new and existing stakeholders to leverage, converge and embed the design/structuring/development and implementation of policies, tools and processes that expand co-funding strategies with governments, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners / financing institutions, and other funders, towards shared priority areas.
• Consolidate credible knowledge and learning to raise Africa’s voice to inform movement-building and influence key stakeholders to support Africa's self-determination maximising areas for partnership with government, regional bodies, bilateral and multilateral partners / financing institutions, and other funders; leveraging domestic funding; and co-designing solutions with governments, and institutions to ensure accurate problem diagnosis and self-sustaining impact.
• Provide strategic leadership to enhance the public visibility, credibility, reputation, and brand name recognition of CIFF Africa by raising awareness and understanding of CIFF’s mission, vision, development approach and programs, to mobilise a collective voice and resources to transform the lives of children and adolescents in Africa.

Strategy & planning

• Prepare and present high-quality analysis and research, as required, to support the sector in determining future strategic priorities and setting operational plans.
• Contribute to the production of programme strategy and the associated evidence base, alongside other team members, prior to a proposal’s submission for approval.
• Lead on the development of strategies related to CIFF Africa’s For-Africa-by-Africa Strategic Pillar.

Programme development, delivery & performance

• Personally manage a portfolio of live programmes with a value c. £25-50million of and an active pipeline of potential investments of c. £5-10million, in accordance with the sector priorities and plan.
• Against key corporate and / or sector team indicators and targets, monitor and report internally on the performance of assigned portfolio.
• Apply agreed due diligence and risk management protocols appropriately throughout the development and delivery of proposals and programmes, to ensure the interests and reputation of the Foundation are protected.
• Conduct structured feasibility analysis on investment proposals, using an appropriate range of methodologies and techniques, to ensure they are based on logical and robust assumptions, which can withstand scrutiny from the Executive Team (ET) and CIFF Board.
• Working either with sector colleagues or independently, prepare summary reports, board reports and portfolio investment reports, ensuring these are produced to a high-standard and in a timely fashion, often within tight timeframes.
• Co-ordinate the development of grant agreements, to forecast and process grant payments and to enable effective grant management and reporting within the organisation.
• Working closely with and taking the advice and guidance of, the sector team’s Evidence, Measurement and Evaluation (EME) Business Partner, identify and embed appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes to all proposals and programmes.
• Conduct regular reviews of the progress and performance of programmes under delivery to identify problems and delays, and work with partners to develop effective solutions (escalating to more senior colleagues for support and intervention, where required).
• Identify opportunities and options for improving processes, procedures, and programme management approaches within (and beyond) the team, to support increased organisational efficiency and effectiveness.

• Work as part of a team to shape and implement plans for scaling up, replicating, or leveraging additional support for successful programmes and initiatives, in accordance with Foundation priorities.

Sector knowledge and profile-building

• Keep abreast of developments within the development financing and international development sectors, establishing appropriate information gathering networks and channels to deepen professional knowledge and skills.
• As required, contribute to the development of thought leadership, PR, marketing, and advocacy materials, to support CIFF’s ambitions to scale-up, mainstream and leverage additional support for its initiatives.

Stakeholder and partner management

• Conduct rigorous research and evaluation of potential partners, using agreed corporate protocols and techniques, to assess their suitability and credentials for collaborating on CIFF initiatives.
• Apply CIFF’s agreed account management disciplines and approaches in all dealings with programme partners and stakeholders, to ensure productive and professional relationships are maintained in a coordinated and strategic manner.
• Working alongside senior colleagues, help to develop strategic partnerships to support adoption, replication, co-funding or scaling-up of CIFF programmes.
• With a variety of external audiences, develop and maintain strong partnerships and act as a knowledgeable resource about CIFF’s programmes and priority areas.

Membership and leadership of the team

• Be a role model to less experienced team members, demonstrating CIFF’s leadership behaviours and providing mentorship to aid their growth.
• Adopt a coaching approach with colleagues which instils a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning.
• We operate a matrix structure so reporting lines can vary between specific aspects of the role.
• This role may have line management responsibility for an analyst.

Skills & Experience

At CIFF Africa we value creativity, persistence, and innovation, passionately believing that it is through teamwork that we can all reach greater heights. The For-Africa-by-Africa Strategic Pillar will be innovating at the edge of technological possibilities to shape government engagement, partnerships, co-funding and communications with a sustainability, localisation, and integration agenda.

• At least 15 years of professional experience in partnerships, business development, strategic communications, development programming and fundraising responsibilities.
• Demonstrable experience in establishing, maintaining, and converting collaborative partnerships and co-funding investment opportunities with government, bilateral and multilateral development partners/financing institutions, regional bodies, and other funders.
• Demonstrable experience in analysis and due diligence; policy, planning and programme delivery, including field experience, all within the development sector
• Knowledge of the evidence bases pertaining to programme design and implementation, and belief in the importance of evidence-based decision making
• Strong working knowledge of impact measurement and programme monitoring and evaluation
• An innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset, utilising diverse strategies to competitively position for new funding and productive institutional relationships. 
• Ability to analyse an organisation’s strength of leadership and management, vision, and adaptive capacity. Ability to recruit, guide, influence and/or advise management teams to effectively implement programmes
• Experience working within government systems and/or experience influencing the policies of government agencies, private sector organizations or donor organisations
• Effectively champions and promotes causes – credible and professional, they always present the Foundation’s programmes in a compelling way to engage the audience
• Skilled in relationship building and strengthening; able to influence others and work collaboratively, uniting groups with a shared purpose
• English is CIFF’s business language – we expect all our people to display outstanding verbal and written communication skills across all aspects of their role
• Capacity to work in a range of cultural and socio-economic contexts, adapting style and approach appropriately and in a culturally sensitive manner to maximise effectiveness
• IT proficiency (most specifically in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• A proven self-starter, who works with pace and resilience
• Experience working in Africa or with African governments and regional bodies

The starting salary for this role is KES 13,200,000 per annum.

CIFF operates a hybrid work policy across all locations, meaning employees work from home some of the time. We are happy to provide more information on this as part of the recruitment process.

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer a generous benefits package here at CIFF that includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Annual leave - 25 days per annum. Increasing by 1 day after each year of service, to a maximum of 30 days.
• Bonus - CIFF currently operates a discretionary bonus scheme.
• Pension
• Private medical insurance
• Training allowance
• Wellbeing allowance
• Life insurance

Please submit your application on or before 28 August 2024. CIFF reserves the right to close the job advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.