5 jobs in ChildFund International

Company Description

ChildFund is a global child-focused development and protection agency, and a founding member of the ChildFund Alliance. Operating in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including the United States, ChildFund connects children with necessary resources to grow up healthy, educated, skilled, and safe. Last year, the organization impacted 14.8 million children and family members in 23 countries through partnerships with 200+ local grassroots organizations. ChildFund values locally led change as a sustainable approach to protecting children's rights and well-being. Rated as a Forbes Top 100 Charity, ChildFund is also highly regarded by Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, Candid, and InterAction.

Role Description

This is a full-time on-site role for a Grant Writer, located in Nairobi County, Kenya. The Grant Writer will be responsible for researching and identifying funding opportunities, writing grant proposals, and managing the grant application process. Day-to-day tasks include developing and submitting grant applications, coordinating with program staff to gather information, and ensuring compliance with grant requirements. The Grant Writer will also be involved in developing relationships with potential funders and maintaining records of all submissions and communications.

Qualifications

• Excellent research and analytical skills
• Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills
• Experience with grant writing and management
• Knowledge of fundraising and donor relations
• Ability to work collaboratively with a team
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Bachelor's degree in English, Journalism, Communications, or a related field
• Experience in the development and humanitarian sector is a plus
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Childfund Work Location
Nairobi, Kenya

Childfund Division
Global Impact

ChildFund Department
Country Management

Job Details
Position title: Specialist Sr, Grants Writer and Business Development
Location:
Nairobi

ChildFund office: Nairobi, Kenya
Manager/Supervisor title: Manager Sr, Grants Acquisition & Management
Position type:
Full-time fixed term

Work environment:
On-site

About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 23 countries to connect children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are.

ChildFund's Values
ChildFund values a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment where everyone is welcomed and celebrated equally. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund's Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.

About This Role
The Specialist Sr, Grants Writer and Business Development will be a key driver in ChildFund Kenya's funding portfolio by securing transformative funding from global institutional donors, multilateral and bilateral donors, private sector donors, Foundations and Corporate donors. The Grants Writer will also lead end-to-end proposal development, enhance organizational capacity, and amplify ChildFund Kenya's ability to empower vulnerable children in Kenya through acquisition of diversified funding. This role requires a deep understanding of the Kenyan development sector, local and international donor landscapes, and compliance with Kenyan NGO regulatory frameworks.

The Specialist Sr, Grants Writer and Business Development will be responsible for leading the Proposal development process and writing project proposals and concept notes, will provide direct technical support as well advice to proposal teams throughout the proposal development processes. This includes but is not limited to preparing technical narratives and corresponding annexes, leading specific project proposals, and training staff on proposal development and grants writing. The successful candidate will evaluate funding opportunities, lead the preparation of competitive and donor-compliant proposals, and enhance the capacities of ChildFund Kenya's teams through targeted training and mentorship.

Primary Responsibilities
STRATEGIC FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS & POSITIONING

• The Grants Writer will conduct rigorous assessments of various funding opportunities from a variety of donors (US, FCDO, EU, Multilateral (UN), Bilateral, Foundations, and corporate funding opportunities for suitability, strategic alignment and organizational competitive viability, sharing findings with colleagues and advising on appropriate steps for the organization.
• Provide strategic advice to ChildFund Kenya's leadership on bid/no-bid decisions through data-driven risk-benefit analyses, aligned with ChildFund Kenya's priorities and capacities.
• The proposal writer will work with GAAM lead to ensure that all required documents including annexes, logframes, Theory Of Change, Organogram, Work plans, and all other required annexes are prepared and submitted to GAAM Lead in readiness for submission.

END-TO-END PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT & WRITING

• The Grants Writer will lead the full proposal writing and guide the development process, ensuring alignment with donor guidelines, ChildFund Kenya's Policies and Kenyan NGO compliance.
• The Grants Writer will work with technical teams to guide the design of project proposals and concept notes by orchestrating diverse cross-functional teams' collaboration (including programs, finance, MEAL, Admin, Sponsorship and Partnerships Portfolio Management teams) to integrate technical, financial, and monitoring components into compelling competitive and compliant grant applications (technical project proposal narratives/financial budgets) based on donor guidelines.
• Ensure 100% donor compliance and zero-error submissions through meticulous quality assurance of technical content, annexes, and formatting.
• The Grants Writer will provide copy editing support to proposal teams in the last stages of proposal development.
• Respond to internal and external queries on drafted and submitted proposals.
• Maintain positive relationships with fund providers and other stakeholders as may be required
• Maintain records and submit reports related to grant opportunities to the manager on a regular basis.

CAPACITY STRENGTHENING & KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

• Design/deliver training and coaching sessions for ChildFund Kenya's staff and partners on proposal writing skills, donor compliance awareness, and innovative resource mobilization approaches (e.g., logframe development, donor cultivation, pipeline development, proposals and concept notes development process), increasing proposal win rates.
• Develop and maintain knowledge management system for tracking opportunities from capture to award including maintaining a repository of proposal development templates, pre-award tools, program concepts, capacity statements, proposal templates, pricing tables etc.
• Curate/share best/promising practices, templates, and donor intelligence via Grants Acquisition & Business Development teams and ChildFund's digital resource hub.
• Lead the management of the knowledge database to ensure information is shared among technical team, field program and other concerned staff, to capture new opportunities and track the ongoing grants.

EXPERT/TECHNICAL ADVISORY & QUALITY CONTROL

• Serve as lead technical writer/ reviewer for Project Proposals and Concept Notes, providing real-time feedback and technical guidance on proposal structure, narrative strategy, theory of change articulation, logical frameworks, gender inclusion and risk analysis, tailored to the Kenyan development context and donor expectations.
• Conduct rigorous research including advanced intelligence gathering for grant opportunities including research institutional donors as appropriate
• Review and perform final copy-editing of project proposals and concept notes to ensure clarity, consistency, coherence, flow, technical accuracy, and persuasive impact as well as in complete adherence to donor and ChildFund standards.
• Ensure that project proposals and concept notes are culturally appropriate and sensitive to local contexts.
• Maintain effective communication channels with internal teams and external stakeholders including donors, partners, and government bodies.
• Support the development of strategic partnerships to enhance funding opportunities.

Required Experience and Education

• A master's degree in international development, Social Sciences, Economics, Development Studies, or relevant discipline.
• Certifications (APMP, PMD Pro).

• At least 8+ years progressive Institutional grants acquisition experience in grants acquisition and proposal writing within Kenya and/or East Africa, with documented success securing funds from local and international donors including:

• US Government Agencies (USAID, USDA, BHA, etc).
  Required Competencies

• European Union (EU)/European Governments (ECHO, FCDO, SIDA, etc.)

• Multilaterals/Bilateral Organizations (UNICEF, WFP, UN Habitat, WFP, UNHCR, World Bank, African Development Bank, etc)
• Foundations (>US$ 500k awards)
• Corporations (>US$ 500k awards)
• Proven success in leading proposal development processes for Kenyan registered NGOs or international organizations operating in Kenya.
• Experience navigating Kenyan NGO regulatory frameworks and donor compliance requirements.

ChildFund's Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.

Other Required Competencies

• Languages: Excellent command Fluent Written and Spoken English (C2). Proficiency in Kiswahili is an advantage.
• Excellent writing skills of proposals, i.e. concise, appealing and clear writing that complies with the language and expectations of the donor. These writing skills will be tested for short-listed candidates.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines effectively.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines effectively.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills to foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Ability to distill complex technical concepts into compelling, donor-aligned narratives (assessment required).
• Organized, detail-oriented, team player, self-starter and results-oriented individual.
• Ability to lead and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Excellent presentation, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.
• Donor Compliance Expertise: Mastery of EU PRAG, FCDO, UN, and USG rules, etc.
• Digital Fluency and Mastery: Advanced MS Office Suite Proficiency on digital proposal management tools (Word/PowerPoint), SharePoint, CRM (e.g., Salesforce), and virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom, etc).

Childfund Work Location
Nairobi, Kenya

Childfund Division
Global Impact

ChildFund Department
Country Management

Job Details
Position title:
Specialist II, Business Development

Location:
Nairobi, Kenya

ChildFund office:
Kenya

Manager/Supervisor title: Senior Manager, Regional Business Development
Position type:
Full-time fixed term

Work environment:
On-site

About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 23 countries to connect children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are.

ChildFund's Values
We aspire for every person in our organization—program participants, supporters, staff, and volunteers alike—to feel free, safe, and confident to be themselves. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund's Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.

About This Role
The Specialist II, Business Development will support ChildFund's corporate and foundation engagement in Africa by cultivating strategic partnerships that generate resources, strengthen program impact, and advance the organization's Growing Connections 2030 strategy.

The Specialist will identify and engage corporates and foundations, support the development of tailored concepts and proposals, and play a critical role in building ChildFund's reputation as a
partner of choice
for impactful child- and community-focused initiatives. This position will support both single-country and multi-country proposal development with corporates and foundations.

This is a full-time, regional position and is open to internal and external candidates with current residence and work authorization in Nairobi, Kenya.
Primary Responsibilities
Positioning and Visibility

• Participate in strategic pre-positioning efforts across the region to enhance the organization's visibility and competitiveness, including:

• identifying emerging opportunities

• cultivating early relationships with potential partners and stakeholders, and

• aligning internal capabilities with anticipated needs well ahead of the formal announcement of the funding opportunity.

• Collaborate closely with regional teams to tailor focused messaging, value propositions, and engagement strategies that resonate with corporate and foundation partners.

• Capture success stories, best practices, and lessons learned from ChildFund's portfolio of grants and contracts to strengthen future proposals and donor engagement.

Corporate and Foundation Engagement

• Identify, research, and establish a comprehensive database of potential partners in Africa and develop engagement strategy for priority corporates and foundations.
• Gather market and CSR intelligence (e.g., annual budgets and focus areas) to position ChildFund as a strategic CSR partner of choice.
• Coordinate the development of concepts tailored to corporate priorities; review and refine concepts to align with requirements.
• Proactively engage corporate and foundation contacts based on strategic alignment, regional priorities, and for early feedback and appraisal of concepts to build credibility and trust.
• Facilitate executive-level engagement with high-priority foundations, preparing briefs and supporting meetings with senior leaders.

Proposal Development and Coordination

• Support both single-country and multi-country proposal development, ensuring alignment with donor priorities.
• Work collaboratively to facilitate high-quality proposal submissions and timely donor reporting in coordination with Country Offices and technical teams.
• Coordinate multi-stakeholder processes, engaging technical specialists, M&E, grants management, finance, GHR, and other relevant departments to align the submission with donor requirements, meet deadlines, and integrate expert inputs.
• Lead proposal development for foundation opportunities, including drafting narratives, budget frameworks, and theories of change, in collaboration with technical advisors and cross-functional teams.

Donor Stewardship and Relationship Management

• Cultivate innovative partnerships that unlock new pathways for scaling impactful solutions, enabling children, youth, and communities to thrive amid social and environmental challenges.
• Build and manage strategic donor relationships, including facilitating introductions and co-developing joint engagement strategies that align with donor priorities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

• Orchestrate matrixed team engagement in cultivating corporate and foundation partnerships, coordinating with regional and global colleagues.
• Share best practices, tools, and lessons learned on corporate and foundation engagement across Africa and globally.
• Maintain an internal tracking system for corporate and foundation engagement, ensuring learning and accountability.
• Support cross-divisional initiatives with External Engagement and Partnerships to influence the broader child development ecosystem.

Other

• Remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
• Travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.

Required Experience and Education
Experience

• At least 5 years of experience in business development, resource mobilization, or fundraising in the development or humanitarian sector.
• Proven track record of securing funding from a variety of donors, including institutional, philanthropic, and private sector sources; with demonstrated prior experience preparing large multi-million-dollar proposals.
• Experience in consortium building and managing complex proposal processes.
• Experience working in or supporting multiple countries in the Africa region.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and/or equivalent combination of education and demonstrated experience.
• Project management certification or training is a plus but not required.

Required Competencies
ChildFund's Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.

Other Required Competencies

• The ability to read, speak, and write fluently in English. Proficiency in French or a local African language is beneficial.
• Excellent proposal writing skills, with the ability to craft proposals aligned to donor expectations, ChildFund's Results Framework, key sectoral and global practices, and evidence of impact.
• Ability to effectively represent the organization externally and build strong networks with technical partners, multilateral agencies, foundations, and other external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated technical skills in proposal preparation, including familiarity with funding models and donor trends.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, matrixed environment both virtually and on-site.
• Familiarity with grant development processes, especially for foundations and the private sector.
• Willingness to be hands-on and innovative in support of ChildFund's growth goals.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Childfund Work Location
Nairobi, Kenya

Childfund Division
Global Impact

ChildFund Department
Country Management

Job Details
Position title:
Manager Sr., Livelihood

Location:
Nairobi

ChildFund office:
Kenya

Manager/Supervisor title:
Program and Sponsorship Director

Position type:
Full-time fixed term

Work environment:
On-site

About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that works in 25 countries to connect children with the people, resources and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe, no matter where they are.

ChildFund's Values
ChildFund values a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment where everyone is welcomed and celebrated equally. In our culture of connection, you will have ample opportunity to grow, learn, and lead while contributing your talents and innovations to our inspiring mission.

ChildFund's Commitment
ChildFund International has a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) and all other forms of harm by its staff, partners, and other representatives in the delivery of its mission and services for children. ChildFund is committed to creating a safe environment in the workplace as well as in the communities where it delivers programs and services. ChildFund expects every staff member, partner, and representative to adhere to this commitment and to ensure all organizational policies and standards are followed. This position is subject to a range of vetting checks, including a criminal records check and/or disclosure to ensure program participants are safeguarded.

About This Role
The Livelihoods Manager position will lead and manage the design, implementation, and monitoring of livelihoods programs, ensuring alignment with ChildFund's global and country strategic priorities. The role will focus on enhancing household, youth and community economic resilience through sustainable livelihoods, food security, and climate adaptation initiatives.

The position will be responsible for overseeing the systematic translating of all livelihoods related strategic priorities in the Country Strategic Plan into implementable actions and interventions. The holder of the position will lead the designing and development of new business opportunities including proposal development and grant management of livelihood sector projects and programs. S/He will ensure that livelihood interventions implemented either directly or through local partners are of the highest technical quality through provision of regular technical oversight, capacity building, program monitoring and reporting. S/He will also be responsible for the designing of programs relating to youth in the livelihood sector

Primary Responsibilities
Program Strategy, Design & Implementation

• Lead the development of the ChildFund Country livelihoods strategy aligned with ChildFund's global and country strategic plan priorities and other relevant Country's', regional, and global strategies and agenda.
• Contribute and participate in the development and review of the country strategic plan and related country-level strategies, policies, and frameworks.
• Design and oversee implementation of integrated livelihoods programs that promote climate-smart agriculture, food security, youth employability, and enterprise development.
• Promote integration of livelihood programs with other sectors' priorities through creation of linkages and joint participatory planning processes.
• Ensure youth agency, gender equity, and inclusion are embedded across all interventions.
• Provide technical leadership in the development of tools, guidelines, and training materials for livelihoods programming.

Technical Support & Oversight of Local Partners

• Provide ongoing technical assistance and capacity strengthening of Local implementing partners, and other technical partners at the county and national level.
• Support partners in program planning, budgeting, implementation, and reporting to ensure quality and compliance.
• Conduct regular field visits and technical reviews to monitor progress, identify challenges, and recommend corrective actions.
• Facilitate peer learning and knowledge exchange among partners to promote innovation and best practices.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL)

• Collaborate with the MEAL team to develop and apply robust frameworks for tracking program outputs, outcomes, and impact.
• Support partners in data collection, analysis, and reporting, ensuring alignment with donor and organizational standards.
• Lead documentation of success stories, lessons learned, and evidence-based practices for internal and external dissemination.

Business Development & Grant Management

• Identify new funding opportunities, participate in donor prepositioning efforts and proposal development for livelihoods and youth empowerment initiatives.
• Build and maintain relationships with donors, foundations, and development partners.
• Oversee grant implementation, ensuring timely delivery of results, financial accountability, and donor compliance.
• Support budget development, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting in collaboration with finance teams.

Representation & Advocacy

• Represent ChildFund Kenya in national and regional technical working groups, CSO coalitions, and policy forums related to livelihoods, youth development, and climate resilience.
• Advocate for inclusive and sustainable livelihoods policies and practices at the county and national levels.
• Identify and pursue new collaboration and partnership opportunities.
• Actively participate and represent ChildFund in relevant technical working groups, networks, seminars, and conferences
• Build strategic partnerships with government agencies, private sector actors, and civil society organizations to enhance program reach and sustainability.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building

• Supervise and mentor program staff, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation.
• Organize and facilitate training workshops for staff and partners on livelihoods-related topics.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration within ChildFund Kenya to integrate livelihoods into broader child protection and development programming.

Safeguarding.

• Remain alert and responsive to any safeguarding risks; acquire relevant knowledge and skills to enable understanding and application of the safeguarding policy and procedures;
• Promote strong safeguarding practices and perform his/her duty and responsibility to safeguard,
• Report violations, and promote appropriate behavior; and
• conduct oneself in a manner consistent with the organization's policies and values.

Required Experience and Education

• Master's degree in Agriculture, Economics, Development Studies, or related field.
• 8 – 10 years of experience in livelihoods programming, including food security, family and youth economic empowerment and environmental care and adaptability.

Required Competencies
ChildFund's Core Competencies

• Teamwork: the ability to work effectively and collaborate with others; values and respects individual differences.
• Communication: demonstrates empathy and tact when communicating with others and uses a storytelling approach when appropriate.
• Results orientation: gets things done; takes proactive steps to achieve organizational goals and quality standards.
• Decision making: uses good judgement, critical thinking, and non-traditional ways to evaluate problems and opportunities; reflects and innovates to improve decisions and outcomes.
• Resilience: thrives and grows in rapidly changing, demanding, and complex environments.
• Digital literacy: adopts and champions new technology to relevant contexts, stays aware of technological trends and embraces technological solutions to business challenges.

Other Required Competencies

• Language requirement: The ability to read, speak, and write fluently in English. Proficiency in Swahili will be an added advantage.
• In-depth and hands-on experience in livelihoods programming: Experience in managing and implementing livelihood sector programs including climate smart and conservation agriculture, circular economy, voluntary/ Village Saving and Loan Schemes (VSLAs) and resolving funds, youth entrepreneurship and skills development, social enterprise investments, policy influencing and advocacy, and related interventions.
• Deep understanding and experience in household and youth livelihoods, agri-food systems, market systems, financial inclusion strategies and sustainable economic trends such as green, blue and circular economy.
• Technical Expertise and Leadership: The ability to provide technical support and leadership for the expansion and diversification of revenue streams
• Grant Proposal Development: Strong skills in technical writing; ability to collaborate with other sector managers, and program technical specialists and the Country Office, Regional and global business development teams to craft well-aligned grant proposals that adhere to ChildFund's Results Framework, key sectoral and global practices, and evidence of impact.
• Demonstrated success in writing winning proposals for donors such as IDB, World Bank, Global Affairs Canada, EU, and private foundations, among others.
• Donor Relations and Funding Models: Proficiency in identifying global donors, cultivating relationships with key donors, advising on donor trends, knowledge and understanding of existing and emerging funding models.
• Livelihoods Grant Acquisition: Expertise in leading the Livelihoods grant acquisition portfolio, focusing on proposal development.
• Impact Assessment and Collaboration: Competence in guiding ChildFund Livelihoods program evidence and impact assessment needs, priorities, and thought leadership strategy and product development.
• Capacity Building and Training: Demonstrated ability to conduct effective capacity building and training both in face-to-face and virtual settings.
• Work effectively in a matrix environment involves the ability to navigate and collaborate within a matrix organizational structure, where multiple reporting lines and cross-functional teams are common.
• Effective representation and networking: represent the organization effectively in various forums and build strong networks with technical partners, multilateral agencies, foundations, and other stakeholders.
• Strong computer skills, with familiarity in using Microsoft Office suite applications: This competency requires proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.