Your responsibilities will encompass overseeing and managing key operational tasks to ensure seamless workflow and efficiency. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to align projects with strategic objectives and drive organizational growth. Additionally, you will monitor performance metrics, identify areas for improvement, and implement solutions to enhance productivity and quality. The ideal candidate must possess strong analytical skills, excellent communication abilities, and a proven track record in [specific industry or field, if applicable]. Proficiency in [relevant software/tools] and a minimum of [X] years of experience in [related role/field] are required.
The Senior Officer, Africa, Global Partnership Development is responsible for shaping and executing the foundation’s strategy in African philanthropy, cultivating and nurturing high-value partnerships with ultra-high-net-worth individuals (Unwise), family offices, corporations, and private and institutional foundations based in or originating from Africa. The position focuses on advancing the foundation’s key health and development priorities across the continent through large-scale, complex partnerships with diverse donors. This senior role demands a dynamic professional who can envision innovative solutions, leverage strong relationship-building skills, and secure significant commitments—while also cultivating champions and advocates both within Africa and the diaspora. It requires a deep understanding of how philanthropy, business, and civil society intersect in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as a track record of designing and implementing bold partnership strategies spanning multiple sectors and regions.
This position will operate at the convergence of the foundation’s philanthropic, programmatic, and advocacy objectives, focusing on cultivating and overseeing a dynamic pipeline of African philanthropic collaborations while advancing the organization’s strategic vision to expand charitable giving across the continent. The Senior Officer will collaborate closely with the institutional philanthropy lead to design and implement engagement strategies for foundations and corporate entities and will function as a pivotal relationship manager with leadership, including engagements related to the Giving Pledge.
This position is accountable to the Director of the African Regional Office within the Global Policy and Advocacy division, while maintaining a secondary reporting line to the Deputy Director of the Global Partnership Development team under Philanthropic Partnerships. The role is not responsible for overseeing or managing staff.
This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and requires candidates to possess the legal authorization to work in the country without requiring visa sponsorship.
What You’ll Do
You will spearhead the foundation’s strategic initiatives in African philanthropy, advancing a vision to mobilize ultra-high-net-worth individuals (Unwise) based in or from the continent for global health and development efforts. This involves prospecting, qualifying, and nurturing potential partners; overseeing a dynamic portfolio of high-value relationships; and ensuring substantial annual investments align with the foundation’s global health and development objectives.
With a nuanced grasp of deal and partnership structures across Africa’s varied philanthropic, corporate, and civic sectors, you will leverage this insight to craft strategies that harmonize local relevance with global coherence. Collaborating with PPT, program teams, and the Africa Regional Office and Country Offices, you will create persuasive cases for support and design flexible partnership models—including philanthropic contributions, co-investment, blended finance, and alternative capital mechanisms.
This position centers on cultivating and overseeing intricate collaborations that transcend diverse partners, program domains, and geographic regions, demanding exceptional organizational, negotiation, and deal-structuring proficiencies. Your responsibilities will include uncovering prospects to unite multiple partners around mutual objectives, crafting partnership frameworks for multifaceted multi-stakeholder initiatives, and embedding African viewpoints into global philanthropic strategies. Based on the portfolio’s composition and the complexity of agreements, you will assume a prominent, facilitating, or advisory function within targeted partnerships.
Engagement and collaboration across diverse sectors are essential for advancing institutional philanthropy, fostering strategic partnerships that amplify impact and drive systemic change. This role demands a deep understanding of philanthropic principles, strong interpersonal skills to bridge gaps between varied stakeholders, and a commitment to aligning resources with shared societal goals. Key responsibilities include orchestrating initiatives that unite public, private, and nonprofit entities, as well as designing frameworks to evaluate collaborative success and ensure measurable outcomes in philanthropic efforts.
You will serve as the foundation’s ambassador within African philanthropic ecosystems, engaging actively in sector forums, peer networks, and collaborative communities. Key responsibilities involve fostering meaningful relationships, representing organizational interests, and contributing to strategic discussions that advance shared goals across these platforms.
Developing strategic partnerships and fostering collaboration with key decision-makers across African business, civil society, and philanthropic sectors is a core responsibility of this role.
Collaborating closely with communications and advocacy teams, the role involves developing culturally relevant narratives designed to inspire philanthropic support across diverse African settings.
By cultivating and empowering essential donors, they will serve as key advocates, strategic collaborators, and influential champions for GH&D across the continent and within the African diaspora.
In collaboration with the foundation’s institutional philanthropy lead, you will develop and implement strategies for engaging African foundations and corporate foundations.
As a dedicated member of the Foundation Leadership and Giving Pledge Engagement, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s strategic vision and driving impactful philanthropic initiatives. This position requires a deep commitment to fostering high-impact partnerships, cultivating donor relationships, and ensuring the fulfillment of pledged commitments with utmost transparency and accountability. Your responsibilities will encompass overseeing pledge campaigns, coordinating with stakeholders, and aligning fundraising efforts with the foundation’s long-term goals to maximize social impact. Additionally, you will be instrumental in engaging key donors, managing pledge fulfillment processes, and reporting on the progress and outcomes of funded initiatives to ensure responsible stewardship of resources. Strong leadership, exceptional communication, and a passion for philanthropy are essential to excel in this role.
As a strategic advisor to foundation leadership, you will facilitate meaningful connections with prominent African philanthropists and partners, ensuring that executive engagements are meticulously planned, purpose-driven, and thoroughly executed. Your role will include delivering insightful briefings, developing tailored relationship strategies, and coordinating follow-up actions to enhance the effectiveness of leadership interactions.
You will take a proactive role in cultivating and expanding relationships tied to the Giving Pledge, with a focus on identifying potential signatories from Africa and nurturing ongoing engagement with existing African signatories, all in line with the broader Giving Pledge strategy of PPT.
We are seeking a dynamic professional to oversee internal alignment and portfolio management, ensuring strategic coherence and optimal resource allocation across initiatives. The ideal candidate will drive cross-functional collaboration to synchronize organizational goals with project execution, while meticulously monitoring portfolio performance to achieve desired outcomes. Responsibilities include evaluating project viability, prioritizing initiatives based on business impact, and fostering stakeholder engagement to maintain alignment with overarching objectives. Strong analytical skills, proficiency in portfolio management tools, and a keen ability to balance competing priorities are essential. This role demands a proactive leader capable of translating high-level strategy into actionable plans while continuously refining processes for maximum efficiency.
As a vital internal relationship manager, you will collaborate with PPT, the Global Partnership Development team, the Africa Regional Office, program strategy teams, and the Global Policy & Advocacy division to synchronize efforts across these groups, ensuring partner engagement is prompt, cohesive, and aligned with both donor interests and foundation priorities. In this position, you will work in close partnership with Africa country offices—especially Nigeria and Ethiopia—while maintaining strong coordination with regional leaders across Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa.
This role involves shaping the creation of innovative philanthropic products, engaging in strategic content and cultivation initiatives for key events such as Goalkeepers, Proponent Labs, and other Africa-focused gatherings, and partnering with PPT’s Shared Services team to enhance communications, audience engagement, and data-driven insights capabilities.
You will manage detailed portfolio and pipeline tracking using Salesforce, overseeing forecasting activities, generating performance reports, and regularly updating partner intelligence.
Your Experience
A relevant bachelor’s or advanced degree, or commensurate professional experience, is required.
With a minimum of seven years’ experience in areas such as complex partnership development, major gifts fundraising, business development, resource mobilization, investment, or strategic relationship management, you must demonstrate a proven ability to secure substantial financial commitments or finalize high-value partnerships.
We seek candidates with extensive expertise in the philanthropic, corporate, and civil society sectors across Africa, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of how partnerships and transactions are structured throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Professionals hailing from business, finance, investment, international development, or NGO backgrounds are encouraged to apply. What sets you apart is your profound grasp of the African market, your established network of relationships, and a proven history in business growth or fundraising.
Proven expertise in cultivating and overseeing relationships with ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional partners, accompanied by a strong history of securing substantial, multi-year commitments.
Skilled in cultivating and overseeing intricate collaborations involving diverse partners, varied issue domains, and extensive global reach.
A solid grasp of global health and development priorities, along with an understanding of their connection to African development agendas, is essential. While extensive expertise in global health and development is not mandatory, a strong intellectual curiosity, rapid learning capabilities, and a sincere dedication to the mission are crucial.
A proven track record of collaborating effectively with internal teams to deliver collective objectives is essential.
Seeking a candidate with a robust set of technical proficiencies and interpersonal strengths to excel in this role. Essential competencies include proficiency in data analysis, project management, and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel. The ideal applicant will demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, effective communication skills, and the capacity to work both independently and collaboratively within a team environment. Additionally, prior experience in [specific industry or field, if applicable] and a proven track record of delivering results under tight deadlines are highly valued. Must exhibit adaptability to evolving priorities and a commitment to continuous professional development.
Dynamic relationship architect with a demonstrated track record of fostering trust and cultivating strategic partnerships across diverse organizational levels—spanning senior leadership, executive teams, and operational staff—to drive measurable results.
Accomplished strategist with deep expertise in African philanthropy trends, donor behavior, and the expansive ecosystem of continental giving.
Proven expertise in crafting strategic deals and designing partnership frameworks, with a strong grasp of blended finance approaches, co-investment strategies, and innovative philanthropic funding models.
Proven ability to transform intricate global issues into engaging stories that connect with a wide range of African audiences.
Demonstrates a robust ability to cultivate influence, champion advocacy efforts, and empower individuals to become strong advocates themselves.
Exceptional proficiency in both verbal and written English communication is essential, enabling the ability to captivate and persuade high-net-worth individuals and key decision-makers.
Proficient in collaborating effectively within varied cultural settings, including Sub-Saharan Africa and other international contexts, while demonstrating a profound appreciation for local customs, hierarchical structures, and established relational practices.
Capable of evaluating the effectiveness and outcomes of partnerships through a data-driven approach.
Preferred Attributes
Experienced in cultivating and maintaining robust networks within African philanthropic, business, and civil society circles, with a particular emphasis on engaging ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and corporate and institutional foundations.
Fluency in one or more African languages or additional languages commonly used in pivotal markets is required.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with top executives, key decision-makers, and governing boards, fostering strong partnerships and driving strategic alignment.
Professional experience or familiarity with the Giving Pledge or similar philanthropic networks is required.
Seeking candidates with a proven track record in blended finance, impact investing, or the cultivation of cross-sector partnerships.
Extensive expertise in mobilizing resources for Global Health and Development (GH&D), gender equality initiatives, or other pertinent development areas is essential.
Capable of traveling up to 40% of the time, with travel requirements including regional trips throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
Experience Required
7 years
