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Hiwot Ethiopia
Verified
Executive Director
Addis Ababa - ethiopia
full-time
permanent
Posted
7 hours ago
Experience
8 - 10 Years
Deadline
Oct. 25, 2026 (5 days left)
Position Purpose
The Director will provide strategic leadership for Hiwot Ethiopia's organizational growth, resource mobilization, fundraising, business development, partnership development, donor engagement, and institutional strengthening.
The position will lead efforts to diversify and expand the organization's funding base, strengthen its funding pipeline, develop strategic partnerships, position Hiwot Ethiopia competitively within the development sector, and secure high-quality funding opportunities aligned with the organization's strategic priorities.
The Director will also lead organizational development and capacity-strengthening initiatives aimed at improving institutional effectiveness, systems, workforce capacity, innovation, and long-term sustainability.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Executive Director, Senior Management Team, Program, Finance, HR, MEL, Communications, and other relevant functions to translate Hiwot Ethiopia's strategic priorities into sustainable growth and increased organizational impact.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership and Organizational Growth
Develop and implement an integrated organizational growth, business development, partnership, and resource mobilization strategy aligned with Hiwot Ethiopia's Strategic Plan.
Provide strategic advice to the Executive Director and Senior Management Team on funding trends, organizational growth opportunities, risks, and sustainability.
Identify opportunities for organizational expansion, portfolio diversification, strategic positioning, and new sources of revenue.
Contribute to organizational planning, strategy development, and senior management decision-making.
Promote a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, learning, and results.
- Resource Mobilization and Fundraising
Lead the identification, mapping, research, and analysis of funding opportunities from bilateral and multilateral donors, UN agencies, foundations, private-sector organizations, corporate partners, trusts, INGOs, and other funding sources.
Develop and implement strategies to diversify Hiwot Ethiopia's funding portfolio and strengthen long-term financial sustainability.
Establish, maintain, and strengthen relationships with existing and prospective donors, partners, sponsors, and funding institutions.
Lead fundraising initiatives, corporate engagement, sponsorship, and other innovative resource mobilization approaches.
Develop and maintain a comprehensive and regularly updated funding pipeline, including opportunity tracking, donor intelligence, positioning, and follow-up.
Monitor funding trends, donor priorities, competitive developments, and emerging opportunities and advise management accordingly.
- Proposal Development and Business Development
Lead the development of high-quality concept notes, expressions of interest, proposals, business cases, partnership applications, and other funding submissions.
Coordinate multidisciplinary proposal teams involving program, technical, finance, MEL, operations, and other relevant staff.
Ensure proposals are donor-responsive, technically sound, competitive, strategically aligned, and compliant with donor requirements.
Lead strategic positioning and pre-positioning for major funding opportunities.
Lead or support negotiations with donors, consortium partners, and strategic partners for major funding opportunities.
Maintain and continuously improve proposal templates, institutional capability statements, donor intelligence, and organizational resource mobilization systems.
Analyze unsuccessful proposals and donor feedback and ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future submissions.
- Strategic Partnerships and External Engagement
Develop and strengthen strategic partnerships with government institutions, NGOs, INGOs, UN agencies, donors, private-sector organizations, foundations, academic institutions, networks, and other development actors.
Lead consortium-building and partnership development for strategic and large-scale funding opportunities.
Represent Hiwot Ethiopia in relevant high-level meetings, forums, networks, conferences, and stakeholder engagements as delegated by the Executive Director.
Strengthen Hiwot Ethiopia's visibility, positioning, reputation, and competitive advantage within the Ethiopian development sector.
Develop and maintain strategic stakeholder and partner engagement plans.
- Organizational Development and Institutional Strengthening
Assess institutional capacity gaps and lead the development and implementation of organizational development initiatives.
Support the strengthening of organizational systems, structures, policies, processes, and workforce capacity.
Lead and facilitate organizational change and transformation initiatives.
Promote continuous learning, innovation, knowledge sharing, collaboration, and institutional accountability.
Support the development of staff capacity in resource mobilization, proposal development, donor engagement, partnership management, and business development.
- Team Leadership and Management
Lead, supervise, mentor, and develop staff working in resource mobilization, business development, partnerships, and proposal development.
Establish clear team objectives, performance indicators, and annual work plans.
Monitor team performance and provide regular coaching and professional development.
Promote effective collaboration across Program, Finance, HR, MEL, Communications, and other organizational units.
Build strong and professional relationships with colleagues, staff, partners, donors, and other stakeholders.
- Monitoring, Reporting and Accountability
Establish and monitor key performance indicators for resource mobilization, funding acquisition, partnership development, and organizational growth.
Track funding targets, proposal success rates, pipeline value, donor engagement, and partnership outcomes.
Provide regular analytical reports to the Executive Director and Senior Management Team.
Ensure resource mobilization and partnership activities comply with organizational policies, donor requirements, ethical standards, and applicable regulations.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date donor, partner, proposal, and funding pipeline databases.
Education
Master's degree or higher in Development Studies, Business Administration, International Development, Public Policy, Organizational Development, Management, Economics, or a related field is preferred.
Professional Experience
Minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in resource mobilization, fundraising, business development, partnership development, proposal development, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience in successfully identifying and securing funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, corporate/private-sector partners, UN agencies, INGOs, or other institutional funders.
Proven track record in competitive proposal development and successful grant acquisition.
Demonstrated experience in donor relationship management, strategic positioning, and partnership development.
Experience in organizational development, institutional strengthening, change management, or organizational transformation is highly desirable.
Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and coordinating complex proposal or partnership processes is strongly preferred.
Experience working within the Ethiopian NGO/development sector is an advantage.
Required Skills and Competencies
- Strategic and Technical Skills
Excellent strategic planning and business development skills.
Strong resource mobilization and fundraising expertise.
Excellent proposal and concept note writing skills.
Strong donor research, market intelligence, and funding pipeline management skills.
Knowledge of donor compliance, grant acquisition processes, and partnership development.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
Proficiency in donor databases, CRM systems, Microsoft Office, and other relevant digital tools.
- Leadership and Interpersonal Skills
Strong leadership, team management, mentoring, and coaching skills.
Excellent communication, negotiation, presentation, and networking skills.
Ability to establish and maintain high-level relationships with donors, partners, government representatives, and other stakeholders.
Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across organizational functions.
Strong partnership-building and consortium development skills.
- Personal Attributes
Strategic thinker with a strong growth and results orientation.
High level of integrity, professionalism, accountability, and confidentiality.
Entrepreneurial, innovative, proactive, and opportunity-oriented.
Highly organized and able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Adaptable and resilient in a dynamic operating environment.
Strong commitment to Hiwot Ethiopia's mission, vision, values, and organizational principles.
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