Senior Growth Manager

Senior Growth Manager

Spark is seeking a driven and dynamic Senior Growth Manager to join our team to help propel our fundraising efforts to enable a national program in Rwanda to come to reality and unlock billions in development financing for the poorest villages. This role will be instrumental in sustaining and growing Spark's impact by securing grants from foundations, bilateral/multilateral donors, and other institutional funders. The position will work closely with our country teams to effectively identify and manage opportunities and expand our reach.

The Senior Growth Manager should have experience working with teams across geographies and the professionalism to represent Spark externally with donors both virtually and in-person. The Senior Growth Manager will report to the Growth Director, work closely with the growth and leadership teams to identify and pursue important funding opportunities. The Senior Growth Manager will produce high-quality content that engages funders and aligns with Spark’s strategic objectives. The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator, with exceptional writing, presentation, and organizational skills.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor pipeline development and management

Year one goal: Maintain smooth and timely opportunity management, ensuring response times of 24hrs for urgent or quick matters and one week for detailed submissions. Progress 5+ new 6-7 figure opportunities.  

• Build, maintain and strengthen systems and processes for full-cycle donor prospecting, cultivation, and stewardship.
• Lead research, qualification, and management of a pipeline of new donor prospects. 
• Develop compelling communications (proposals, presentations, etc.) that reflect a robust understanding of Spark’s work, fundraising priorities and the prospects’ interests.  
• Ensure responsive and accurate communication with all prospective donors.
• Represent the organization with external stakeholders (funders, key partners, etc.) and supporting event planning and logistics when necessary.

Quality donor engagement 

Year one goal: Mature and streamline Spark’s donor field visit processes, standardizing the approach, ultimately ensuring that logistics are smooth and professional and visitors gain a genuine understanding of the experiences and impact within communities. 

• Lead planning and execution of high-quality donor field visits, ensuring each visit effectively showcases Spark's citizen-driven model, highlights Spark’s strategy, and aligns with the interests and needs of current and prospective partners. 
• Curate sessions throughout the year that engage donors as genuine design and thought leaders, allowing Spark to leverage their knowledge and expertise and foster deeper ownership and understanding of the challenges and opportunities Spark faces. 

Cross-team collaboration

Year one goal: Work with and support Spark’s country teams and other departments to establish effective relationships with external stakeholders, streamlining the identification and mobilization of large scale or strategic funding opportunities.

• Coordinate with country teams on the identification, cultivation, and active management of country specific funding opportunities. This will include:
  • Ensuring clarity on roles and the leveraging of organizational systems and best practices
  • Assessing opportunities for alignment with the organization's strategic fundraising priorities
  • Development and reviewing donor communication materials for quality
  • Monitoring donor engagement and responsiveness in a supportive and collaborative manner. 

Data driven management of fundraising

• Ensure complete and accurate records of donor data, revenue targets and fundraising performance are maintained. 
• Develop fundraising reports for management and the Board on pipeline progress, fundraising performance, and key opportunities/learnings. 
• Support the maturing of Spark’s CRM usage and engagement in partnership with Spark’s Grants and Report Manager.
• Run internal research on development strategies and best practices for organizations of Sparks size and focus.

Growth Team development and management 

• Actively assess fundraising capacity needs and advocate for cost-effective solutions with manager
• Provide management and professional development support to direct reports   

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience with nonprofit fundraising, communications, or development, including at least 3 years of progressive experience with direct fundraising and donor relations.
• Proven track record securing five-figure awards from foundations and institutional donors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience crafting compelling narratives
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines while working with internationally dispersed colleagues 
• Ability to be flexible and collaborative; to assess capacities and priorities and work with colleagues to meet both immediate needs and mature the growth function. 
• Experience with CRM systems, preferably Salesforce
• Experience working in sub-Saharan Africa and knowledge of the East African context preferred.
• Experience with international development and/or community-driven development preferred.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Job Location: Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, Elsewhere in East Africa will also be considered, if candidates already possess valid, legal work authorization for other requested job locations.