WASH Partnership Director

About the organization

Dig Deep is an award-winning NGO that believes everyone has a fundamental right to clean water, safe toilets and good hygiene through the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. Operating in Kenya since 2007, our mission is to collaborate with the Kenyan government, local businesses and communities, to transform access to these vital services for the 1 million people of Bomet County.

Our team is made up of 24 Kenyan and British staff & trustees supported by 300+ volunteers and our office is located in the heart of the communities we serve in Bomet. We have purpose, passion and pride in our work delivering transformational change. All of our trustees, staff and volunteers uphold and promote the values of listening and seeking first to understand, evolving our approach based on evidence and recognising expertise in all its forms.

About Dig Deep’s strategy

To set out how we will achieve our mission, in 2022 we supported The County Government of Bomet to launch the ‘Bomet County Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Masterplan 2022-50’ which:

• Provides a road-map towards Universal WASH access for every resident of Bomet County.
• Includes plans for improving all areas of WASH in Bomet County (including institutional strengthening, not just infrastructure).
• Is fully costed, and sets out a mechanism for funding.

The aim of the Masterplan is to achieve Basic WASH access for all residents of Bomet County by 2036 for water, and by 2030 for sanitation and hygiene. This means that every resident of the county will have a clean and reliable source of water within 1km of their house; an improved sanitation facility on their premises that meets their needs; and a place to wash their hands with soap. For more read the Executive Summary, full Masterplan and national press coverage. Progress towards universal access is monitored through detailed surveys covering all 1 million residents of the county which are publicly available via the Bomet County WASH Dashboard.

About the position

The WASH Partnership Director will play a pivotal role in mobalising the resources required to deliver both Dig Deep’s mission and the Bomet County WASH Masterplan. This position requires a dynamic individual with a strong background in both resource mobalisation and international development. The Partnership Director will be responsible for securing and stewarding long-term relationships with international foundations & trusts and corporate partners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Business Development | Trusts & Foundation and Corporate Partners:

• Lead on the development and stewardship of these critical funding relationships
• Develop funding pipeline through conducting research to identify suitable funding partners
• Attend and speak at conferences, technical working groups and other networking events to raise the charity’s profile and build relationships with potential and existing partners
• Make approaches to identified prospects through a mixture of cold outreach, creating networked introductions, generating referrals and presentations
• Maintain regular contact with existing trust and foundation partners to further strengthen these relationships
• Drive the implementation of Results-Based Financing (RBF), climate financing, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) with government partners

Grant writing:

• Once suitable opportunities for grant applications have been identified, write high-quality applications leveraging the charity’s expertise & track record of success
• Liaise with the Programme team to refine and develop programmes where possible to increase the likelihood of securing funding
• Maintain regular contact with the organisations being applied to steward the grant through relevant application processes

Programme reporting:

• Steward existing funding relationships through writing excellent reports on programmes as specified by individual partners
• Liaise with the Programme team to refine and develop programme reporting where possible to increase the likelihood of repeat funding
• Maintain regular contact with the organisations being reported to between formal reporting cycles to further strengthen relationships

Programme communications:

• Liaise with Programme team to write regular, compelling updates on programmes successes for use on social media and impact reports

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Master’s degree in International Development, MBA, Economics, Project Management, or equivalent preferred with basics in accounting
• At least five years’ experience in mobilising resources/fundraising in the international development context
• Knowledge of the Kenyan / International WASH sector specifically, or of the wider International Development Sector

Desired experience:

• Experience in resource mobilization and developing relationships, including direct experience with donors eg WB, USAID, GAC, UN Agencies, philanthropy organizations

Desired Competencies

• Excellent understanding of the needs/requirements of international development funders
• Strong track record of mobilising resources from trusts & foundations and/or mobilising resources from corporate partners
• Strong track record of networking and influencing senior stakeholders to mobilise resource
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to persuade through both presentations and written grant applications
• Competency in designing professional-looking presentations and reports
• An ability to think creatively
• An ability to undertake long-term strategic planning