The Funding Manager plays a pivotal role within the Institutional Funding and Partnerships structure of the organisation, driving the fulfilment of WaterAid’s strategic objectives. The core mission of this role is to engage with both new and existing institutional donors, facilitating the acquisition and responsible stewardship of resources. In doing so, the Funding Manager empowers WaterAid to deliver outstanding programs that contribute to the realization of the ambitious Accelerate 2030 goals, as outlined in WaterAid’s global strategy.

Working within the WaterAid Ghana Country Program this role focuses on establishing and nurturing relationships with priority donors, cultivating consortium partnerships, and crafting or coordinating compelling proposals for strategically significant funding opportunities. The Funding Manager operates as a catalyst for best practices in the bidding process, contributing specialized expertise across disciplines and functions. By actively engaging in business development activities, the incumbent ensures that WaterAid Ghana is well-equipped to secure funding, forge impactful partnerships, and ultimately transform the lives of those we serve through sustainable WASH initiatives.

Key Accountabilities:

1. Programme Funding Strategy:

Develop and implement a programme funding strategy to achieve sustainable income growth for WaterAid Ghana (WAG) in alignment with its strategic and operational objectives. A key part will be Lead the formulation of a comprehensive business development strategy and action plan based on existing donor scoping and funding plans. (15%)

2. Key Stakeholder Relationship Management:

Take the lead in establishing and nurturing relationships with key stakeholders including donors, partners, and funding teams across the WA Federation to position WAG strategically for funding opportunities. The Funding Manager will be responsible for collecting and disseminating intelligence on the funding landscape and upcoming opportunities. (25%)

3. Bid Development:

Managing the bid development process for technical and narrative proposals, including budget development in close collaboration with Programme, Research and Policy Team, PODD, and Finance Teams. (25%)

4. Restricted Income Management:

Lead and ensure compliance with WaterAid’s Restricted Income Management System (RIS). (10%)

5. Donor Compliance:

Support the Country Director to maintain an overview of all grants, monitor implementation schedules, adhere to reporting timelines, and ensure compliance with grant agreements and contractual obligations. (15%)

6. Capacity Building:

Develop the capacity of the CP (Country Programme) team in programme funding, donor landscape understanding, and trends through briefings, seminars, and routine advice. (10%)

To be successful, you will need the following:

Essential Skills:

• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrate strong strategic, analytical, and systems thinking skills with the ability to solve complex problems and envision the bigger picture.
• Relationship Management: Possess excellent relations management abilities, with the capacity to engage effectively with individuals at all levels, both internally and externally. Approach relationships strategically.
• Proposal Development: Exhibit demonstrated experience in leading and producing competitive applications and proposals in programming contexts similar to WaterAid Ghana.
• Budget Development: Have demonstrated experience in developing budgets for various donors, including USAID, EU, BGMF, and GAC, with experience in cooperative agreement/grant and contract mechanisms highly desired.
• Donor Knowledge: Display comprehensive familiarity with the technical and cost requirements of key institutional donors such as USAID, CDC, and the Department of State.
• Negotiation: Exhibit excellent negotiation skills, enabling effective collaboration and agreement among diverse stakeholders.
• Communication and Presentation: Have strong communication and presentation skills, ensuring the clear and compelling conveyance of ideas and proposals.
• Proactive and Results-Oriented: Proactively tackle challenges, showcase resourcefulness, and maintain a solutions-oriented and results-focused approach.
• Qualifications: Hold a master’s degree in international development, international relations, or a related field.
• International Development Experience: Possess a minimum of five years of international development experience.

Desirable skills

• Competitive Positioning: Demonstrate experience in utilizing diverse and proactive strategies to competitively position an organization for new funding opportunities and productive institutional relationships.
• USAID Funding Mechanisms: Possess knowledge of and experience with both USAID RFP and RFA funding mechanisms, highly desirable.
• Team Collaboration and Coordination: Demonstrate a strong ability to collaborate effectively with various departments, particularly finance and program teams, as well as external stakeholders, to coordinate proposal development and related activities.
• Communication and Deadline Management: Proficiency in clear and smooth communication is crucial for successful interactions. The role may not involve direct team management, but it requires the capability to work seamlessly under pressure and meet tight deadlines while maintaining exceptional communication standards.
• Training Facilitation: Have experience in developing content for and facilitating training sessions related to key business development practices. Knowledge of adult learning approaches is desired.
• WaterAid Knowledge: Knowledge of WaterAid Program Aims and safeguarding principles is a plus.