Public Sector Partnerships Manager at WWF South Africa

Minimum Requirements

• Masters Level qualification, preferably in biological, conservation or environmental sciences, international relations, or a similar field. 
• Proven track record of at least 10 years’ experience in proposal writing and fundraising applications.
• Specific preference will be given to candidates with experience in engaging with public sector, finance institutions, or fundraising.
• Excellent writing skills and technical capacity to translate conservation and sustainability approaches and complex funding needs into appealing donor proposals.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is a prerequisite and fluency in another African language would be an advantage.
• Proficiency in MS Office.
• Good interpersonal skills and experience in relationship management with partners.
• Competent multi-tasker, who can manage multiple engagements and proposals, and can coordinate multiple partners and colleagues around a specific objective.
• Excellent planning and organising skills, and outstanding attention to detail.
• Accurate, self-starter.
• People management
• Embraces diversity of opinions and backgrounds.

Duties and Responsibilities

Major Duties and Accountabilities: 

• Raise funding for WWF SA’s highest priority conservation work.
• Coordinate strategic Relationship Management with local Government Aid Agencies (GAAs), International Development Public Sector Partners, International Trusts and Foundations and Public Finance and Multi-Finance Institutions.
• Identify critical funding partners, establish and nurture relationships.
• Market research and horizon scanning on international development funding opportunities and pipeline information at the behest of the Head of Business Development.
• In cooperation with the Environmental Programme team, match conservation needs with available sources of funding.
• Design projects suitable for funding at the behest of the Head of Environmental Programmes,
• Close co-operation with the WWF International and WWF PSP network on Mega-potential relationships, with support from the Environmental Programme Team.
• Oversee engagements with National Government, in collaboration with key colleagues, especially the Nationally Designated Authority/Focal Point, etc. to ensure national processes are followed and national support is secured.
• Integrate a regional approach in terms of priority initiatives with other WWF offices.
• Responsible for quality management of applications.
• Oversee and be accountable for proposal development and contract delivery.

Detailed Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Lead the identification of strategic international partners within international development, public sector partners, public and multi-lateral finance environments, and international human development NGOs (situated predominantly in US and Europe) that offer significant potential to add impact to WWFs work, either through their presence or networks, influence, technical capacity, strategic alignment with WWF, or financial resources. 
• Develop in-country and international relationships with this group, in order to identify strategic alignment, cooperation and collaboration opportunities, focusing on significant, or step-change, interventions that WWF has identified (e.g. addressing shortfalls in finance to meet strategic targets, or investment in southern African strategic water source areas).
• Undertake ongoing liaison with potential financing partners and other relevant institutions.
• Lead dialogue within WWF, & between WWF and these partners, in order to improve overall strategic alignment, identify opportunities for collaboration, and strengthen collective response to the challenges identified through the WWF conservation strategies.
• Contribute to a strategic understanding of, and engagement with, the substantive technical issues, institutions, and processes within the region, including establishing contact and developing strategic partnerships with other agencies, donors, NGO’s, the private sector, scientific institutions and the like;
• Identify and provide quality information and technical advice on sources of funds, policies, priorities and activities;
• Engage proactively in resource mobilization processes, and facilitate, coordinate, develop and submit funding proposals/grant applications that support principally the step-change interventions WWF SA has identified.