Public Sector Partnerships Officer at WWF South Africa

Minimum Requirements

• Appropriate Master’s level qualification, preferably in biological, conservation or environmental sciences, international relations, or a similar field
• Proven track record of at least 5 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.
• Experience in managing administrative and financial data, and reporting requirements for public sector funders.
• 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.
• Excellent planning and organising skills, and outstanding attention to detail.
• Accurate, self-starter.

Duties and Responsibilities

Resource Mobilization: supporting the Public Sector Partnerships Manager. 

• Support the Public Sector Partnerships Manager to raise funding for WWF SA’s highest priority work, develop comprehensive funding proposals, while also building partnerships and exploring further opportunities.
• Build and manage proposal development timelines and strategies, ensuring that the proposal development team meets strict deadlines. Revise timelines as necessary in line with priorities.
• Develop a diverse range of funding opportunities across different themes, working with multiple internal WWF-SA portfolio teams.
• Write proposals as necessary, overseen by the Head of BDU, with engagement with the Strategy Delivery Lead
• Liaise with environmental teams to develop projects and proposals in reaction to calls, as well as building up a project proposal pipeline.
• Monitor opportunities and calls, while building up a database of funders. Manage intelligence gathering, research, data collection, and competitive analyses related to funding opportunities.

Partnership Development: supporting the Public Sector Partnerships Manager. 

• Align, influence and strengthen WWF-SA’s agenda with key public sector partners.
• Support the PSP Manager to establish and nurture relationships with funders and prospective funders.
• Manage processes and requirements for specific donors/funders, with the Accredited Entity, and oversee teams/consultants developing/writing the proposal.
• Keep track of delivery of PSP projects with environmental teams, including supporting on reporting, reviewing progress, and ensuring timely delivery as per contracts.
• Provide a coordination role between the partner funder and the Environmental Programmes teams implementing the project.
• Ensuring and developing, where necessary, effective and efficient admin and financial systems for financial and technical reporting, and liaising with the Finance and Business Teams to do this.
• Connecting proposals in development, and reporting on project delivery, to MEL framework and systems, and liaising with the MEL team to do this.
• Manage and ensure the quality of applications and contract delivery working with the Programme and Finance and Business Support teams.
• Facilitate an improved understanding of the public sector and finance environment within WWF-SA in order to grow opportunities and partnerships in this area.