Head Of Fundraising and Business Development at Natural State

Head Of Fundraising and Business Development at Natural State | Iko Kazi

Position Summary

Natural State has an active network of funder relationships and a strong fundraising pipeline already in motion. This role is responsible for securing that funding, and for building new, sustainable revenue from Natural State's own work in training, monitoring and other services.

This role's mandate is philanthropic fundraising and commercial revenue.

Key Responsibilities:

Own and execute Natural State's global fundraising strategy across our departments.
Lead the end-to-end grant lifecycle, including concept notes, proposals, budgets, and compliance reporting, in close collaboration with internal teams.
Identify and close commercial opportunities to sell Natural State's training, monitoring, and other services to corporate, government, and institutional buyers, generating earned income beyond grants.
Represent Natural State at donor convenings and industry forums to build Natural State's profile with funders and commercial partners.
Build and lead a high-performing fundraising and business development team, hiring staff to scale capacity.
Monitor and report performance against annual fundraising and commercial revenue targets, providing clear analysis and forecasts to leadership.
Establish robust systems to track the full pipeline of donors and commercial partners, ensuring disciplined follow-through and stewardship.
Ensure all donors and supporters receive high-quality, timely reporting on the use and impact of their funds, in close coordination with program and finance teams.
Collaborate closely with the Director of Finance and Capital on all proposal budgets, grant financial reporting, and donor compliance to ensure alignment and accuracy.
Collaborate with the Head of Communications & Partnerships to ensure powerful fundraising narratives and align on partnership-driven revenue.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, international development, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred.
Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in fundraising, resource mobilization, or business development required, including at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
Demonstrated personal track record of securing six- and seven-figure grants (USD 100,000 or more) from foundations, bilateral/multilateral agencies, or international NGOs required.
Minimum 2 years of experience in commercial business development or earned-income generation, such as fee-for-service models or corporate partnerships, required.

Technical Skills:

Proficiency in using a CRM or similar pipeline-tracking system required.
Proficiency in financial modelling and budget development for grant and commercial proposals required.
Working knowledge of proposal and grant management platforms required.

Core Skills & Competencies:

Exceptional strategic thinking, prioritization, and commercial negotiation abilities.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling funding and commercial cases.
High-level interpersonal and diplomatic skills, comfortable engaging with CEOs, board members, major donors, and corporate partners.
Collaborative mindset, able to work effectively with program, communications, and finance colleagues.
Experience managing or mentoring teams.

Strongly Preferred:

CFRE (Certified Fund-Raising Executive) or equivalent professional certification preferred.
Experience living or working in multiple geographic regions, with direct fundraising or business development experience in at least two major donor markets (e.g., US foundations and European multilateral agencies)
Existing network within conservation/climate philanthropy and corporate partnerships.

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