Tag: job

Head of Resource Mobilisation

Posted on by Sam Webb

About Us

Producers Direct is an award-winning enterprise led by farmers for farmers. We work with smallholder farmers to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to the daily challenges they face enabling smallholders to transform their farms into sustainable businesses. Our unique farmer-led model blends in-person services with cutting-edge digital tools enabling smallholder farmers to enhance their participation in, and ownership of key crop value chains.

Since launching in 2009, we’ve worked in partnership with farmers in our network to design farmer-led digital and in-person services across four key pillars. These are – training and information to improve incomes and resilience, data for improved decision making, financial services to de-risk investment in on-farm diversification, and adopting new practices and access to markets so farmers increase their profits. Producers Direct works with over 1.3 million farmers in the Tea, Coffee and Honey Value chains across East Africa in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and in Latin America, with offices in Kenya, Peru, London, and the United States.

 

About the Role

We are seeking a Head of Resource Mobilisation to lead the delivery of our ambitious multi-year Fundraising, Resource Mobilisation & Partnerships Strategy. This role sits on our senior leadership team, and you will be responsible for leading our Fundraising Teams in Africa and Latin America

This is not a typical fundraising role. It is an exciting opportunity to work with an ambitious international NGO during a period of exponential growth. We have recently developed multi-year partnerships and secured six figure grants from GIZ Innovation for Agriculture Programme, Inter American Development Bank, Dovetail Foundation and WFP Innovation Accelerator. We have an excellent pipeline of fundraising and resource mobilisation opportunities, a strong representation of fundraising skills and contacts on our Board of Trustees and plenty of opportunities for career advancement and professional development.

Job Title: Head of Resource Mobilisation

Reports to: CEO (UK-based)

Contract: Initial 12-month fixed-term employment contract, pending the completion of a successful 3-month probationary review period (with potential for the contract to become permanent beyond the initial 12-months). Contract Terms: Full-time or Part-time (0.8FTE) / flexible working options will be considered.

Location: UK or USA.

 

Goal: Ensure the long-term financial sustainability of Producers Direct by: 1) delivering and further developing our 2022-2025 fundraising strategy to secure ~£3m per year to support programme delivery and operations; and 2) supporting the development of Producers Direct’s business model and leveraging a range of revenue generation opportunities to reduce our income from restricted grants from 90% to 70% by 2025.

 

The person we are looking for:

Creativity and passion

    • Committed to our farmer-led model and strategy to identify and scale innovative approaches to empowering smallholder farmers to improve their livelihoods.
    • Innovative and creative when it comes to brainstorming and developing new projects and partnerships, working closely with the global Programmes Team, Digital Team and Senior Leadership Team.
    • Able to distil and communicate complex concepts and highly innovative approaches, which successfully resonates with a range of audiences.

Organisation, planning and initiative

    • Able to develop and deliver clear processes for the Fundraising Team to follow in order to replicate our success on an increasingly larger scale.
    • An excellent time keeper with the ability to work with limited support and hit the ground running.
    • Confident to manage highly complex bids, work to multiple deadlines and engage a range of different partners and stakeholders.

Leadership and strategic thinking

    • Capable of leading a diverse team working across multiple geographies.
    • A confident decision maker with exceptional relationship building skills.
    • A strategic thinker, able to manage the successful delivery of daily/ weekly objectives alongside consistently working towards achieving our strategic vision.

Accountability and commitment to making things happen

    • Able to take ownership of all responsibilities and honour commitments, as well as supporting and empowering their team to do the same.
    • A self starter who thrives working on small, diverse teams and is ready to hit the ground running.
    • Determined and strives to improve and deliver above and beyond what is expected.

 

Responsibilities include:

Objective 1: Lead the delivery and further development of Producers Direct’s Multi-year Resource Mobilisation Strategy, to secure ~£3m per year to support programme delivery and operations from Bi/ multilaterals, Corporates, Private Foundations.

    • Lead the development of successful multi-year fundraising proposals.
    • Cultivate relationships with new potential donors and strategic partners through networking and attending events (online and in person).
    • Creating and delivering compelling pitches for in-person presentations and pitches to potential donors / strategic funding partners.
    • Overall management and growth of the Fundraising Team, including line management for our International fundraising team.
    • Liaise with the programme, digital and finance teams to compile donor reports.
    • Drive a clear donor communications strategy, leveraging Producers Direct’s comprehensive impact data and compelling case studies.

Objective 2: Work with SLT to develop our business model. Help leverage a range of revenue generation opportunities such as Impact Investment / Impact bonds, Green Finance/ Carbon credits, Tech innovators e.g. Blockchain Company Foundations, Individual donors (HNIs etc.) to reduce our income from grants from 90% to 70% by 2025.

    • Help identify and test a range of new innovative approaches to financing our strategic vision to reach 1.7m farmers by 2025.
    • Develop and deliver pitches and proposals to potential investors.
    • Secure funding and partnerships to help deliver ‘proof of concept’ revenue generation projects which can be scaled if successful.

 

Requirements:

    • Extensive experience in the NGO and/or start-up fundraising or business development sector (10 years).
    • A track record of securing multi-year 6 and 7 figure proposals from a mix of NGOs, charities, Trusts & Foundations, Bilaterals, Multilaterals and/or governments to include a record of successful fundraising results. We are also looking for someone who has experience, or is open to scoping, funding opportunities from Impact Investors, Tech Innovators, Green Finance.
    • Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills (written/verbal) particularly the ability to network and build partnerships effectively.
    • Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal – particularly the ability to produce written proposals/ letters of interest/ concept notes and create and deliver pitches/presentations to potential donors and strategic partners.
    • Line management and leadership experience of a global team.
    • Knowledge and understanding of the sectors Producers Direct operates in and/ or designing and delivering projects which reach rural communities.

 

What we can offer you:

    • Salary: £50,000 – £60,000 for someone based in the UK; $70,000 – $80,000 for someone based in the USA.
    • Initial 12-month fixed term contract, pending the completion of a successful 3-month probationary review period, with scope for longer-term contract extension.
    • Excellent employee benefits package after initial 3 months, including access to a generous pensions scheme with a 9% employer match & 25 days of vacation. *USA applicants, we recently registered in the USA and are unfortunately unable to offer health/dental/vision insurance benefits.
    • Hands on leadership experience and responsibility from day one and the opportunity to make a real impact in a small, but ambitious organisation.

 

If this sounds like you, please send your CV, and a one-page cover letter to info@producersdirect.org by 8th July 2022, with the email subject title :Application: Head of Resource Mobilisation. In your cover letter, please include one paragraph addressing the following question: What is your most successful fundraising achievement to date, and why?

 

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.