GRANTS & PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER

Job Title: Grants & Partnerships Officer
Location: Kampala
Reports To: Chief Innovation and Sustainability Officer
Contract: Full time
Travel: Up to 30% Field Travel

About Nyaka

Established in 2001, Nyaka works with communities to nurture and protect children so they can learn, grow, and thrive. Its community-led model brings together Learning and Opportunity, Care Health and Protection, and Resilient Livelihoods and Community Power through Education; Libraries and Learning Spaces; the Alumni and Leadership Network; Health, including Nutrition and Mental Wellbeing; SGBV and CSA Prevention and Response; Grandmothers; and Farm and Forestry. Pasted text

Job Purpose

The Grants & Partnerships Officer will help Nyaka grow and diversify its income by building a strong pipeline of funding opportunities, developing high-quality proposals and cases for support, strengthening donor and partner relationships, and supporting implementation of Nyaka’s Uganda Local Fundraising Strategy (Harambe).

The role is responsible for keeping Nyaka’s fundraising pipeline active, organised and moving, from prospect identification and cultivation through to ask, grant management, stewardship, renewal and growth. Pasted text

Key Responsibilities

1. Build and Manage the Funding Pipeline

• Research, identify and qualify funding opportunities aligned with Nyaka’s strategy and programme priorities.
• Maintain an active pipeline across trusts and foundations, institutional funders, corporate partners and other strategic funding opportunities.
• Build a balanced grants pipeline across:
  • Small: £5,000–£50,000
  • Medium: £50,000–£100,000
  • Large: £100,000+
• Track prospects from identification through cultivation, application, decision, stewardship and renewal.
• Maintain clear income forecasts, deadlines, next actions and go/no-go decisions.
• Coordinate closely with the US/Global Advancement Team to ensure shared visibility of prospects, campaigns and major funding approaches and to avoid duplicate or competing approaches. Pasted text

2. Develop Strong Proposals & Cases for Support

• Lead the development and submission of high-quality concept notes, proposals, grant applications and donor pitches.
• Work with Programmes and MEAL to turn Nyaka’s implementation, evidence and learning into clear, fundable propositions.
• Work with Finance to develop accurate budgets and understand programme funding gaps, unrestricted needs and match-funding requirements.
• Maintain strong cases for support across Nyaka’s four Harambe investment themes:
  • Learning & Opportunity
  • Families, Care & Protection
  • Women, Grandmothers & Economic Resilience
  • Health & Dignity
• Ensure proposals clearly demonstrate impact, safeguarding, sustainability, innovation and opportunities for responsible scale.
• Capture learning from successful and unsuccessful applications to strengthen future fundraising. Pasted text

3. Develop Partnerships & Local Fundraising

• Support implementation of the Nyaka Uganda Local Fundraising Strategy – Harambe, helping build a year-round culture of locally rooted giving and partnership.
• Develop and maintain relationships with corporate, institutional, NGO, foundation and strategic partners.
• Support corporate partnership propositions covering programme investment, sponsorship, employee engagement, in-kind support and other forms of collaboration.
• Support the development of individuals, alumni and community networks as donors, advocates, ambassadors and connectors.
• Work closely with Communications on fundraising campaigns and events, with a particular focus on converting engagement into longer-term relationships.
• Support the CISO and senior leaders with donor and partner meetings, pitches, briefings and follow-up. Pasted text

4. Donor Stewardship & Grant Management

• Work with the Business development consultant to build strong, professional relationships with existing funders and partners and actively support renewal, repeat giving and relationship growth.
• Maintain a clear calendar of donor reporting requirements, grant conditions, deadlines and responsibilities.
• Coordinate donor reports with Programmes, MEAL, Finance, the Grants Consultant and CISO.
• Ensure reports are submitted on time and supported by accurate, verified programme and financial information.
• Ensure donors and partners are appropriately thanked, updated and given meaningful opportunities to remain engaged.
• Maintain complete and orderly grant and partnership records. Pasted text

5. Fundraising Systems, Data & Coordination

• Contribute to Nyaka’s central fundraising database/CRM, ensuring prospects, donors, partners, interactions, applications, gifts, commitments and next actions are accurately recorded.
• Maintain the central fundraising pipeline and accurate income forecasts.
• Coordinate the monthly Uganda Fundraising/Advancement meeting.
• Work with Communications and Finance to ensure cash and gifts-in-kind are appropriately recorded, acknowledged and reported.
• Work with Communications to develop donor-facing case studies, impact stories, learning briefs and fundraising materials.
• Support the development of appropriate funding and investment opportunities for Nyaka Microfinance (NMF). Pasted text

6. US/Global Advancement Coordination, Reporting & Learning

• Work closely with Nyaka’s US/Global Advancement Team to ensure Uganda fundraising and global Advancement operate as complementary parts of one organisational funding strategy.
• Maintain shared visibility of major prospects, donor relationships, campaigns, funding priorities and upcoming approaches.
• Share programme developments, evidence, funding needs and emerging cases for support that can strengthen US and international fundraising.
• Participate in relevant Advancement planning and pipeline meetings and follow through on agreed Uganda actions.
• Prepare concise monthly internal fundraising reports for the CISO and relevant senior managers.
• Coordinate quarterly fundraising and Advancement progress reports.
• Support the CISO in preparing clear fundraising and sustainability reports for Nyaka’s relevant Boards and Board committees.
• Develop simple dashboards that allow leadership and Boards to understand strategy, progress, performance, risks and learning.
• Highlight emerging funding gaps, underperforming areas, significant opportunities and decisions requiring leadership or Board attention.
• Ensure learning from successful and unsuccessful fundraising approaches is documented and used to improve future strategy. Pasted text

What Success Looks Like

The Officer will work to an annual fundraising plan and agreed income targets. Key measures will include:

1. Income generated.
2. Pipeline strength.
3. Proposal performance.
4. New donors and partners.
5. Retention and renewal.
6. Grant compliance.
7. Data and reporting.
8. Global coordination.
9. Learning. Pasted text

Person Specification

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in fundraising, grants, partnerships, business development or a closely related field.
• Strong proposal, grant and professional writing skills.
• Excellent research skills and ability to identify and qualify funding opportunities.
• Ability to develop compelling cases for support from complex programme information and evidence.
• Strong relationship-building and donor stewardship skills.
• Excellent organisation, prioritisation and deadline management.
• Confidence working with budgets, programme data, fundraising forecasts and performance dashboards.
• Experience using a CRM, database or structured pipeline-management system.
• Ability to present fundraising information clearly to senior leadership.
• Ability to coordinate effectively across Programmes, MEAL, Finance and Communications and with colleagues working internationally.
• Strong written and spoken English.
• Sound judgement, professionalism and commitment to Nyaka’s values and safeguarding standards. Pasted text

Desirable

• Experience securing funding from trusts, foundations, institutional or corporate funders.
• Experience of local fundraising or corporate partnerships in Uganda or East Africa.
• Experience developing five- or six-figure funding applications.
• Experience preparing fundraising reports or dashboards for senior management or Boards.
• Understanding of international development and/or community-based programming. Pasted text

Working Arrangements

The role is Kampala-based with regular programme and field exposure. Understanding Nyaka’s work directly is an important part of producing credible fundraising propositions and representing the organisation well to partners.

Some flexibility outside normal working hours may occasionally be required for donor meetings, international calls or critical submission deadlines. Pasted text

Safeguarding and Conduct

Nyaka is committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk. The postholder must comply with Nyaka’s safeguarding policies, code of conduct, consent procedures and data-protection requirements.

Appointment is subject to satisfactory reference and background checks in line with Nyaka policy. Pasted text

How to Apply

To apply, please submit the following to recruitment@nyakaglobal.org:

• Your CV and cover letter combined in one PDF.
• Copies of your highest academic qualification(s).
• A portfolio of previous content work, either as a PDF or a shareable link.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Pasted text

Application Deadline

20th October 2026.