Donor and External Relations Senior Manager -… at Spark… · Kigali

ABOUT SPARK MICROGRANTS

Spark Microgrants believes in a world where everyone lives with dignity and determines their own positive future. Decades of prescriptive aid have sidelined the poor from the very programs meant to uplift them. We believe in local solutions and catalyzing rural villages facing poverty into action.

Building on the success of the Advancing Citizen Engagement (ACE) Project, the Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) and the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA), has developed the National Framework for Participatory Village Planning (NFPVP). The framework aims to strengthen citizen participation and inclusive development planning at the village level as part of Rwanda’s decentralization agenda.

Spark Microgrants, in collaboration with MINALOC and LODA, will support the national rollout of the NFPVP beginning in 2026, alongside direct implementation in selected sectors to generate learning for national scale-up.

About the Role

The role leads, in close collaboration with the Country Director, Spark’s donor engagement, resource mobilization, and high-level strategic partnerships, ensuring sustainable funding, strong external positioning, and effective leadership of external relations. A key focus of this role is working closely with the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) and affiliated government institutions to advance the operationalization of the National Framework for Participatory Village Planning (NFPVP) nationwide. The position operates at a strategic and representational level, enabling program scale and impact, while relying on technical and program teams for implementation and compliance.

Key responsibilities:

Donor Relations and Resource Mobilization

• Lead the development and execution of Spark’s donor engagement and fundraising strategy for Rwanda in close collaboration with the Country Director.
• Identify, pursue, and secure new funding opportunities aligned with organizational priorities and growth plans.
• Oversee proposal development processes, ensuring strong coordination, quality assurance, and timely submission, while drawing on technical teams for content expertise.
• Provide leadership with insights on donor trends, funding landscapes, and partnership opportunities relevant to decentralization and community development.
• Create and steward relationships with institutional donors and strategic partners through structured engagement, updates, and high-level briefings.

Strategic Partnerships and External Representation

• Serve as Spark’s senior representative with government and external stakeholders at a strategic and relationship-management level, ensuring alignment, visibility, and institutional support.
• Maintain senior-level relationships with MINALOC, LODA, MINECOFIN, and other government bodies, ensuring strong support and coordination for NF rollout and implementation.
• Represent Spark in high-level coordination platforms, donor forums, and strategic convenings to strengthen positioning and partnerships both in Rwanda and where relevant internationally.
• Oversee partnership agreements and MoUs from a strategic oversight perspective, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

Communications, Visibility, and External Positioning

• Provide strategic direction to the development of donor-facing and external communications materials, including success stories, presentations, and briefing notes.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality communication with donors on progress, milestones, and strategic developments, in coordination with program and communications teams.
• Lead high-level donor and partner engagements, visits, and visibility initiatives that strengthen institutional relationships.

Leadership and Country-Level Support

• Lead and mentor staff within the Donors and External Relations function, including the Program Development Manager and Communications Officer.
• Contribute to organizational strategy, annual planning, and external positioning efforts.
• Act as deputy to the Country Director when required, supporting leadership of in-country operations and representing Spark externally at senior forums.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in international development, Communications, Business Administration, Public Relations, or related fields.
• Minimum 7–10 years of experience in donor relations, partnerships, fundraising, or resource mobilization within the nonprofit or international development sector.
• Strong knowledge of grant management, compliance, and proposal writing.
• Excellent communication skills—written, verbal, and presentation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder relationships.
• Strong people skills and cultural sensitivity.
• Demonstrated experience working with national level government.
• Experience in managing teams and serving on program/team management structure.

Key Competencies

• Strategic relationship-building
• Donor and partner negotiation
• High-quality writing, presentation and storytelling
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Collaboration across diverse teams
• Leadership and mentorship
• Results-oriented project management

OTHER INFORMATION:

• Location: Kigali - Rwanda

• Reports to: Country Director

• Application end date: On a rolling basis, we reserve the right to close this recruitment process at any time.

• Expected Start Date: As soon as possible.

• How to Apply: Follow the link to apply: https://sparkmicrogrants.bamboohr.com/careers/153?source=aWQ9NA%3D%3D

Equal Opportunity

Spark Microgrants provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Employment decisions at Spark are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Spark does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by the law. Spark will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship to daily operations.