Grants and Partnerships Lead

About the role

Burn is seeking a senior Grants and Partnerships Lead to own the end‑to‑end grants writing function. You will work directly with the Director to position Burn compellingly to bilateral donors, multilateral institutions, foundations and climate‑focused grant programmes.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a structured grant pipeline covering bilateral, multilateral, foundation and climate‑finance windows.
• Conduct horizon‑scanning to identify new funding opportunities aligned with Burn’s strategic priorities.
• Lead the writing, structuring and quality assurance of grant proposals, concept notes and related documents.
• Translate technical operations, impact data and strategic priorities into funder‑appropriate narratives, log‑frames, theories of change and budgets.
• Manage proposal timelines, internal reviews and CEO sign‑off to ensure timely, high‑quality submissions.
• Build and nurture relationships with programme officers and key contacts at priority funders.
• Represent Burn at donor engagements, pre‑proposal meetings and sector convenings.

Required profile

• Minimum 7 years of experience in grant writing, donor engagement or fundraising for development‑focused organisations.
• Proven ability to manage complex proposal processes from identification through award.
• Strong analytical skills to assess funder fit, eligibility and strategic alignment.
• Excellent written communication skills with the ability to craft compelling narratives for diverse audiences.

Required skills

• Grant writing
• Proposal development
• Budgeting