Head of Fundraising and Business Development

About the role

Natural State is looking for a Head of Fundraising and Business Development based in Nairobi (Westlands). The role owns and executes the organization's global fundraising strategy, leads the end-to-end grant process, develops earned income from commercial sales of its services, and builds and leads a fundraising and business development team.

Key responsibilities

• Own and execute Natural State's global fundraising strategy across its 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 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 its 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, with analysis and forecasts for leadership.
• Set up systems to track the full pipeline of donors and commercial partners, ensuring disciplined follow-through and stewardship.
• Ensure donors and supporters receive high-quality, timely reporting on the use and impact of their funds, coordinating with program and finance teams.
• Work with the Director of Finance and Capital on proposal budgets, grant financial reporting and donor compliance, and with the Head of Communications & Partnerships on fundraising narratives and partnership-driven revenue.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, international development or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in fundraising, resource mobilization or business development, 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.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in commercial business development or earned-income generation, such as fee-for-service models or corporate partnerships.
• Experience managing or mentoring teams.
• Strongly preferred: CFRE or equivalent professional certification; experience in at least two major donor markets (e.g. US foundations and European multilateral agencies); existing network in conservation/climate philanthropy and corporate partnerships.

Required skills

• Proficiency with a CRM or similar pipeline-tracking system.
• Financial modelling and budget development for grant and commercial proposals.
• Working knowledge of proposal and grant management platforms.
• Strategic thinking, prioritization, commercial negotiation, and strong written and verbal communication.