Head of Growth, Fundraising & Communications

About the role

Spowdi is a Swedish greentech company delivering solar-powered drip irrigation to smallholder farmers in Kenya as a service under the brand Spowdi NOVA, through individual and community plans offered via SACCOs, cooperatives and table banking groups. The Head of Growth, Fundraising & Communications leads business development, grants and fundraising, and marketing and communications, reporting to the Commercial Director (dotted line to the Deputy CEO). The role suits someone who has helped build an early-stage company and is comfortable working hands-on with lean resources.

Key responsibilities

• Business development: agree short- and long-term goals with anchor partners in mobilisation, inputs, offtake, credit and insurance, and negotiate new partners; recruit SACCOs, cooperatives and table banking groups and move them to first installations; open NGO, county government and programme deals and standardise the partner toolkit.
• Marketing and communications: set an annual research agenda covering county and ward viability, farmer segmentation, willingness-to-pay and pricing tests, and combine findings with sales and payment data; act as custodian of the Spowdi Brand Book and track brand awareness; own the core message and set the annual channel mix and budget across ATL, TTL and BTL, timed to planting seasons; lead corporate communications and PR with investors, donors, DFIs, Swedish and Nordic partners, the Kenyan government and media, and produce investor and stakeholder materials.
• Grants and fundraising: build a pipeline of bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, challenge funds, climate and results-based financing programmes and DFI technical assistance; lead concept notes, proposals and budgets end to end, and manage awarded grants with Finance and Operations; support equity, debt and blended-finance raises and set an annual funding target reported monthly.

Required profile

• 8+ years in business development, fundraising, marketing, communications or market research in Kenyan rural or emerging markets, including 3+ years leading a team.
• Track record of winning and managing grants or concessional funding from donors, foundations, challenge funds or DFIs, with proposals written and led personally.
• At least 3 years in an early-stage or growth-stage startup or social enterprise, ideally in a founding or first-hire role.
• Proven partnerships with SACCOs, cooperatives, microfinance institutions or farmer groups.
• Hands-on experience designing and managing quantitative and qualitative field research, and a track record of ATL, TTL and BTL campaigns with results shown in sales.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Economics, Agribusiness or a related field; willingness to travel to field counties.

Required skills

• Fluent English and Kiswahili.
• Strong commercial and analytical skills (unit economics, budgets, Excel).
• Desirable: experience in agri-inputs, solar, PAYGo or asset finance; corporate communications or PR with international investors, donors or DFIs; CIM qualification or membership of the Marketing Society of Kenya; results-based financing, carbon finance or climate adaptation experience; existing network with donors, impact investors and DFIs in East African agriculture or energy access.