Strategic Partnership Manager - Africa

Ipas; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Ipas is recruiting a Strategic Partnership Manager to strengthen resource mobilization and expand Africa's partnership portfolio. This remote role focuses on identifying and cultivating donors, foundations, and corporate partners aligned with reproductive justice goals.

You will develop engagement plans, draft proposals and budgets, and work with the network to deliver compelling donor materials while upholding Ipas's mission and values.

Qualifications

• Ten+ years of experience managing complex programs and projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Experience in fundraising and proposal development for NGOs or mission-driven organizations.
• Strong understanding of institutional donor environments, foundations, and partnerships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English and French.
• Experience working internationally in reproductive health or rights preferred.
• Commitment to reproductive justice and inclusive leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop opportunity pipeline and map priority funders aligned with Ipas mission.
• Create donor engagement plans and draft capability statements, one-pagers, and budgets.
• Support proposal development and quality assurance for donor submissions.
• Collaborate with networks to ensure donor reporting and alignment with donor evaluation criteria.

Skills

Business development

Proposal development

Donor engagement

English & French

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

This is a remote position.

Compensation for this position will be determined by the prevailing market rate in the employee's country in addition to Ipas's own pay philosophy and other factors, such as the employee's experience level and expertise.

Candidates based in the following countries are eligible to apply: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya/Alliance locations, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia.

Ipas seeks a Strategic Partnership Manager to strengthen resource mobilization and the partnership portfolio in Africa.

The manager will identify, cultivate, and expand a pipeline of institutional donors, foundations, corporate partners, and strategic collaborators whose priorities align with Ipas's mission and values.

The role will provide targeted business development support for high-value funding opportunities, deepen engagement with priority donors and partners, and contribute to compelling donor-facing materials, including expressions of interest, concept notes, proposals, budgets, presentations, results frameworks, and partnership strategies.

The Strategic Partnership Manager will demonstrate a strong commitment to reproductive justice, including human rights, abortion rights, gender equity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The role will collaborate across the Ipas Network and promote shared leadership, trust, and inclusive, non-hierarchical approaches to learning and collaboration, while supporting effective stewardship of donor resources and adherence to Ipas's mission, values, and standards.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Opportunity Pipeline Development and Donor/Partner Intelligence Map priority foundations, institutional funders, corporate partners, and strategic implementing partners aligned with Ipas's mission and work. Analyze funder priorities, eligibility, timelines, typical award size, indirect cost expectations, compliance considerations, and relationship pathways. Identify and track requests for proposals, calls for proposals, invitations, and relationship-led opportunities, and maintain an up-to-date pipeline tracker. Support go/no-go decisions through fit assessments, competitiveness analysis, and risk and feasibility review, including deadlines, staffing, partnership needs, cost share, and indirect rate constraints.
2. External Relations and Resource Mobilization Support Develop donor and partner engagement plans for priority prospects, including objectives, messages, decision-makers, and follow-up actions. Draft and refine positioning materials, including capability statements, one-pagers, brief slide decks, project summaries, and boilerplate language. Build Ipas Network intelligence on key trends and opportunities in Africa. Work with the Communications Service Node to contribute to external communications through the Ipas website, newsletters, and social media. Prepare talking points, briefing notes, and agendas for external meetings; when requested, participate in meetings, capture next steps, and support follow-up. Advise on partnership strategy, including lead versus sub-award roles, consortium roles, negotiation points, partner mapping, and outreach. Work with the Development Service Node to report quarterly and annually on fundraising efforts and results and participate in annual management cycle activities.
3. Proposal Development, Review, and Quality Assurance Support donor-facing submissions, including expressions of interest, concept notes, and full proposals, in coordination with internal teams and partners. Develop and review technical narratives for compliance, clarity, and responsiveness to donor evaluation criteria. Support required annexes, including results frameworks or log frames, workplans, monitoring, evaluation and learning plans, risk matrices, and staffing plans. Coordinate with finance counterparts to develop and quality-check budgets and budget narratives for alignment with the technical approach and donor cost rules. Provide structured written feedback through tracked comments or review memos and participate in review meetings to agree on revisions and next steps.

Minimum Requirements:

• Ten or more years’ work experience managing programs and projects with increasing complexity and responsibility
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
• Demonstrated experience in business development, fundraising, and/or proposal development for NGOs, social enterprises, or mission-driven organizations.
• Strong understanding of institutional donor environments, including bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, and partnership or consortium approaches.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and French.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines, coordinate across teams, and deliver high-quality products with minimal supervision.
• Proven record of developing competitive proposals and donor-facing products, including complex budgets and results frameworks or log frames.
• Subject-matter expertise in sexual and reproductive health and rights and reproductive justice, and/or experience working internationally.
• Deep commitment to reproductive justice, human rights, abortion rights, gender equity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Commitment to shared leadership, trust, and inclusive, non-hierarchical ways of working.

Travel & Work Environment

Regular travel within Africa and to strategic hubs, in accordance with Ipas travel policies.

Virtual collaboration with colleagues across the Ipas Network and across time zones.

Weekly written progress updates and biweekly virtual check-ins with the Director of Development and relevant staff.

Deliverables submitted electronically in editable formats, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, unless otherwise agreed.

Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity.

We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy.

Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.

Ipas works globally to improve access to safe abortion and contraception so that every woman and girl can determine her own future.

Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, we work with partners to make safe abortion and contraception widely available, to connect women with vital information so they can access safe services, and to advocate for safe, legal abortion.

We believe in a world where every woman and girl has the right and ability to determine her own sexuality and reproductive health.