Partnerships Proposal Writer

We are a medium-sized NGO, now looking for a Senior Grant Writer and Small Team Manager to coordinate the development and management of our conservation and rural livelihoods work in Madagascar. This is a superb opportunity for a development professional with two to four years work experience to work alongside national and international staff, leading on the programme development, grant writing, reporting and evaluation of SEED’s conservation and rural livelihoods programmes.

This post would suit someone who has experience in international development and is now ready to make the move into managing a team and a portfolio of projects. It is essential that the post holder has grant writing experience, conservation and rural livelihoods knowledge and is able to work in English to a high standard. Candidates who do not meet these criteria will not be considered.

SEED Madagascar is a British Charity working in partnership with communities in the southeast of Madagascar. We integrate high quality community health, WASH, rural livelihoods, schools and conservation programmes to support long term, sustainable change and add to international best practice through research and publication across all our programmatic areas. 

Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar

Contract minimum duration: 2 years

Probationary period: 3 months

Terms and conditions: Local salary plus £1,000 contribution to flight and £650 to insurance

Reporting to: Director of Programmes & Operations

Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Development 

1. Work with national and international staff to design livelihood and conservation projects that fulfil local needs and align with SEEDs strategic aim, taking into account past learning, international best practice, contextual constraints and government objectives

2. Oversee the development of project frameworks (e.g. Log Frames and Theory of Change) and proposals to ensure they are representative of the community needs whilst being attractive to donors

3. Support the team to conduct research into international and national development best practice and funding opportunities for the conservation and sustainable livelihoods programmes

4. Ensure the high standard of all project documents submitted to donors to secure the ongoing funding of SEED’s projects – currently at around £150,000 per annum across all active interventions

5. Identify partners and build networks and collaborations across the conservation and sustainable livelihoods programmes to increase the impact of SEEDs work in these areas

6. Use evidence-based advocacy from research and project findings in briefing papers for staff, local and regional stakeholders, and government departments to inform regional and national development strategy.

Programme Management

1. Provide timely updates to the UK based Programme and Funding Coordinator of project activities and support them to communicate any changes in project activities to donors when necessary

2. Oversee effective systems for monitoring project progress against activity plans, working with project teams to ensure objectives are met and using learning from ongoing evaluation to inform the development of projects

3. Conduct fieldwork and monitoring visits to project sites when appropriate and ensure observations are fed back into ongoing project design.

People Management

1. Recruit, support, manage, review and provide professional development to a team of Programme Interns, Officers and Specialists, delegating to and managing their work to achieve departmental objectives and support organisational ethos and strategy

2. Foster essential cross-cultural collaboration and learning, providing support to both the national and international teams to bridge gaps in understanding and priorities for project development and implementation

3. Provide pastoral care, guidance, and act as a role model, both professionally and personally, for a team of early career professionals living in country.

Budget Management

1. Oversee the development of budgets, including full cost allocation with consideration of the organisational strategy and priorities over the coming years

2. Provide monthly overview of financial reports, ensuring project spending is on track and identifying trends in expenditure, and management of exchange rate gains. 

General

1. Provide core support to the Director of Programmes & Operations in management and ensuring the support and security of all international staff, including acting as an intermediary of organisational priorities to the wider team

2. Work flexibly, including changing work priorities at short notice and working unsociable hours when necessary to meet a short deadline, for example the submission of project funding documents within the timeframe set by donors

3. Ensure all of SEEDs policies and procedures are evident throughout the work of the department, including those for safeguarding, whistleblowing, and anticorruption, and undertake continual training to ensure these are always promoted

4. Represent SEED Madagascar in external meetings with other agencies, donors, and partners on the ground in Madagascar and in the UK

5. Act as a temporary stand-in for the Director of Programmes & Operations and/or other Programme Heads when required during a period of leave and absences.

SEED Madagascar actively encourages equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and aims to create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued.