Development Officer

Role Overview

As Development Officer, you will keep Girls Not Brides’ fundraising operation running smoothly by managing the systems, data, deadlines and workflows that support donor engagement. Day to day, you will juggle prospect research, proposal coordination, donor communication and compliance tracking — a role that puts you at the centre of the team’s effort to secure and sustain funding for the global movement to end child marriage.

Working closely with colleagues across Nairobi, New Delhi and other time zones, you will help turn funding opportunities into well-prepared submissions and ensure donors receive timely, high-quality reporting. This is a broad and collaborative position ideal for an early-career fundraiser who wants hands-on exposure to the full fundraising cycle, from pipeline development and due diligence through to stewardship and grant renewals.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and improve fundraising systems by tracking proposal deadlines, donor reporting requirements and internal workflows across tools such as Excel and Monday.com.
• Research and screen prospective funders, monitoring their priorities and alignment with Girls Not Brides’ strategy, and keep the prospect pipeline up to date with accurate engagement records and next steps.
• Support the development of concept notes, funding proposals and grant renewals by coordinating technical, financial and monitoring inputs from relevant colleagues.
• Prepare donor-facing communications, reports and briefing materials, and help ensure contractual, branding and safeguarding compliance across restricted and unrestricted grants.
• Act as a reliable point of contact for a portfolio of philanthropic donors, supporting relationship management and stewardship.
• Contribute to internal coordination, including updating the whole-team newsletter, organising inductions for new starters, and helping prepare fundraising-related events.
• Carry out desk research on funding trends in child marriage, girls’ rights and gender equality to inform prospecting and positioning.
• Support non-grant income efforts, such as individual or partnership donations, and help assess their feasibility and fit.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Experience in a fundraising, development, partnerships or similar role within the not-for-profit sector.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple workstreams and deadlines while maintaining accuracy.
• Proven experience using CRM systems, databases or fundraising tracking tools to manage donor and prospect information.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to funding proposals, donor reports or other fundraising materials.
• Excellent written communication skills, with the capacity to distil complex information clearly and persuasively for a variety of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills, comfortable liaising with diverse stakeholders and a globally distributed team.
• Sound research and analytical skills, including gathering and interpreting information from multiple sources.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented approach with sound judgement and discretion.
• Commitment to the mission and values of Girls Not Brides, and flexibility to work across time zones as needed.
• Desirable: familiarity with child marriage, girls’ rights or gender equality issues; an understanding of charity fundraising and the wider development/philanthropic landscape; experience in an international organisation; and confidence using design platforms.
• Eligibility: the successful candidate must have the right to work in Kenya or India at the time of application and for the full duration of the two-year fixed-term contract.

What We Offer / Why Join

This role offers a unique opportunity to develop professionally across the full fundraising spectrum while contributing to a cause of global importance. You will work as part of a small, collaborative team within a worldwide network dedicated to ending child marriage, with the chance to interact with funders and partners across different regions.

Girls Not Brides offers a market-competitive salary benchmarked through the Birches Group’s survey of comparable national NGO roles in the relevant location, with payment made in local currency. The position is offered as a two-year fixed-term contract, based in either Nairobi (Kenya) or New Delhi (India), with occasional international travel and some flexibility around working hours to support global collaboration.