Manager, Partnerships-Blended Finance

Role Overview

This position sits at the centre of AECF Capital, a newly launched blended finance vehicle, and is responsible for turning ambitious funding goals into tangible, signed partnerships. Day to day, the Manager of Partnerships leads the full business development cycle — identifying prospective funders, shaping compelling proposals, and orchestrating input from programme, finance, legal, and communications teams to ensure every submission is competitive and compliant. The role matters because it directly determines whether AECF Capital can secure the grant, concessional debt, and equity it needs to unlock investment in underserved African enterprises, making the difference between a well-designed vehicle and a fully capitalised one.

Key Responsibilities

• Proactively identify and qualify new funding opportunities that fit AECF Capital's blended finance structure, including grant funding for technical assistance, concessional debt for on-lending, and equity for de-risking, and manage each opportunity from initial lead through to signed agreement.
• Draft, coordinate, and refine a range of fundraising documents — concept notes, bid responses, grant applications, and advisory or fund management proposals — pulling together technical input from multiple internal teams to produce accurate, timely, and compelling submissions.
• Design catalytic funding structures alongside partners such as development finance institutions, impact investors, and innovative capital providers, packaging AECF Capital's offering in ways that align with each funder's risk appetite and mandate.
• Steward and expand existing funding relationships by tracking renewal deadlines, identifying follow-on opportunities, and systematically improving the conversion rate of the partnership pipeline into executed agreements.
• Develop and document Resource Mobilization standard operating procedures that define how each stage of the blended finance business development cycle is planned, executed, and reviewed, including clear allocation of roles and responsibilities across programme, finance, gender, and communications teams.
• Plan and manage all business development and donor engagement events, including liaison meetings, partnership convenings, and other high-stakes stakeholder interactions tied to fundraising.
• Build and maintain deep relationships with priority funders by understanding their strategies and objectives, and proactively scope new strategic partners whose long-term goals align with AECF Capital's growth plans.
• Represent AECF in external settings — partner meetings, sector forums, and industry events — consistently articulating AECF Capital's value proposition, and work with programme teams to translate delivery results, evidence, and beneficiary stories into partner-ready engagement materials.

Requirements & Qualifications

• At least 6–8 years of professional experience, with a minimum of five years specifically dedicated to strategic partnerships and fundraising from major institutional sources, including government donors, multilateral agencies, foundations, corporations, or development finance institutions.
• Proven track record of successfully building and growing institutional, foundation, corporate, or individual partnerships, including taking opportunities from prospecting to close.
• Demonstrated familiarity with the international development landscape and a clear understanding of how public and private funders think, particularly within blended finance, impact investing, and concessional capital environments.
• Experience working with DFIs, blended finance vehicles, or other catalytic funding structures, ideally with direct exposure to the design or management of such facilities.
• Strong networking and interpersonal skills, with clear evidence of forming productive working relationships across a wide range of external and internal stakeholders, including senior leadership and technical teams.
• Comfort with data-driven decision-making, including using pipeline metrics, CRM systems, and donor intelligence to prioritise opportunities and inform resource mobilisation strategy.
• Excellent project and team management capabilities, with the ability to juggle multiple bid deadlines, coordinate cross-functional contributions, and maintain meticulous quality control under pressure.
• High degree of initiative, a proactive and flexible working style, and strong attention to detail, combined with the ability to work collaboratively across teams.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, and full professional fluency in both English and French.