Senior Grants Management Officer

Role Overview

This position is central to securing the financial and strategic partnerships that keep a leading health research institution running. You will spend your days scanning the funding landscape, anticipating donor priorities, and converting research concepts into compelling, fundable proposals. Working closely with scientists and principal investigators, you translate complex study ideas into the language of grants, budgets, and donor compliance while managing relationships that bring in both competitive grants and collaborative partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and execute a resource mobilisation framework that reflects the institution’s research pillars and three-to-five-year scientific objectives.
• Continuously map and assess funding prospects across peer-reviewed government agencies, global health initiatives, foundations, private corporates, and charitable donors.
• Produce intelligence briefs on emerging donor interests, shifts in development finance, and funding gaps where the institution’s research expertise gives it a competitive edge.
• Lead the proposal lifecycle: from opportunity scouting and internal go/no-go decisions, to coordinating staff scientists, budget officers, and review teams, and finally to submission and post-award transitions.
• Maintain an actionable grant pipeline database that tracks current opportunities, deadlines, submission histories, donor contacts, success metrics, and earned revenue per source.
• Coach principal investigators and junior staff on competitive proposal writing, persuasive narrative structures, realistic budgeting, and the unique compliance conditions of public versus private funders.
• Build and steward relationships with current and prospective partners by organising targeted engagement visits, convening roundtables, and ensuring that reporting deadlines and contractual obligations are met.
• Track key performance indicators for each resource mobilisation cycle, including win rate, average time to award, funding diversification, and donor retention, and report insights to leadership.
• Facilitate cross-departmental readiness so that governance, finance, legal, and research administration teams are aligned on donor covenants and institutional policy before any award is accepted.
• Deliver internal trainings and write hands-on guides that raise bid quality across the organisation, covering everything from concept note anatomy to commercial co-funding negotiation.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in a health-related field such as biomedical or medical sciences, public health, social sciences, epidemiology, or development studies, from a recognised university.
• At least eight years of progressive senior experience in research fundraising, contract/grant acquisition, institutional partnerships, or strategic business development within a research, academic, or non-profit environment.
• A demonstrated track record of winning grants from international public funders (e.g., NIH, Wellcome, EU, or WHO-associated bodies), local government sources, and private foundations or industry partners.
• Deep familiarity with donor compliance frameworks, budget formats, openness and data-management policies, and grant reporting cycles commonly used in global health research.
• Strong commercial instincts when negotiating co-funding arrangements or navigating the research priorities of and private sector investors.
• High-level proficiency with Microsoft Excel, fundraising or partnership-management databases, and digital tools for remote collaboration and grant tracking.
• Exceptional writing, public speaking, and consultation skills, with the ability to interact diplomatically with senior scientists, ministry officials, and chief executive-level donor contacts.
• Strategic thinker who can prioritise several live opportunities, reallocate effort as deadlines shift, and make evidence-based decisions about which bids to pursue and when to walk away.
• Detail-oriented in proposal compliance, budget arithmetic, terms and conditions, and final documents, with a low tolerance for contractual inconsistencies.
• Self-driven work style underpinned by professional honesty, openness about risk, and a record of acting with integrity when dealing with confidential or pre-competitive information.