BHS Background  

Business for Health Solutions (BHS) is an international non-profit that applies an innovative private-sector approach to health systems strengthening in Africa. 

We work to develop the capacity of local healthcare organizations across the healthcare value chain by providing technical assistance that sustainably increases the accessibility, affordability and quality of health products and services for families and communities. 

We facilitate remote technical assistance projects for enterprises in distribution, drug manufacturing, health insurance and service provision delivered by highly skilled volunteer experts from large international pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

The organization consists of a virtual global team based in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Switzerland and the US.  BHS is currently supporting local healthcare enterprises in a number of East, West, Central and Southern African countries.

Main Responsibilities                                                                                                    

The Institutional Partnerships & Grants Manager is responsible for managing key stakeholder relationships; engaging with global health funders, impact investors and other collaborating partners. The Institutional Partnerships & Grants Manager will initiate and pursue leads with potential donors and collaborators, prepare concept notes and grant applications, negotiate grant agreements and manage grant reporting requirements.  

The role is a unique opportunity to build sustainable partnerships for the future growth of BHS. The position reports directly to the Rwanda-based Co-CEO responsible for institutional partnerships (funding and implementation partners) and works closely with the global team.

Key Client Engagement Manager Responsibilities Include:

• Support the co-CEO in developing and carrying out the organization’s business development, fundraising and other implementation partnership strategies

  • Support the design and development of strategies for new revenue streams

• Design partnership opportunities that align with BHS’ strategic plan, objectives and fundraising strategy and develop funder-facing positioning statements to meet funder interest and priorities

  • Identify new funding opportunities and maintain a pipeline of funder prospects

  • Develop a network of contacts to attract new business, research new opportunities and oversee the growth pipeline, making revenue projections and forecasting trends

  • Build and manage executive and management level relationships at foundations, impact investors/funds, and other organizations that we collaborate with 

  • Prepare letters of inquiry, concept papers, and proposal submissions for new grants and grant renewals, with special attention to program narratives, work plans, milestones and budgets

  • Track BHS commitments and reporting requirements, manage deadlines and review reports

• Establish strategic collaborations and partnerships with other implementing organizations, including consortia opportunities for large funding bodies and agencies

• Engage with monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) team members to understand and communicate BHS’ impact and theory of change with diverse audiences

• Travel to represent BHS at donor meetings and conferences in the US, Europe and Africa (ad hoc, mainly virtual), 3-4 times per year. Travel is not expected to exceed 10% of working time.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience 

• Knowledge of health systems in Africa

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in a relevant field

• 5+ years of experience in institutional fundraising, ideally within Global Health

• Knowledge and experience in responding to funding calls from government funders and developing funding relationships with private and corporate foundations

• Track record designing projects and initiatives for implementation

• Experience in developing and maintaining partnerships between organizations

• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with a proven ability to write persuasively and with a high degree of professionalism

• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work with diverse stakeholders

• Ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks while maintaining attention to detail

• Excellent negotiation and communication skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (especially Powerpoint) and Google tools and a willingness to learn new software eg. Airtable, Salesforce, Pipedrive

• Experience working cross-culturally

Personal Characteristics Include:

• Ability to learn quickly and take initiative

• Ability to move quickly between collaborative and independent work styles

• Self-motivation and resourcefulness

• Entrepreneurial mindset

• Curiosity and a sense of humour