Fundraising General Manager

Fresh Life is founding partner of The Sanergy Collaborative and an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to transforming urban sanitation in fast growing cities in Africa. Operating in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Eldoret, and Lusaka, Zambia, we provide non-sewered, end-to-end sanitation solutions that ensure urban residents living in informal settlements can access dignified sanitation services.

Our work is aligned to SDG 6 and we partner with the government to develop and deliver safe sanitation and waste management for urban residents. Fresh Life has been operational since 2011, and currently serves 300,000 urban residents daily across 4 cities. We safely remove approx. 20,000T of sanitation waste per year, and mitigate 30,000 tons of CO2 equivalent from being released into the atmosphere.

We have built a diverse team of 400+ professionals committed to making sanitation accessible for all. Our work has been recognized globally by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Fast Company as one of the world’s most innovative organizations doing social good.

The Fundraising General Manager will lead Fresh Life’s day-to-day fundraising operations and manage a dynamic Business Development team to meet ambitious institutional fundraising targets. The Fundraising General Manager will focus on ensuring the delivery of high-quality proposals, excellent grant stewardship, and implementation of best-in-class fundraising systems. They will play a critical role in driving resource mobilisation to support Fresh Life’s mission and scale.

Fundraising Strategy Implementation – Level of Effort: 45%

• Oversee end-to-end proposal development processes, including quality assurance of concept notes, narratives, budgets, and log frames.

• Provide strategic guidance to the BD team on framing proposals to align with funder priorities and Fresh Life’s value proposition.

• Review contracts and grant agreements to ensure clarity, risk mitigation, and readiness for implementation.

• Support internal alignment on fundraising strategies by coordinating with M&E, Finance, and Program teams.

Funder and Partner Engagement – Level of Effort: 20%

• Support the preparation and delivery of funder pitch materials and strategic engagement assets.

• Maintain tracking tools and dashboards to monitor engagement across current and prospective funders.

• Lead planning and delivery of key funder engagement touchpoints, including bi-annual funder calls and strategic check-ins.

• Contribute to donor reporting cycles, annual reports, and stewardship communications, working closely with the Communications team.

Team Management and Capacity Building – Level of Effort: 20%

• Manage and mentor the Business Development team, including setting goals, conducting performance reviews, and supporting learning and development.

• Ensure adequate staffing and support for team operations including leave, procurement, and team-building activities.

• Create a positive and performance-driven team culture aligned with Fresh Life’s values.

Systems and Process Improvement – Level of Effort: 15%

• Lead improvement of BD tools and systems, including CRM databases, opportunity trackers, and document libraries.

• Ensure team compliance with internal systems and standards, coordinating with the Data team for quality control.

• Identify and implement opportunities to use AI and digital tools (e.g. ChatGPT) to improve efficiency and consistency in proposal development.
  
  

• 7–10+ years of experience in fundraising, partnerships, or business development in the development or social enterprise sector, with at least 3–5 years in a senior leadership capacity.

• Demonstrated experience managing high-performing teams and leading proposal development.

• Proven track record engaging institutional funders and philanthropic donors.

• Excellent organizational and communication skills.

• Familiarity with fundraising systems, CRM platforms, and donor reporting tools.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in International Development, Business, Economics, or related field preferred.