Resource Mobilization and Stakeholder Engagement Director - Reports To: Country Director

Population Council Ethiopia builds on more than two decades of Population Council, Inc. research and programming in Ethiopia, with established relationships across government, donors, and international research institutions. The Resource Mobilization and Stakeholder Engagement Director provides strategic leadership for institutional growth, portfolio diversification, and financial sustainability; leads the organization's business development and market positioning strategy; advises the Country Director and Country Leadership Team on growth opportunities, investment priorities, and revenue risks; and drives the shift from opportunistic fundraising to proactive, relationship-led resource mobilization to advance Population Council Ethiopia's mission and strategic priorities. As a member of the Country Leadership Team, the position strengthens institutional partnerships and enhances organizational visibility.

The incumbent is responsible for identifying and pursuing funding opportunities, coordinating competitive proposal development, cultivating strategic partnerships with government, donors, research institutions, civil society, and the private sector, and positioning Population Council Ethiopia as a trusted leader in evidence generation and policy engagement.

The RMSE Director translates the organization’s technical reputation into long-term institutional partnerships and sustained growth.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

A. Strategic Resource Mobilization

• Implement and operationalize Population Council Ethiopia's institutional resource mobilization strategy, refining it in line with the Country Strategic Plan and evolving donor landscape.
• Identify new funding models and markets, including foundations, private philanthropy, corporate partnerships, research funding, and locally accessible funding.
• Identify, analyze, and prioritize funding opportunities from bilateral and multilateral agencies, research funding organizations, philanthropic foundations, governments, UN agencies, private sector partners, and international financial institutions.
• Build and manage the funding pipeline performance against institutional revenue targets across research, implementation science, health systems, gender equality, adolescent and youth development, reproductive health, humanitarian response, and related priority areas.
• Lead positioning strategies for major funding opportunities.
• Lead quarterly pipeline reviews and revenue forecasting with senior leadership
• Set annual fundraising targets in agreement with the Country Director and Country Leadership Team and report progress toward institutional revenue goals.
• Advise senior management on emerging donor priorities, funding trends, and strategic opportunities.

B. Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with government, donors, research institutions, development partners, civil society, private sector actors, and other stakeholders critical to institutional growth and impact; develop a strategic partnership framework identifying priority partners based on organizational growth and technical priorities.
• Represent Population Council Ethiopia in national and international forums, technical working groups, and partnership platforms.
• Lead negotiation and management of institutional collaboration agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.
• Lead consortium development and partner positioning for priority opportunities.

 C. Donor Relations and External Engagement

• Engage directly with new and existing donors – leading meetings, cultivation visits, and ongoing conversations, either individually or with the team as appropriate. This is a hands-on relationship role that requires regular personal contact with funders. 
• Manage a portfolio of priority donor accounts, develop annual donor engagement plans, map donor priorities, funding cycles, decision-makers, and relationship pathways, lead pre-positioning and cultivation with priority donors ahead of funding opportunities.
• Strengthen long-term relationships with existing and prospective donors.
• Organize donor briefings, partnership meetings, and institutional presentations.
• Coordinate donor visits and strategic engagement events.
• Ensure timely follow-up on donor communications and partnership opportunities.
• Develop donor engagement plans and stewardship approaches that strengthen confidence and long-term collaboration.

D. Proposal and Business Development

• Lead and coordinate the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, grant applications, and expressions of interest.
• Manage multidisciplinary proposal development teams involving technical, finance, operations, monitoring and evaluation, and partnerships staff.
• Ensure proposals comply with donor requirements while maintaining high technical quality and competitiveness.
• Coordinate proposal review processes and institutional approvals.
• Support development of project budgets in collaboration with Finance and technical teams.
• Maintain proposal development systems, templates, and institutional knowledge resources.
• Advise leadership on strategic decisions, including Go/No-Go decisions

E. Strategic Communications and Institutional Visibility

• Support implementation of institutional visibility and communications strategies.
• Coordinate development of organizational profiles, capability statements, investment cases, policy briefs, and partnership materials.
• Promote dissemination of research findings and organizational achievements to key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with technical teams to communicate evidence that informs policy and practice.

F. Leadership and Institutional Development

• Contribute to organizational strategic planning and institutional growth.
• Provide regular analysis to leadership on pipeline health, funding risks, revenue projections, and growth opportunities.
• Establish institutional BD/RM processes, systems, tools, and performance standards.
• Build organization-wide capacity for donor engagement, positioning, capture, and proposal development.
• Foster collaboration across programs, finance, operations, and research teams.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.