Institutional Partnership Development Specialist at SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda

Institutional Partnership Development Specialist at SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda

Employer: SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda

Position: Institutional Partnership Development Specialist

Number of Positions: 1

Contract Type: Fixed Term

Duty Station: National Office, Kinyinya, Kigali

Reports To: Head of Fund Development and Partnership

Application Deadline: 27 September 2026 at 5:00 PM Kigali Time

About SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda. 

SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda is an independent member association affiliated with the SOS Federation. The organization works to strengthen quality childcare and child protection by using existing community resources and providing a holistic continuum of care for orphaned, vulnerable children and their families.

SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda also advocates for improved childcare and child protection systems. The organization currently operates in four program areas located in Gasabo, Gicumbi, Kayonza, and Nyamagabe districts.

To support its fundraising and partnership development work, SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda is seeking a qualified and experienced Institutional Partnership Development Specialist to join its National Office in Kinyinya, Kigali.

Job Purpose

The Institutional Partnership Development Specialist will be responsible for mobilizing institutional funding for SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda and contributing to the growth of the organization’s institutional partnership and donor portfolio.

The successful candidate will work closely with bilateral and multilateral donors, international organizations, embassies, diplomatic missions, foundations, government institutions, NGOs, and other partners.

The position will involve identifying funding opportunities, developing competitive proposals, managing donor relationships, monitoring grant compliance, and supporting effective implementation of funded projects.

Key Responsibilities

1. Fundraising and Donor Engagement

The Institutional Partnership Development Specialist will:

- Develop and implement annual Institutional Partnership Development (IPD) plans in line with the organization's strategy and funding targets.

- Identify and track funding opportunities from institutional donors, bilateral and multilateral organizations, international donors, embassies, diplomatic missions, and foundations.

- Develop program ideas, concept notes, expressions of interest, grant applications, and technical project proposals.

- Conduct background research on relevant national, regional, and global policies, strategies, political, economic, and environmental factors to strengthen proposals.

- Develop key proposal components, including risk analyses, mitigation measures, sustainability approaches, results frameworks, impact matrices, stakeholder analyses, and problem and objective trees.

- Coordinate with program teams to collect accurate and timely information required for proposal development.

- Organize proposal development workshops involving program teams, partners, and relevant stakeholders.

- Work with the Head of Fund Development and Partnership and program teams to identify suitable lead applicants, co-applicants, and implementing partners.

- Contribute to achieving annual institutional funding targets.

2. Donor Compliance and Grant Monitoring

The successful candidate will:

- Maintain and regularly update the institutional donor landscape and partner mapping.

- Maintain IPD grant compliance matrices and ensure donor requirements are followed.

- Keep project one-pagers and program summaries accurate and up to date.

- Maintain a comprehensive list of institutional partnership grants and their descriptions.

- Support project start-up processes after funding approval.

- Monitor project changes and advise program teams on amendments and documentation requirements.

- Monitor donor contractual requirements and provide guidance on cost extensions, no-cost extensions, agreement addendums, and other contractual matters.

- Monitor project expenditure and advise project teams on potential overspending or underspending.

- Provide compliance support throughout project implementation.

- Coordinate donor monitoring field visits, including preparation of one-pagers, logistics, and participation in field visits.

- Track donor networking and monitoring meetings and maintain records of donor interactions and follow-up actions.

- Ensure proper documentation of project amendments and donor correspondence.

- Train project teams on donor compliance, funding policies, donor relations, reporting, and contract management.

- Prepare weekly and monthly IPD updates as well as quarterly IPD reports.

3. Donor Contract and Partnership Management

The Institutional Partnership Development Specialist will:

- Prepare and coordinate partner due diligence processes and reports.

- Maintain effective filing systems for partnership and donor documentation.

- Develop and maintain mechanisms for managing IPD partnership agreements and signature processes.

- Support preparation of contracts, partnership agreements, and consortium agreements.

- Ensure that electronic, system-based, and physical funding files are complete and regularly updated.

- Register and update SOS Rwanda proposal development information in the ProDIGI software system.

4. Partnership Development and Networking

The position will also involve:

- Establishing and maintaining regular communication with institutional donors.

- Participating in donor forums, conferences, workshops, and networking events.

- Identifying and engaging potential donors, foundations, embassies, diplomatic missions, bilateral and multilateral organizations, and other funding institutions.

- Developing partnerships and consortiums with organizations that share similar objectives, particularly for large-scale funding opportunities.

- Representing SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda in relevant sector meetings and development or humanitarian forums.

- Using networking opportunities to identify and develop potential funding partnerships.

- Organizing partnership roundtables and networking meetings.

- Participating in regional IPD networking and training forums.

- Contributing to the development of institutional partnership and fundraising strategies.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should meet the following requirements:

- A Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Development Studies, Economics, or a related field.

- A Master’s degree in a relevant field will be an added advantage.

- Excellent written English skills, particularly for developing high-quality funding proposals.

- Strong knowledge and experience in project proposal writing.

- Experience developing proposals in areas such as child protection, alternative care, youth empowerment, livelihoods, education, and health is highly desirable.

- 5–8 years of extensive experience in institutional fundraising, donor engagement, and grant management.

- Strong understanding of institutional donor requirements and proposal development processes.

- Demonstrated experience of developing and successfully securing medium- to large-scale proposals valued at approximately USD 500,000 to USD 2 million.

- Knowledge of Project Cycle Management is an added advantage.

- Knowledge of Results-Based Management (RBM) is an additional advantage.

- Strong networking and partnership development skills.

- Excellent research, writing, coordination, and communication skills.

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

- Flexibility and adaptability.

- Self-motivation and initiative.

- Strong attention to detail.

- Ability to work under tight deadlines.

- Ability to work effectively with different teams.

- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

- Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

- Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills.

Computer Skills

Candidates should be highly proficient in:

- Microsoft Word

- Microsoft Excel

- Microsoft PowerPoint

- Internet-based research and digital communication tools

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit the following documents:

1. A detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV).

2. An application letter.

3. Three (3) traceable professional references.

4. A copy of the Rwandan National Identity Card.

5. Copies of relevant academic certificates/degrees.

6. A completed application form provided through the official application link.

Applications should be sent to:

Email: sos.recruitment@sos-rwanda.org

Applicants should use “IPD Specialist” as the subject of the email.

Application deadline: 27 September 2026 at 5:00 PM Kigali time.

Female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Child Safeguarding and Protection

SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda maintains strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse in the workplace and other locations where its activities are implemented.

In addition to technical qualifications and experience, the recruitment and selection process will assess candidates' alignment with the organization's values and safeguarding principles. Successful candidates may also be subject to background checks, police clearance, and professional reference checks.

Issued in Kigali on 17 September 2026

Jean Bosco KWIZERA

National Director

SOS Children’s Villages RwandaThis version is ready to publish on a job website and is structured to be easy to read on mobile devices.