Senior Associate, Business Development

Aceli Africa is a market catalyst that aims to mobilize $2 billion in private-sector lending for agricultural SMEs and improve livelihoods for 5 million farmers and workers by 2030. To achieve this goal, Aceli provides financial incentives to increase the risk appetite of 50 financial institutions and to enable them to make loans ranging from USD $10K to $1.5 million to high-impact agricultural SMEs. Complementary technical assistance builds capacity for lenders and SMEs while data and learning drive engagement with partners to strengthen the policy and regulatory environment.

Since launching in 2020, Aceli has mobilized $400M in lending to SMEs, providing market access for 2M smallholder farmers across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. To date, Aceli Africa has secured US$120M+ in funding from leading bilateral and philanthropic donors, including the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gates Foundation, Global Affairs Canada, IKEA Foundation, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Aceli is completing an initial five-year phase (2020-25) and positioning for ambitious growth and influence in Phase Two (2026-30). With a donor-funded model and complex multi-country operations, Aceli Africa manages several mechanisms to achieve this objective, including performance-based incentive payments and innovative capital mobilization strategies.

Aceli Africa is seeking a highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented Senior Associate, Business Development to join the Executive Office. This role will manage the end-to-end fundraising lifecycle and donor reporting processes for Aceli’s 12+ active donors. As Aceli scales, the Senior Associate will provide the critical support needed to maintain donor relationships and ensure high-quality communication. Aceli’s fundraising strategy focuses on relationship building and tailoring our proposals to the interests of major donors and stakeholders in the market, rather than targeting requests for proposals (RFPs). This role will report to the Chief of Staff and include coordination with the program teams, requiring a blend of project management, impact narration, and data synthesis.

Key Responsibilities

1. Donor Relationship & Pipeline Management (40%)

• Cultivate and steward donor relationships in collaboration with a team, including the CEO, Head of Strategic Initiatives, and Chief of Staff.

• Draft concept notes, proposals, results frameworks, and budgets for new or renewal funders, considering donor restrictions and Aceli’s funding needs.

• Maintain the donor pipeline by tracking renewal cycles, identifying risks, and providing weekly reports to the Chief of Staff and CEO on active conversations and progress.

• Develop briefing notes and background research for the CEO and other leadership team members ahead of donor meetings and events.

2. Impact Reporting & Narrative Development (40%)

• Lead the coordination of quarterly, semi-annual, and annual donor reports by proactively gathering data from program teams across the organization.

• Synthesize complex program data into compelling impact stories and proposals that align with donor interests and Aceli’s mission, alongside communications lead.

• Prepare quarterly steering committee materials and ad hoc donor requests.

• Serve as a final internal reviewer for all donor-facing documents, ensuring accuracy and alignment with Aceli’s voice.

3. Special Projects & Fundraising Strategy (20%)

• Conduct market mapping to identify new funding opportunities, bilateral/multilateral leads, and strategic partners.

• Identify and implement improvements to the fundraising and reporting process, including how to incorporate artificial intelligence solutions.

• Assist the Chief of Staff in preparing board-level presentations and materials related to fundraising progress and organizational growth.

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, business administration, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred. 

• Minimum 5-7 years of professional experience in business development, grant management, or executive-level project management.

• Exceptional writing and editing skills; able to take complex technical information and make it accessible and persuasive.

• Proven ability to manage multiple high-stakes deadlines simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail.

• A self-starter who identifies needs before they are flagged by leadership and presents potential solutions.

• Proficiency in Salesforce, PowerBI, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.

• Motivated and eager to contribute to a growing, mission-driven organization.

• Professional with a demonstrated record of the highest integrity and ethical conduct

• Ability to have flexible hours to accommodate time zones (most Aceli team members are based in East Africa;  most funders and The Chief of Staff are based in the US/Europe).

• Willingness to travel 2-3 times per year to Sub-Saharan Africa (if based in Washington DC) or to Washington DC (if based in Nairobi).

• Experience in agriculture, Africa, finance and/or impact narration will be an added advantage.

• Commitment to and understanding of Aceli’s Vision, Mission, and Values 

Aceli is an equal opportunity employer.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply. Interested candidates should submit a one-page cover letter expressing their interest and qualifications for the role, along with an updated CV and a writing sample where they are the primary author without the use of AI by March 6th, 2026. Please note that applications without a Cover Letter will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

US based applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States for any employer.