Funding Advisor Sahel

NCA’s presence in the Sahel dates to 1984, and presently implements programs in Mali and Burkina Faso. The main office is located in Mali’s capital, Bamako, with humanitarian and development interventions in the Malian regions Kidal, Menaka, Gao and Mopti. In Burkina Faso, the office is implementing programs in the regions Boucle du Mouhoun and Est. For the strategic period 2020-24, NCA Mali’s thematic programs are Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Peacebuilding and Strengthening Civil Society. Development programs are implemented in close cooperation with Malian civil society and faith-based organizations. For both development and humanitarian programs, NCA Sahel applies a conflict sensitive approach. The aim is to contribute to positive changes in the lives of poor and conflict-affected people regardless of their religion, ethnicity, political opinion, gender, or sexual orientation.

As a Funding Advisor you are responsible for expanding and diversifying NCAs grant portfolio, as well as increasing NCA Sahel’s competence in proposal writing. By building on experience with donor strategies, priorities, and requirements, you identify new funding and programmatic opportunities and successfully lead proposal development and reporting processes.

You are focused on results and constantly in search of new funding opportunities while ensuring involvement from colleagues and partners. You remain a focused-on timeliness and the quality of the final product. Although working under high pressure, you maintain a collegial and diplomatic tone, balancing team, and individual work. You enjoy sharing your knowledge and experience with others, while also learning from them. 

This position is based in Bamako, Mali, and is a minimum one-year contract with possibilities for extension. It is a non-family duty station.

Job description

• Mapping donors in the two countries, develop the funding strategy for NCA Sahel and ensure the implementation, with the support of sector experts and other key managers
• Take lead on identifying new funding opportunities and for developing concept notes and proposals in cooperation with colleagues and the NCA Head Office in Oslo.
• Build and maintain relations with donors together with senior staff.
• Review agreements with donors and partners and develop, as necessary, tools and trainings on compliance.
• Provide capacity strengthening and technical assistance to implementing partners and NCA national staff on funding and grant management.
• Quality assure and produce, as required, donor and internal reports (narrative and financial) and other program documents.

Qualifications/Skills

• Masters’ level or equivalent in development studies, social studies or another relevant field
• Fluent in English, verbally and writing, Working knowledge in French (minimum level B1)
• Good analytical skills
• Good communication skills/written and verbal
• Excellent planning skills
• Good cooperative/coordination skills
• Good strategic skills
• Extensive experience with funding and donor relationship management may compensate for lack of a degree
• Solid experience with program development, funding and/or grants management, preferably in a complex humanitarian environment.
• Successful track-record with proposal development and reporting including narratives, budgets, and results-frameworks.
• Proven experience with networking, donor relationship building and coordination.
• Strong communication and coordination skills across organizational functions.

Personal qualities

• Results oriented
• Good at building relations
• Structured
• Keeping deadlines
• Proactive

We offer

• The opportunity to shape the content of this position for NCA Sahel.
• Competitive expatriate conditions.

NCA uses an electronic gateway for all recruitment where you can register and submit your CV (max 2 pages), write an application / cover letter (max 1 page) and attach relevant certificates. Only applicants using this electronic gateway will be considered for the position.
We encourage all qualified persons to apply for a job with us, regardless of gender, age, disability or cultural background. 

In accordance with core humanitarian principles, NCA implements a range of safeguards to prevent or reduce the possibility of humanitarian aid falling into the wrong hands. This includes those individuals and groups who are subject to sanctions by the United Nations Security Council. As part of this process, NCA will screen the details of the successful candidates for this post against the sanction’s lists maintained by the UN and by some of NCAs governmental donors. Please be informed that this will only be applicable for international positions and senior national positions.