Managing Director, Business Development & Partnerships

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet is seeking a Managing Director for Business Development & Partnerships based in Nairobi, Kenya. This full-time role involves leading large-scale initiatives to enhance energy access and economic opportunities in Africa, focusing on strategic program design, fundraising, and partnership building. The position requires collaboration with various stakeholders and team leadership to drive impactful projects aligned with the Alliance’s goals.
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives. Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity. Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement.


By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change. With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs.


Contract type:
Fulltime, Open ended


Location:
Nairobi, Kenya


Role Overview
The Managing Director, Business Development (Africa) will lead the development and support delivery of large-scale regional initiatives aligned with Global Energy Alliance’s Africa strategy. This role combines strategic program design, fundraising, partnership building, and cross-functional leadership to expand energy access and economic opportunity across Africa.


Tasks And Responsibilities
Research & Program Development



Lead the development of large-scale initiatives to deliver on Global Energy Alliance’s Africa’s strategic goals
Oversee the design, execution, and scaling of emerging initiatives such as green industrialisation, ensuring insights inform Global Energy Alliance’s Africa’s evolving strategy.
Identify new strategic areas of work by analyzing constraints to energy access and economic opportunity across the continent.
Coordinate with thematic leads and regional team members to launch and disseminate strategic research and knowledge products that build Global Energy Alliance’s Africa’s thought leadership.

Resource Mobilization & Strategic Partnerships

Lead fundraising and business development efforts to sustain and scale Global Energy Alliance’s’s Africa portfolio, including donor engagement and proposal development.
Forge and maintain strategic partnerships with governments, regional entities, DFIs, philanthropies, technical partners, and private sector actors.
Engage senior government officials and development partners to secure strategic alignment and co-financing opportunities.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing regional team of program leads and technical experts.
Foster a collaborative, learning-oriented culture focused on innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Promote effective collaboration between country teams, regional teams, and global teams.

External Relations

Represent Global Energy Alliance’s in regional energy forums and global events, engaging key stakeholders across sectors.
Serve as a co-spokesperson for Global Energy Alliance’s Africa’s agenda alongside the Vice President, amplifying visibility and influence.

Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree in a relevant field such as global development, public policy, agriculture, energy and environment, economics, or business management; or equivalent
15+ years demonstrated experience in Business development, partnership management and fundraising.
Proven track record of developing business/programs in multi-country program delivery in complex environments.
Strong experience managing partnerships.
Demonstrated ability in strategy execution, delivery systems, financing models, and cross-functional collaboration.
Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
Familiarity with Africa’s energy, agricultural, digital, and enterprise ecosystems.

Core Behavioral Competencies

Strategic Thinking and Decision-making; Able to distil key insights from a large amount of information and frame distinct choices; Is able to think creatively and bring new ideas to the table; Has the ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; Uses analytical and problem-solving skills
Execution: Takes initiative and drives for results; Has strong project management skills; manages their own time well and provides the necessary guidance and direction to others; has a sense of urgency and takes responsibility for their w