Chief Development officer

Key Responsibilities

1. Fundraising & Grant Acquisition (35%)

• Grant Strategy: Develop and execute a comprehensive annual fundraising strategy targeting institutional donors (e.g., European Union, OCHA, WFP), foreign embassies, and corporate CSR programs.
• Proposal Development: Lead the drafting and submission of high-quality grant proposals, concept notes, and letters of inquiry. Ensure narratives align perfectly with donor priorities (e.g., food security, poverty alleviation, crisis response, women empowerment).
• Donor Mapping: Identify and research new funding opportunities within the humanitarian and development sectors in Lebanon and abroad.
• Partnerships: Form consortia or partnerships with other NGOs (local and international) to qualify for larger funding pools that require collaborative approaches.

2. Organizational Capacity & Grant Readiness (25%)

• Compliance Overhaul: Review and upgrade internal policies (HR, Procurement, Finance, Safeguarding) to ensure they meet the due diligence requirements of major international donors.
• Financial Transparency: Work with the Finance Manager to implement project-based accounting and transparent financial reporting systems that satisfy external auditors and donor requirements.
• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E): Establish a robust M&E framework to measure impact quantitatively. Donors fund results, and the GM must ensure the organization can prove its impact with data.
• Accreditation: Lead the process of obtaining necessary certifications or vetting statuses (e.g., registering on UN partner portals like UNPP, SAM.gov for US grants, etc.).

3. Internal Coordination & Alignment (20%)

• Executive Collaboration: Actively coordinate with Operations, Marketing, and HR executives to ensure a unified organizational direction.
• Marketing Synergy: Work with Marketing to ensure communication campaigns support fundraising goals and comply with donor visibility requirements.
• HR Alignment: Collaborate with HR to ensure staffing capacity matches the delivery requirements of secured grants.
• Operational Feasibility: Serve as the bridge between fundraising promises and operational reality, ensuring that all proposed projects are actionable and supported by the operations team.

4. Strategic Leadership & Representation (15%)

• Donor Relations: Act as the primary face of the organization to high-level donors. Cultivate long-term relationships with program officers and diplomatic representatives.
• Board Advisory: Advise the Board of Directors on the necessary structural changes required to accept large grants (e.g., board governance updates, conflict of interest policies).
• Crisis Management: Adapt fundraising strategies rapidly in response to the changing economic and political landscape in Lebanon.

5. Operational Oversight (5%)

• Delivery Assurance: Ensure that the programs promised in grant proposals are deliverable by the operations team.
• Staffing Oversight: Oversee the recruitment of key staff needed to manage the operation (e.g., Grant Officers, M&E Specialists).