Senior Development Manager

Position Overview

Over the past four years, Educate! has grown 3x - and we're just getting started. With an ambitious goal of reaching $100M in revenue by 2035, we are building the team and infrastructure to match the scale of our vision. This is a rare opportunity to join a high-performing organization at a key inflection point.

The Senior Development Manager is a key role on Educate!'s revenue team, sitting at the intersection of strategy, execution, and relationship management. This person will play a critical role in driving our ambitious fundraising goals - leading external engagements with funders, developing compelling proposals, and ensuring seamless coordination across teams and developing junior team members, while taking on increasing ownership of a growing portfolio of philanthropic funders.

This role demands both strategic thinking and hands-on execution. In the near term, the balance leans toward execution: building proposals, coordinating funder visits, and keeping complex workstreams moving. Over time, as you develop your portfolio and demonstrate ownership, the balance shifts toward strategy and leadership. We're looking for someone who is energized by both, and clear-eyed about what that journey looks like. This role sits one step below Head level on our development team, and we expect the right candidate to grow into that position as they build impact and demonstrate ownership.

What You'll Do

Relationship Management (25%)

• Serve as a primary relationship manager for a defined portfolio of philanthropic funders — building trusted, long-term partnerships.
• Progressively take on ownership of a broader funder portfolio, with increasing responsibility for revenue targets and strategic account management.
• Maintain a deep understanding of funder priorities and proactively identify opportunities align Educate!'s work with their interests.
• Represent Educate! with professionalism, warmth, and credibility in external engagements.
• Identify and develop new funder relationships in line with Educate!'s funding strategy and growth ambitions.
• Contribute to team strategy discussions and help shape how Educate! approaches the market as it scales toward $100M.

Proposal Development & Strategic Writing (25%)

• Lead the development of high-quality funding proposals, concept notes, and grant applications — from strategy and structure through to submission.
• Edit and peer review external communications, ensuring consistent messaging and branding within the fundraising function.
• Synthesize complex programmatic information into compelling, funder-ready narratives.
• Collaborate with program and leadership teams to ensure proposals are accurate, ambitious, and aligned with organizational strategy.
• Manage proposal timelines and processes, anticipating risks and bottlenecks, resolving them early, and ensuring on-time delivery and strong quality control.

Team Leadership & Development (20%)

• Manage and develop junior members of the revenue team, setting clear goals, giving regular and specific feedback, and supporting their career growth.
• Coach and mentor colleagues beyond direct reporting lines, building their skills, confidence, and ownership.
• Delegate effectively and own the outcomes of proposal and funder-visit workstreams, not only their deliverables, adjusting plans and resources as needed.
• Model Educate!'s culture and tenets and contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team environment.
• Escalate challenges to the Director of Philanthropy bringing a clear recommendation and the analysis behind it.

Donor Visits (15%)

• Plan and coordinate end-to-end funder visits, including logistics, briefing materials, agendas, and on-the-ground facilitation.
• Prepare internal teams for funder interactions, ensuring clear talking points, relevant data, and a cohesive experience.
• Lead post-visit follow-up, including thank-you communications, action items, and documentation of key takeaways.
• Travel to Educate!'s programs in East Africa to support in-country donor engagements and connect funders directly with program impact.
• Continuously improve the quality of the visit experience by developing reusable materials and processes that reflect Educate!'s professionalism and mission.

Strategic Projects & Support (15%)

• Support the Director of Philanthropy and broader revenue team on high-priority strategic initiatives, including new market development and funder segmentation.
• Contribute to pipeline tracking, reporting, and revenue forecasting to keep the team organized and accountable.
• Identify gaps, then independently design and build systems, templates, and processes that strengthen the team's overall effectiveness as Educate! scales.
• Conduct landscape research and analysis to inform fundraising strategy and identify emerging funding opportunities.
• Serve as a collaborative thought partner across the revenue team, stepping in to support where needed, bringing recommended solutions, and contributing to a high-performing team culture.

Who You Are

• This role is well-suited for a high-performing professional with 5–7 years of experience who is ready to step into a senior execution role and grow quickly into team leadership. The ideal candidate brings:

  • A proven track record of securing funding through compelling proposals and sustained funder relationships, with advanced writing, structuring, and editing skills and the ability to synthesize a high volume of information quickly and accurately.
  • Exceptional interpersonal and relationship management skills — you build trust across teams and with external stakeholders at all levels, and sustain it over time.
  • Strong organizational and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently to deadlines, and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
  • Experience coaching or managing junior colleagues, with the ability to give clear, constructive feedback and develop others.
  • A collaborative, flexible approach and a self-starter mindset — you take initiative, adapt readily, and bring good judgment and integrity to everything you do.
  • A deep commitment to Educate!'s mission and an understanding of the responsibility that comes with managing mission-critical workflows and high-value external relationships.
  • Experience living or working in East Africa is a strong plus.
• You resonate with our Five Cultural Tenets (see What is Educate! About? below) and learn more by looking at Educate!'s culture deck here

What We Offer

• A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
• Flexibility - Fully remote or hybrid work environment (location dependent)
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Competitive benefits based on location
• Learning & growth opportunities
• This is a Fixed term contract with a possibility of extension based on performance

Application Process : Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!

Our Culture & Tenets(Values)

We're ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We're inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey of their careers.

1. We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We are purpose-driven, focused on impact, and prioritize what truly matters. We listen to youth, design our efforts around their needs, and ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences they value.
2. We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results—proactively identifying problems and seeking solutions without waiting or stopping at what's requested.
3. We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded and continuously try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
4. We are One Team, Many Views - We value all individuals, believe diverse ideas and open dialogue drive excellence, foster a supportive and respectful environment where everyone can freely express themselves. We work as one team and prioritize the organization's mission over personal or team interests.
5. We have the Startup Mindset - We innovate relentlessly to grow our impact, we never think "we have arrived" or "we're done."We constantly challenge the status quo, embrace change, and move quickly toward our vision. Unafraid of failure, we question anything that hinders progress.

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