Senior Officer, Corporate and Business Partnerships at African Wildlife Foundation

The African Wildlife Foundation, together with the people of Africa, works to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever. Senior Officer, Corporate and Business Partnerships Position Summary The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is an Africa-based conservation organization protecting wildlife and their habitats as essential to a modern and prosperous Africa. We articulate a unique vision of African-led conservation, focusing on solutions that create opportunity for people — not at the expense of wildlife and their habitats, but because of them.

The goal of AWF’s work with business is to shape strategic relationships that align with AWF’s mission and vision and that support AWF’s work from a programmatic and financial perspective. The Senior Officer, Corporate and Business Partnerships will report to the Senior Manager, Corporate and Business Partnerships, and work with colleagues in the Institutional Partnerships Team to build and maintain relationships with corporate and business partners.

In partnership with other teams, the incumbent will lead the full fundraising cycle for assigned portfolio of corporate prospects/partners, including prospect research, outreach, relationship cultivation, proposal development, negotiation, contracting support, stewardship, renewal, and scale-up. The Senior Officer will be responsible for meeting fundraising targets. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing organization at a critical time for conservation on the African continent.

Key Responsibilities New Business Development (35%) Build, qualify, and manage a robust pipeline of prospective corporate and strategic business partners whose ESG and CSR commitments, sustainability practices, and business models align with AWF’s priorities. Prepare thoughtful partnership strategies aligned with organizational income targets and strategic priorities. Identify opportunities for partnerships and calls for proposals.

Secure new revenue streams, including through corporate grants, cause-related marketing, event sponsorship, matched funding, gifts in kind, and strategic alliances, to grow overall support from corporate and business partnerships from $1m to $3 million/year by 2030. Proposal and Content Development (15%) Develop and deliver briefings, presentations, and customized collateral for prospective partners.

Prepare Opportunities Review documents for Senior Management, complying with AWF’s Account Management Framework. Work with Technical, Program, Design, and Finance teams to identify fundable projects, budgets, results frameworks, and evidence of impact. Interface with Senior Management, Design Team, and assigned partners to support the development of tailored partnership concepts, proposals, sponsorship packages, and funding concepts.

Partnership Management and Stewardship (25%) Coordinate internal award management processes, including organizing the project’s kickoff meeting and representing the partner’s interests in account management committees. Manage a portfolio of assigned corporate and business partners, serving as the liaison between partners and AWF program teams to ensure strategic alignment, mutual value, timely communication and engagement, and the prompt delivery of acknowledgments and stewardship materials.

Develop stewardship plans that demonstrate impact, strengthen engagement, and maximize partnership retention and growth. Review partner reports and coordinate with field staff and the Finance Team to ensure accurate and timely technical and financial reporting, ensuring quality control and compliance with partner and AWF requirements and quality standards. Support the preparation and negotiation of grant amendments, no-cost extensions, budget revisions, scope changes, and other agreement modifications, ensuring approvals are obtained before implementation.

Coordinate partner site visits, field trips, and impact reporting to demonstrate conservation outcomes. Work with Program and Finance Teams