Grants and Partnerships Lead

ABOUT THE COMPANY

BURN is an eclectic group of designers, builders, and visionaries who are committed to making stoves that can transform lives and save forests. Our goal is not just to provide clean burning wood and charcoal stoves but to provide a range of super fuel efficient stoves for the 2 billion people who will inhabit sub Saharan Africa by 2050. Read below to find out a bit more about the members of the team.

JOB SUMMARY

This is a senior individual contributor role responsible for owning BURN’s grants writing function end-to-end, from opportunity identification through proposal development and funder stewardship. You will work directly with the Director to position BURN compellingly to bilateral donors, multilateral development institutions, philanthropic foundations, and climate-focused grant programmes.BURN's funding landscape is sophisticated. Our grant pipeline spans energy access, GHG reduction, energy transition, gender, climate adaptation, clean cooking, and industrial development across funders, including the GIZ, UNCDF, World Bank, and a range of bilateral and multilateral windows.Skills and Experience7+ years of institutional funding experience, with a demonstrable track record of securing grants of $5M+ from bilateral, multilateral, or major foundation sourcesExperience working across the full funding cycle: opportunity identification, proposal development, award negotiation and contractingFamiliarity with the funder landscape relevant to energy access, clean cooking, climate adaptation, gender, or manufacturing in Sub-Saharan AfricaExperience in or alongside private sector organisations operating in development contexts.Comfortable using AI tools to accelerate opportunity scanning, proposal drafting, and research synthesis and able to apply them critically, knowing where human judgement remains essential.Exceptional written communication, ability to write with precision, clarity, and persuasion for sophisticated institutional audiences.Strong analytical capability, comfortable working with programme data, impact metrics, logframes, and budgets.Strategic thinker who can distinguish high-value opportunities from noise and build a coherent portfolio thesis.Organised and self-directed, able to manage multiple proposals in parallel without sacrificing quality.Relationship-oriented, understands that grant success is built over time, not just at submissionExposure to climate finance grant windows (GCF, GEF, Green Climate Fund readiness programmes).Experience with EU grant frameworks or FCDO programme funding.Familiarity with results-based financing, programme-based approaches, or challenge fund structures.Experience working in or with manufacturing, hardware, or technology companies in an impact context.Prior experience building or improving a grants function, not just executing within an established one

RESPONSIBILITIES

Pipeline Strategy & IntelligenceOwn and continuously develop BURN's grant pipeline, covering bilateral, multilateral, foundation, and climate finance grant windowsConduct systematic horizon-scanning to identify new funding opportunities aligned to BURN's strategic priorities and programme portfolio.Assess funder fit, eligibility, and strategic alignment before committing proposal development resources.Maintain a structured capture process, tracking opportunities from identification through submission and awardProposal DevelopmentLead the writing, structuring, and quality assurance of grant proposals and concept notes across all programme areas.Translate BURN's technical operations, impact data, and strategic priorities into compelling, funder-appropriate narratives.Develop programme logframes, theories of change, results frameworks, and budgets in close collaboration with technical and finance teams.Manage proposal timelines and internal review processes to CEO sign-off, ensuring deadlines are met without compromising qualityFunder Relationship ManagementBuild and maintain relationships with programme officers and key contacts at priority fundersRepresent BURN at donor engagements, pre-proposal meetings, and sector convenings as appropriateIdentify and leverage warm introduction pathways through BURN's partner network.Position BURN proactively with funders ahead of open windows, including through targeted expressions of interest and strategic communicationsTeam & Process DevelopmentContribute to building BURN's internal grants capability, including documentation, templates, and institutional knowledge.Coordinate with technical leads across operations, impact, carbon, and programmes to gather inputs efficiently for proposals.Help define and refine the grants team's processes, cadences, and tools as the function scales

REQUIRED SKILLS

Budgeting, financial planning, Grant and fund management, Accounting, Compliance

REQUIRED EDUCATION

Diploma, Associate's degree