CARE Malawi is seeking an exceptional, strategic, and results-oriented professional to join its Senior Leadership Team as Head of Programmes & Partnerships. This is a unique opportunity to lead the design, growth, and delivery of CARE Malawi’s ambitious Country Strategy (2026–2030), advancing sustainable impact for women and girls through innovative programming, strategic partnerships, systems change, and resource mobilization. The position is within its Country Office based in Lilongwe:

CARE International is a leading development organization dedicated to save lives, fight poverty, and achieve social justice with a special emphasis on women and girls. CARE International is a global force and a partner of choice within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. We are known everywhere for our unshakeable commitment to the dignity of people. CARE International and partners contribute to the empowerment of the most marginalized and vulnerable rural women and girls to exercise their rights.

Responsibilities or duties

Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Development

• Lead the development and implementation of CARE Malawi’s strategic program direction.
• Ensure alignment with national priorities and CARE’s global strategies.
• Promote innovation, digitalization, evidence-based programming, gender equality, and climate resilience across the portfolio.
• Oversee a coherent and integrated multi-sector program portfolio.

Program Quality, Implementation & Impact

• Provide leadership to ensure effective, timely, compliant, and high-quality program implementation.
• Oversee a high-quality, multi-sector programme portfolio that integrates gender equality, climate resilience, localisation, and innovation.
• Ensure effective programme implementation, quality assurance, accountability, learning, and impact measurement.
• Strengthen program integration across food systems, education, climate resilience, humanitarian response, and other sectors.
• Oversee Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) systems.
• Drive adaptive management, risk management, accountability, and learning.

Business Development & Resource Mobilization

• Lead CARE Malawi’s funding diversification and resource mobilization strategy.
• Lead business development efforts, including pipeline management, donor engagement, opportunity capture, and resource mobilisation.
• Maintain a robust and forward-looking funding pipeline.
• Lead opportunity identification, capture planning, and Go/No-Go decision-making.
• Expand relationships with institutional donors, foundations, climate finance mechanisms, and emerging funding sources.
• Strengthen CARE Malawi’s competitive positioning and business development culture.

Proposal Design & Development

• Oversee the design and development of competitive, evidence-based proposals for institutional donors, foundations, and emerging funding sources.
• Oversee end-to-end proposal development processes.
• Coordinate cross-functional proposal teams and quality assurance mechanisms.

Partnerships, Localization & Private Sector Engagement

• Strengthen partnerships with local organizations, government institutions, academia, research organizations, private sector actors, and development partners.
• Advance CARE Malawi’s localization agenda through strategic partnerships with local and women-led organizations.
• Build and maintain relationships with government, donors, UN agencies, INGOs, academia, and the private sector.
• Develop innovative partnerships and co-investment opportunities with corporate partners.
• Drive CARE Malawi’s localisation and private sector engagement agenda, promoting shared-value partnerships and sustainable development solutions.

Donor Relations & Representation

• Serve as a senior representative of CARE Malawi with donors and external stakeholders.
• Maintain strategic relationships with key bilateral, multilateral, and philanthropic donors.
• Ensure high-quality donor reporting, compliance, and stewardship.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing program and business development teams.
• Foster a culture of learning, accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Lead the implementation of CARE Malawi’s Country Strategy 2026–2030 and drive strategic programme growth.
• Represent CARE Malawi with donors, networks, government stakeholders, and strategic partners to strengthen organizational positioning and influence.
• Lead and mentor programme and business development teams, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, learning, and performance.

Qualifications or requirements 

Education

• Master’s degree in international development, Business Administration, Economics, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Equivalent combinations of education and extensive relevant experience will be considered.

Experience needed

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in program leadership, business development, donor engagement, or related senior management roles within the development or humanitarian sector.
• Demonstrated success in:
  • Managing complex, multi-sector development programs.
  • Winning and managing large donor-funded grants and contracts.
  • Resource mobilization and donor engagement.
  • Building and managing strategic partnerships.
• Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa; Malawi experience is highly desirable.

Desirable Experience

• Experience with climate finance mechanisms such as GCF, GEF, or Adaptation Fund.
• Knowledge of blended finance instruments and private sector engagement models.
• Familiarity with Malawi’s NGO operating environment and regulatory framework.
• Experience building organizational business development capacity.

Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic leadership and systems thinking.
• Strong relationship-building and partnership management skills.
• Results orientation and accountability.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and gender equality.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, and mentoring capabilities.
• Dynamic learning mindset and innovation orientation.

Languages: English and Chichewa

• Lead the development and implementation of CARE Malawi’s strategic program direction.
• Ensure alignment with national priorities and CARE’s global strategies.
• Promote innovation, digitalization, evidence-based programming, gender equality, and climate resilience across the portfolio.
• Oversee a coherent and integrated multi-sector program portfolio.
• Provide leadership to ensure effective, timely, compliant, and high-quality program implementation.
• Oversee a high-quality, multi-sector programme portfolio that integrates gender equality, climate resilience, localisation, and innovation.
• Ensure effective programme implementation, quality assurance, accountability, learning, and impact measurement.
• Strengthen program integration across food systems, education, climate resilience, humanitarian response, and other sectors.
• Oversee Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) systems.
• Drive adaptive management, risk management, accountability, and learning.
• Lead CARE Malawi’s funding diversification and resource mobilization strategy.
• Lead business development efforts, including pipeline management, donor engagement, opportunity capture, and resource mobilisation.
• Maintain a robust and forward-looking funding pipeline.
• Lead opportunity identification, capture planning, and Go/No-Go decision-making.
• Expand relationships with institutional donors, foundations, climate finance mechanisms, and emerging funding sources.
• Strengthen CARE Malawi’s competitive positioning and business development culture.
• Oversee the design and development of competitive, evidence-based proposals for institutional donors, foundations, and emerging funding sources.
• Oversee end-to-end proposal development processes.
• Coordinate cross-functional proposal teams and quality assurance mechanisms.
• Strengthen partnerships with local organizations, government institutions, academia, research organizations, private sector actors, and development partners.
• Advance CARE Malawi’s localization agenda through strategic partnerships with local and women-led organizations.
• Build and maintain relationships with government, donors, UN agencies, INGOs, academia, and the private sector.
• Develop innovative partnerships and co-investment opportunities with corporate partners.
• Drive CARE Malawi’s localisation and private sector engagement agenda, promoting shared-value partnerships and sustainable development solutions.
• Serve as a senior representative of CARE Malawi with donors and external stakeholders.
• Maintain strategic relationships with key bilateral, multilateral, and philanthropic donors.
• Ensure high-quality donor reporting, compliance, and stewardship.
• Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing program and business development teams.
• Foster a culture of learning, accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Lead the implementation of CARE Malawi’s Country Strategy 2026–2030 and drive strategic programme growth.
• Represent CARE Malawi with donors, networks, government stakeholders, and strategic partners to strengthen organizational positioning and influence.
• Lead and mentor programme and business development teams, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, learning, and performance.

• Strategic leadership and systems thinking.
• Strong relationship-building and partnership management skills.
• Results orientation and accountability.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Commitment to diversity, inclusion, and gender equality.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, and mentoring capabilities.
• Dynamic learning mindset and innovation orientation.

• Master’s degree in international development, Business Administration, Economics, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Equivalent combinations of education and extensive relevant experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in program leadership, business development, donor engagement, or related senior management roles within the development or humanitarian sector.
• Demonstrated success in: Managing complex, multi-sector development programs. Winning and managing large donor-funded grants and contracts. Resource mobilization and donor engagement. Building and managing strategic partnerships.
• Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa; Malawi experience is highly desirable.
• Experience with climate finance mechanisms such as GCF, GEF, or Adaptation Fund.
• Knowledge of blended finance instruments and private sector engagement models.
• Familiarity with Malawi’s NGO operating environment and regulatory framework.
• Experience building organizational business development capacity.
• English and Chichewa languages.