Managing Director, Business Development & Partnerships

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives. Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity. Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement. By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change. With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs. 

Role Overview

The Regional Director, Business Development (Africa) will lead the development and support delivery of large-scale regional initiatives aligned with GEAPP’s Africa strategy. This role combines strategic program design, fundraising, partnership building, and cross-functional leadership to expand energy access and economic opportunity across Africa.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Research & Program Development

• Lead the development of large-scale initiatives to deliver on GEAPP Africa’s strategic goals
• Oversee the design, execution, and scaling of emerging initiatives such as green industrialisation, ensuring insights inform GEAPP Africa’s evolving strategy.
• Identify new strategic areas of work by analyzing constraints to energy access and economic opportunity across the continent.
• Coordinate with thematic leads and regional team members to launch and disseminate strategic research and knowledge products that build GEAPP Africa’s thought leadership.

Resource Mobilization & Strategic Partnerships

• Lead fundraising and business development efforts to sustain and scale GEAPP’s Africa portfolio, including donor engagement and proposal development.
• Forge and maintain strategic partnerships with governments, regional entities, DFIs, philanthropies, technical partners, and private sector actors.
• Engage senior government officials and development partners to secure strategic alignment and co-financing opportunities.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing regional team of program leads and technical experts.
• Foster a collaborative, learning-oriented culture focused on innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• Promote effective collaboration between country teams, regional teams, and global teams.

External Relations

• Represent GEAPP in regional energy forums and global events, engaging key stakeholders across sectors.
• Serve as a co-spokesperson for GEAPP Africa’s agenda alongside the Vice President, amplifying visibility and influence.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as global development, public policy, agriculture, energy and environment, economics, or business management; or equivalent
• 15+ years demonstrated experience in Business development, partnership management and fundraising.
• Proven track record of developing business/programs in multi-country program delivery in complex environments.
• Strong experience managing partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability in strategy execution, delivery systems, financing models, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
• Familiarity with Africa’s energy, agricultural, digital, and enterprise ecosystems.

Core Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic Thinking and Decision-making; Able to distil key insights from a large amount of information and frame distinct choices; Is able to think creatively and bring new ideas to the table; Has the ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; Uses analytical and problem-solving skills
• Execution: Takes initiative and drives for results; Has strong project management skills; manages their own time well and provides the necessary guidance and direction to others; has a sense of urgency and takes responsibility for their work; is able to multi-task and works well under pressure; employs attention to detail with their work and has high standards for accomplishing their work.
• Influence and Communication: Excellent communication skills both verbal and written with the ability to frame complex topics for executive discussion and act as a credible representative of the Foundation’s work and values both internally and externally.
• Partnership and Relationship Building: Has strong professional presence and can act as a key representative of the alliance; has intercultural knowledge and appreciation; and possesses strong strategic partnership building skills.
• People Management: Strong project and people management skills and the ability to be flexible, and adaptable under uncertain and changing conditions. Approaches managing people as one that employs team building, skill building and overall staff development and engagement.
• Communication & Influence: Communicates clearly with senior leaders, policymakers, technical teams, and external partners; excellent written and verbal communication.
• Adaptive Leadership: Comfortable navigating ambiguity, leading through complexity, and making decisions under changing conditions.
• Inclusion & Mission Commitment: Demonstrates commitment to equitable, gender-responsive, and youth-centered economic opportunity

We operate from a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do. It is not only the right thing to do – we could not make an impact without our team members' diverse perspectives and experiences. We expect all Global Energy Alliance employees to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.  

Global Energy Alliance is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the organization ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.  

Global Energy Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer.