About Us
Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. At the same time, they face increasingly urgent challenges, from volatile crop prices to extreme weather.
Root Capital is an impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since 1999, we have loaned over $2B to more than 800 businesses that are too big for microloans but too small for commercial lenders, and have trained more than twice as many businesses. As these businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, expanding opportunities for women and young people, preserving nature, and building rural prosperity.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital has more than 180 employees operating in more than a dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and has associated offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.
Position Overview
The Senior Manager, Partnerships at Root Capital serves as a strategic bridge between programmatic teams and institutional funders (primarily public funding agencies and financial institutions), cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships that advance Root Capital’s mission while aligning with funder priorities. The role is a key member of the Institutional Partnerships (IP) team, responsible for managing a portfolio of current and prospective institutional funding partners. The portfolio of this position will be primarily comprised of public sector funders (i.e. bilateral and multi-lateral grantmaking agencies), as well as allied, complementary implementation partners with whom Root Capital collaborates in multi-stakeholder consortium models to access public sector funders (i.e. “funding intermediaries”). However, the IP team takes an agile, responsive approach to funder engagement; thus, this role is likely to also manage a limited portfolio segment comprised of private sector institutional funders (i.e. corporations and foundations). Key to this role will be an ability to design, cultivate, and secure new funding opportunities, not just manage existing grants and projects.
The Senior Manager is expected to secure six and seven figure commitments, contributing towards the annual IP fundraising goals.
Duties & Responsibilities
Purpose (30%)
Duties and responsibilities related to the main aim of the role
- Serve as Primary Relationship Manager for a portfolio of institutional funders and funding intermediaries, overseeing all relationship management activities including cultivation, communications, proposals, reporting, stewardship, and renewals.
- Develop and manage a robust institutional fundraising pipeline, focused primarily on public sector funders (e.g. bilateral foreign aid/affairs agencies) and intermediaries, but with capacity to manage relationships with private sector funders as well, based on dynamics of team priorities and capacities.
- Monitor trends across the public funding landscape and translate insights into fundraising strategy and positioning.
Engagement (25%)
- Contribute funder insights and external perspectives to organizational strategy and planning discussions.
- Coordinate internally to ensure timely tracking, reporting, compliance, and fulfillment of partner requirements.
- Represent Root Capital at relevant conferences, convenings, and external events.
- Adhere to team processes and ways of working to contribute to efficient coordination.
- Supervise and direct a Partnerships Associate that provides administrative and coordination support for this role and the wider IP team.
Delivery (45%)
Duties and responsibilities related to the planning and execution of work
- Lead strategy development and execution for key current and prospective institutional funders, ensuring alignment on priorities, objectives, budgets, and engagement opportunities.
- For grants and opportunities pursued in multi-stakeholder consortium models (e.g. Root Capital joining a “prime” NGO’s proposal as a “sub”), manage relationships with consortium lead, partners, and funder.
- Develop and implement engagement strategies that strengthen long-term institutional partnerships and expand strategic collaboration opportunities.
- Identify, cultivate, and advance prospective funders through strategic research, outreach, and relationship-building.
- Develop and maintain relationships with key influencers and stakeholders within the institutional funding ecosystem to generate new opportunities.
- Mobilize internal and external networks to support cultivation and fundraising efforts.
- Lead the development of proposals, funding concepts, pitch materials, and reports in collaboration with the writing and program teams.
- Leverage Root Capital’s impact stories, research, and evidence base to strengthen donor engagement and positioning.
- Support negotiation and structuring of funding opportunities to align partner interests with organizational priorities.
Required Skills and Experience
- Proven public sector fundraising ability, with a minimum of 5 years of fundraising experience. Important Note: the 5 years of fundraising experience should be in new business development Management of previously secured grants/projects is valuable experience, but not a substitute for experience designing, cultivating, and securing new grant funding.
- Demonstrated knowledge of methods, practices, and procedures for moving institutions through moves management stages (identification, discovery, cultivation, strategy, solicitation, and stewardship).
- Experience and comfort engaging with and soliciting program officers of public funders, as well as, for coalition-based opportunities, peer institution program and fundraising colleagues.
- Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills including the ability to effectively communicate to a wide range of external and internal constituents on complex, technical ideas.
- Highly motivated, well-organized, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and adapt to a dynamic environment.
- Strategy-driven, entrepreneurial self-starter capable of thinking creatively, taking initiative, and working independently, while enjoying working collaboratively and knowing when to seek support.
- Experience in international development and time in developing countries strongly preferred.
- Skilled in effectively working and communicating within remote teams.
- Deep belief in and dedication to the mission of Root Capital, with a passion for promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development and rural resilience in low- and middle-income countries.
- Enthusiasm for thriving in diverse, multicultural settings, with a strong preference for experience in global and multi-location work environments.
- Committed to practicing and supporting wellbeing and a work-home life balance.
- Authorized to work in a country listed under “Position Location.” For Africa-based candidates, must be available during Eastern Standard Time (EST) hours for at least a portion of a typical workday, to be determined in coordination with manager.
- Travel flexibility is required for local and regional assignments. This role’s scope includes the potential for travel to client sites in rural areas.
- Knowledge of and interest in financial markets and/or impact investing.
- Language skills: English proficiency and Spanish or French strongly preferred.
- Commitment to Root Capital’s mission.
Applications
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.
Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of: empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.
