Director, Grants & Strategic Partnership Manager at Umera Farms Nigeria Limited

UMéRA is pioneering a transformative rural development ecosystem in Nigeria that integrates agriculture, youth and women empowerment, agritourism, entrepreneurship, and innovative community models. Through our farms, business school, and the development of Alaafia Village, Nigeria's first eco-agrotourism community, we are shaping a new blueprint for rural prosperity, food security, and youth employment on the continent. 

As we scale this vision, we are seeking a Director of Grants & Strategic Partnerships to lead our institutional fundraising, program strategy, and global partnership efforts. This leadership role will position UMéRA to attract high-ticket grants, blended finance, and strategic co-investments with development partners, philanthropies, DFls, and government stakeholders.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Director, Grants & Strategic Partnership Manager

Location: Ibadan, Ogbomoso - Oyo (Hybrid with travel)
Employment Type: Full-Time (Senior Level)
Sector: Agriculture • Rural Development • Impact • Youth

Key Responsibilities

• Design and scale multi-year programs focused on youth and women agribusiness enterprise development.
• Lead grant sourcing, proposal development, fundraising strategy, and donor negotiations.
• Build and manage relationships with international development partners (Mastercard Foundation, AfDB, USAID, Afreximbank, UN agencies, philanthropic foundations, banks,
• etc.)
• Develop impact frameworks, KPls, budgets, Theory of Change, and M&E systems.
• Coordinate program pilots and implementation with UMéRA Farms, UMéRA Business School, and Alaafia Village.
• Prepare donor reports, impact documentation, and annual impact publications.
• Represent UMéRA at high-level conferences, donor meetings, and government engagements.
• Structure blended finance and co-funding models, including diaspora-supported investment pathways.
• Develop sustainability and scale strategies (Oyo Southwest -4 National).

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 7-12+ years experience in international development, agriculture programs, donor-funded projects, rural development, impact investing, public-private partnerships, or related fields.
• Proven experience raising or managing grants of $1 M+ from institutional funders.
• Strong technical writing, proposal development, and research capability.
• Excellent stakeholder relationship management and communication skills.
• Experience working with youth/women empowerment, food systems, climate, or rural development programs (strong advantage).
• Familiarity with African agricultural ecosystems is preferred. Advanced degree in development, agriculture, economics, public policy, business, or related disciplines is a plus. Entrepreneurial attitude, mission-driven, and comfortable building systems from the ground up.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape a landmark rural transformation model in Africa.
• High-impact leadership role with global visibility. Competitive compensation with performance-based incentives.
• Multi-stakeholder exposure (development, government, private sector, diaspora).
• Values-based organization with strong vision and execution capacity.

Application Closing Date
30th January, 2026.