YBI brings together organisations with aligned goals, supporting them to develop and scale the most effective solutions that tackle critical challenges faced by young entrepreneurs around the world. 70 million youth are unemployed worldwide, and 145 million young workers live in poverty. YBI works with their network members to help young people unlock their potential by delivering a range of practical entrepreneurship support services. Since 2014, YBI has supported over 263,000 young entrepreneurs to start or grow their businesses.
With 49 members in 47 countries, YBI brings together a network of diverse organisations, ranging from microfinance institutions to mentoring specialists and business incubators. Their members are locally rooted and locally led, equipped through YBI with the most effective solutions to empower youth and grow sustainable businesses.
As Director of Development and Programmes you will play a central role in the global network of YBI, collaborating to establish programmes that tackle the critical challenges facing young entrepreneurs globally and identifying funding opportunities that enable YBI to increase its reach and become a leading voice on youth entrepreneurship.
The role combines business development and programme management, allowing for end to end oversight of donor relationships and ensuring YBI delivers on its commitments. With two reporting Heads, with specialist skills in each of these areas, your core focus will be to lead this talented team (9 in total) to diversify and grow YBI’s portfolio of high value funders.
We are looking for an inspiring, creative leader – someone who understands the funding landscape and can identify opportunities with institutional funders, corporate partners/foundations and high value supporters. You will lead strategy development and implementation, remaining hands on as needed for the team to deliver $20m income over the next 3 years (current income c.$5-6m per annum) and in line with the organisational strategy that has an overarching aim of creating 1 million jobs through 250,000 youth-led businesses.
YBI already works with key partners such as Accenture, Standard Chartered, JP Morgan and Google.org – with a focus on 6-figure+, multi-year and multi-country relationships. Alongside corporate partners and foundations, there are ambitions to increase institutional funding, having previously received funding from DfID, with potential for EU opportunities via YBI’s new foundation in The Netherlands. As Director of Development and Programmes you will lead the team to identify new opportunities, diversify income, retain/uplift existing partners and increase unrestricted opportunities that allow YBI to scale its ambitions and support more young people (via network members) in their entrepreneurial journeys.
Responsibilities
The position will:
- Lead the creation and delivery of YBI’s income growth strategy, focusing on diversification and pipeline development that allows for increased unrestricted funding opportunities and expands the organisation’s funder base
- Lead the strategic design and co-creation of programmes, with the wider organisation and network members, establishing fundable programmes, products and services that deliver long term value to YBI and its stakeholders
- Contribute to organisational strategy development, sharing responsibility for the overall management of YBI and acting as an effective leader to achieve organisational goals
- Lead by example, emulating organisational values and fostering a culture of collaborative/cross-departmental working with all key stakeholders (including the Board of Trustees and network members) to collectively achieve strategic priorities and income growth
- Work closely with the Heads of Development and Programmes to lead strategic and operational planning in business development and programme management, ensuring alignment with funder requirements
About you
Ideal skills and experience:
- A collaborative leader and member of SMT with the ability to work across the wider team and network members (an understanding of network models would be advantageous but is not essential)
- A skilled high value fundraiser, with demonstrable expertise of cultivating, developing and securing six-figure support from major funders (i.e. institutions, corporates, trusts and foundations and HNWIs)
- A creative and strategic thinker, able to see the bigger picture and identify new opportunities/solutions that enable YBI to scale and grow
- A nurturing and supportive team leader, focused on the professional development of direct and indirect reports, while implementing an empowering and impact driven culture that enables successful fundraising and programme management