The Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) is a leading national faith-based organization established in 1946 to serve as a coordinating and facilitating body for Christian Health Institutions and health programs in Kenya. CHAK’s mandate centers on advocating for quality healthcare delivery through faith-based institutions, promoting health education, strengthening community health systems, and enhancing Christian witness in healthcare.
To complement its service delivery and sustainability efforts, CHAK established the CHAK Business Services Limited (CBSL) in 2023, a social enterprise created to develop and incubate innovative business solutions, expand revenue sources, and generate sustainable value for communities. In line with these objectives, CHAK is seeking to recruit a strategic and experienced professional to fill the position of Business Development Lead.
This role is critical to CHAK’s growth trajectory, as it will provide thought leadership and direction in the identification, design, and implementation of business development strategies, including donor engagement, proposal development, and partnership building across the health and development sectors.
The position will be based at the CHAK Secretariat in Nairobi, reporting directly to the General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, with a dotted reporting line to the Senior Management Team (SMT).
Position: Business Development Lead
Duty Station: CHAK Secretariat, Nairobi
Reporting to: General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer
Dotted Reporting Line: Senior Management Team
Job Summary
The Business Development Lead will spearhead CHAK’s business growth strategy by identifying and cultivating funding opportunities, managing strategic partnerships, and leading the development of competitive grant proposals aligned with CHAK’s strategic priorities. The role will also support CHAK Business Services Limited (CBSL) in developing and growing its portfolio of business ventures, forging partnerships, and exploring innovative income-generating opportunities.
This position requires a professional who demonstrates strong leadership, strategic thinking, and hands-on experience in business development, proposal writing, and partnership management within the health and development sectors. The successful candidate must also have a proven track record in managing institutional donor relationships, developing high-impact funding proposals, and leading cross-functional teams under tight deadlines.
Key Responsibilities
1. Leadership Responsibilities
- Offer technical leadership in business development and proposal design processes within CHAK’s Health Programs Division.
- Mentor and guide junior and new technical or contributing writers involved in proposal preparation.
- Provide strategic leadership in implementing the organization’s business development strategy in alignment with CHAK’s mission and business goals.
- Serve as a key advisor to the General Secretary and CEO on matters related to growth and strategic partnerships.
2. Business Development and Proposal Management
- Lead the identification and pursuit of strategic funding opportunities from institutional donors aligned with CHAK’s priority areas.
- Serve as the lead writer and coordinator on competitive proposals, overseeing technical and cost components from concept to submission.
- Conduct capture research and field visits to inform proposal design, including scoping meetings, partner identification, and donor engagements.
- Prepare and contribute to the development of key proposal documents, including concept notes, executive summaries, technical narratives, and pitch presentations.
- Ensure proposal submissions meet donor specifications and reflect technical rigor, strategic alignment, and contextual relevance.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including technical experts, finance, communications, HR, and procurement to produce high-quality bids.
- Ensure alignment of win themes across proposal components and maintain consistency in tone, structure, and compliance.
3. Partnership Development and Stakeholder Engagement
- Build and sustain strong working relationships with CHAK’s existing and potential partners, including government agencies, NGOs, CSOs, FBOs, academic institutions, and private sector actors.
- Lead consortium development for new opportunities by identifying and negotiating strategic partnerships with both local and international organizations.
- Represent CHAK in stakeholder forums, donor events, and technical working groups to position the organization as a credible partner in health and development programming.
- Manage a database of partners, setting up periodic engagements to maintain healthy collaboration and build new networks.
4. Capacity Building and Knowledge Management
- Design and deliver training to CHAK staff on proposal writing, donor compliance, partnership engagement, and fundraising strategy.
- Support the development and dissemination of technical materials, knowledge products, and success stories to showcase CHAK’s expertise and impact.
- Promote learning and improvement through post-submission debriefs, documentation of lessons learned, and sharing of best practices.
- Contribute to the development of internal tools, templates, and knowledge repositories for business development processes.
5. Strategic Support to CHAK Business Services Limited (CBSL)
- Support CBSL in developing, piloting, and scaling up business ventures aligned with CHAK’s values and market needs.
- Guide strategic investments, partner negotiations, and proposal development for CBSL projects and partnerships.
- Lead business modeling, market research, and resource mobilization efforts for CBSL initiatives.
- Foster collaboration between CBSL and programmatic divisions to enhance synergy and sustainability of interventions.
6. Monitoring and Strategic Intelligence
- Develop and maintain a business intelligence platform to track and analyse relevant funding trends, donor interests, and emerging opportunities.
- Maintain an updated pipeline of opportunities, track deadlines, and manage internal processes to ensure timely submissions.
- Prepare periodic reports and presentations on business development performance, proposal outcomes, and strategic wins.
- Conduct both short-term and long-term strategic research to inform CHAK’s business positioning and innovation agenda.
7. Administrative and Operational Responsibilities
- Maintain well-organized files and documentation for all business development activities, including proposals, budgets, partnership MOUs, and donor correspondence.
- Collaborate with CHAK’s communication team to produce outreach materials, capability statements, and donor briefings.
- Coordinate logistics and administrative support for capture trips, proposal meetings, and partner events.
- Provide updates and regular briefings to the Senior Management Team on key developments in business growth.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Public Health, Development Studies, Health Economics, International Relations, Project Management, or related field from a recognized university.
- A basic health-related qualification such as Nursing, Public Health, or Clinical Medicine is an added advantage.
- Master’s degree in Health Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline is a strong advantage.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience in business development, proposal writing, resource mobilization, or fundraising within the health or development sectors.
- Demonstrated success in developing high-value proposals and securing funding from institutional donors, including bilateral and multilateral agencies.
- Strong understanding of donor funding cycles, including program design, budgeting, compliance, and reporting requirements.
- Experience working with or within faith-based or community development organizations is desirable.
Skills, Competencies, and Attributes
- Excellent proposal writing, concept note development, and strategic communication skills.
- Strong knowledge of the funding landscape for health and development programs at both national and international levels.
- Proven ability to lead and coordinate diverse proposal development teams under pressure and strict deadlines.
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain productive partnerships with donors, NGOs, and government agencies.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to synthesize data into compelling business cases.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with CRM tools or business intelligence platforms is a plus.
- High degree of initiative, integrity, and ability to work independently.
- Strong alignment with CHAK’s faith-based values, mission, and commitment to improving health outcomes through Christian service.
Application Instructions
Qualified and interested candidates are invited to submit their applications by following the application link provided at the top of this notice. Applications should include:
- A cover letter outlining the applicant’s suitability for the role.
- An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- Certified copies of academic and professional certificates.
Please ensure that all attached documents do not exceed 2MB in total size to guarantee successful submission through the application portal.
Address your application to:
The General Secretary
P.O. Box 30690 – 00100
Nairobi
If you experience any technical difficulties using the online application link, kindly send an email detailing the issue to [email protected] and proceed to submit your application via the same email.
Application Deadline: August 18, 2025
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. CHAK is an equal opportunity employer and encourages qualified individuals from all backgrounds, including faith-based and marginalized communities, to apply.
