Grant Strategy Manager

**About Solar Panda**

Solar Panda is a fast-growing loan-to-own solar home system company operating across Kenya, Zambia, Senegal, and Benin, with active expansion into additional African markets. To date, we have sold over 500,000 systems, bringing light to over 3 million people. Our mission is to bring affordable, reliable energy to off-grid households. We are a lean, purpose-driven team that moves fast and is passionate about making a difference.

**The Opportunity**

We are looking for a senior Grant Strategy Manager to build and manage Solar Panda’s grant pipeline. This is not just a grant-writing role — it is a strategic function. The right person will proactively identify funding opportunities, cultivate relationships with key program officers, and position Solar Panda competitively in the development finance landscape.

This role can be full-time or a part-time consulting engagement and will be discussed during the interview.

**What You’ll Do**

- Map the landscape of grants and results-based financing opportunities relevant to Solar Panda’s markets and product category (off-grid solar, energy access, rural electrification)
- Develop and maintain an active pipeline of grant opportunities, with a focus on programs relevant to off-grid solar and energy access. This must include the World Bank Ascent initiative and should extend to any similar sector supporting granting institution (ex: GIZ/EnDev, KfW, FCDO, BGFA) and other bilateral and multilateral programs
- Build and maintain relationships with program officers and advisors at key institutions, staying close enough to the ecosystem to understand strategic priorities, likely program sequencing, and funding cycles through conferences, networks, and ongoing institutional relationships
- Lead the development of high-quality grant applications end-to-end, coordinating with Solar Panda’s operations, finance, and technical teams to gather required inputs
- Work with internal Solar Panda resources to support post-award compliance, reporting obligations, and relationship continuity with funders
- Brief Solar Panda leadership regularly on pipeline status, emerging opportunities, and strategic positioning

**Who You Are**

- 7+ years of experience in grant strategy, development finance, or funding mobilization in Africa
- Deep knowledge of funders active in energy access or rural development
- Prior experience working at the World Bank, UN, or a major bilateral agency is a strong asset
- Track record of successfully securing competitive grants, ideally in off-grid energy, climate, or last-mile service delivery
- Strong written English; French a significant advantage given our Francophone markets (Senegal, Benin)
- Comfortable operating independently in a remote, fast-moving startup environment

**Structure & Compensation**

This can be structured as a full-time position or as a consulting engagement and this will be discussed during the interview. Location can be at one of our head offices in Benin, Kenya, Senegal, Zambia or remote.

We envision three phases to this:

1. The onboarding phase covers the first 4–6 weeks and involves landscape mapping, building Solar Panda’s grant pipeline tracker, reviewing existing grant history, and initial strategy alignment.
2. Following onboarding, the focus will be on continuous building and monitoring of the pipeline, relationship maintenance, opportunity flagging, and regular updates.
3. Writing of applications for active grant opportunities.

**More about Solar Panda**

The company places a high priority on personal integrity, hard work, and respect for customers and co-workers.

Solar Panda is an equal opportunity company. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, sex, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws and regulations. Applications from women are strongly encouraged.