Head of Stakeholder Relations & Partnerships at Ignite Energy Access Nigeria Limited

Job Purpose / Mission

• The Head of Stakeholder Relations & Partnerships is responsible for strengthening Ignite Energy Access Nigeria’s external positioning by cultivating strategic relationships, securing grants and catalytic funding, and representing the organisation within key national and sectoral platforms.
• The role enhances the organisation’s visibility, deepens engagement with government, donors, development partners, private sector and ecosystem actors, and expands the partnerships required to drive Ignite’s mission and growth in Nigeria.
• The role plays a critical part in advancing organisational objectives by unlocking funding opportunities, shaping constructive policy engagement, and championing collaborations that enable operational success, customer impact, and long-term sustainability. It works closely with the Country Director and with Ignite’s Group Central team to ensure alignment on goals, targets, and strategic messaging.
• It contributes to organisational priorities through high-quality relationship management, insight generation, and the delivery of Nigeria’s external engagement agenda

Key Responsibilities
Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Building:

• Develop and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with government agencies, regulators, development partners, donor institutions, private sector organizations, and other key external stakeholders.
• Represent Ignite Nigeria at high-level meetings, working groups, conferences, and sector dialogues, articulating the organization’s mission and impact.
• Map and prioritize key stakeholders at federal, state and local levels and implement engagement plans that advance Ignites operational and impact objectives.
• Monitor policy, regulatory, and sector developments and provide timely intelligence and recommendations to leadership.
• Prepare high-quality briefs, talking points, letters, and stakeholder materials for external engagements.

Grant Sourcing, Fundraising & Donor Relations:

• Identify, evaluate, and pursue grant, concessional funding, and partnership opportunities that align with Ignite Nigeria’s growth and impact priorities.
• Work with Ignite’s Group Grants team to develop and lead the submission of compelling proposals, coordinating inputs from Finance, Commercial, Operations, Impact, and other internal teams as required.
• Lead all post-signing grant and partner relationships in Nigeria, including ongoing compliance, monitoring, and timely reporting to funders.
• Manage donor relationships professionally, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and sustaining long-term partnership value.
• Oversee grant compliance by supporting internal teams to understand and meet donor requirements, including reporting timelines, data needs, operational standards, and documentation expectations.
• Provide clear guidance, tools, and communication to internal stakeholder teams (e.g., Commercial, Operations, Finance) to ensure smooth and timely execution of grant obligations.
• Monitor progress against grant commitments, escalating risks early and ensuring timely, accurate reporting to donors.
• Maintain an updated grants pipeline and provide regular updates to the Country Director on emerging opportunities, risks, and performance..

Partnership Development & Ecosystem Influence:

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with relevant institutions, including development partners, private-sector organizations, and ecosystem actors that support Ignites mission in Nigeria.
• Identify opportunities for joint projects, consortium participation, and collaborative initiatives within the energy access and development landscape.
• Work closely with Ignite’s Group Central team to ensure partnership development, stakeholder engagement, and ecosystem representation in Nigeria are fully aligned with global goals, strategic priorities, and unified organisational messaging across national platforms and industry forums.
• Position Ignite Nigeria as a sector thought leader through active participation in policy discussions, working groups, and sector tables.
• Support the development of knowledge: materials presentations, policy briefs, case studies to enhance thought leadership and external influence.

External Representation & Advocacy:

• Serve as an organizational ambassador, communicating Ignites model, achievements, and impact to senior external audiences across the Nigerian Market
• Lead or support advocacy efforts that promote enabling policies for solar adoption, financing, and last-mile energy access.
• Coordinate the organization’s presence in sector alliances, associations, and coalitions to ensure consistent, credible representation.
• Draft and deliver messages, speeches, and presentations for key events.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Engagement Alignment:

• Work closely with internal teams including Operations, Commercial, Customer Finance, Impact, Finance, and People to ensure aligned messaging and effective engagement with external stakeholders.
• Provide guidance and support to internal teams engaging external actors to ensure consistent positioning and effective follow-through.
• Support the Country Director by preparing materials, insights, and recommendations for high-level engagements or decision-making forums.

Leadership & Team Development:

• Provide direction, coaching, and development support to direct reports, enabling strong performance and continuous capability growth.
• Build a culture of excellence, integrity, and effective external engagement within the team.
• Set goals, establish feedback mechanisms, and support the development aspirations of team members.
• Foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capability building across the stakeholder relations function.

Strategic Projects & Country-Level Initiatives:

• Lead specific strategic or cross-functional projects assigned by the Country Director, ensuring strong execution, high-quality outputs, and timely follow-through.
• Conduct targeted deep dives or thematic reviews (e.g., policy topics, partnership opportunities, market shifts) and provide insight-driven recommendations.
• Contribute to initiatives that strengthen Ignite Nigeria’s external engagement, visibility, and reputation.
• Prepare briefing notes, project trackers, analyses, and progress updates to support leadership decision-making.
• Collaborate with relevant internal teams to ensure alignment and smooth delivery of assigned initiatives.
• Coordinate specific workstreams or activities within initiatives where required without implying ownership of company-wide coordination.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a University Degree, preferably in a discipline such as Development Management, Social Policy / Political Science / Public Administration / Economics
• Masters’ Degree in Business or Social Field an added advantage
• Additional certifications in public policy, project management, fundraising or stakeholder engagement are beneficial

Experience:

• Minimum of five (7) years’ management experience and at least three (3) of which should be in a senior management position
• Experience in sourcing, managing grant programs and dealing with donors.
• Experience of developing key strategic and operational partnerships at different levels
• Good understanding of the Nigeria government structures and how they function and ability to navigate the system.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (including report writing) in English to produce professional documents of national and international standards and participate in policy discussions and debates
• Strategic thinker. Able to see the bigger picture, challenges and opportunities and create a long-term vision. Able to lead strategic discussions.
• Excellent communication skills. Ability to present and act as a spokesperson for IEA Nigeria in a way that builds credibility and influence.