About Organisation:

Media Challenge Initiative is a youth-driven non-profit, building the next generation of journalists in Africa through training, mentorship and experiential peer-to- peer learning. MCI has been providing professional journalism and multimedia journalism training since 2012. It is a social enterprise led by a team of four Ugandans that focus on student journalists who hope to improve their skills in the fields of journalism by providing media fellowship and journalism workshops.

Job Summary: At Media Challenge Initiative, we are looking for a Partnerships & Growth Officer to help grow and sustain a youth-first media organization and its apprenticeship newsroom.

This is not a traditional fundraising role. It is a relationship and opportunity-building role focused on connecting ideas, partners, and resources to support impactful media and youth innovation work. You will work across grants, partnerships, and business opportunities to strengthen the sustainability of MCI, Switch Africa, and Solutions Now Africa.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Grants and Proposal Development
• Lead and support the planning, development, and writing of strong grant concepts, proposals, and partnership submissions aligned with MCI’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Identify relevant funding opportunities for MCI programs, newsroom initiatives, and innovation ideas
• Coordinate proposal development across program, finance, research, and leadership teams
• Translate ideas into compelling donor-facing concepts, notes, and proposals
• Support grant pipeline tracking, submission calendars, and follow-up processes
• Help strengthen internal systems for proposal planning and donor readiness
• National Partnerships and Local Resource Development
• Build and nurture relationships with local institutions, foundations, networks, and mission-aligned actors that can support MCI through funding, collaboration, visibility, or shared value.
• Identify local funding and collaboration opportunities within Uganda
• Build relationships with philanthropic, civil society, academic, and ecosystem partners
• Support the development of partnership pitches and engagement materials
• Help position MCI as a trusted thought leader and collaboration partner in media, youth, and information integrity spaces
• Corporate and Private Sector Relations
• Develop and manage relationships with private sector actors who can support MCI through sponsorships, strategic partnerships, shared campaigns, commissioned work, or other business opportunities.
• Explore sponsorship and partnership opportunities for MCI programs, campaigns, events, and media platforms
• Build corporate engagement strategies tailored to MCI’s work and audience
• Help package MCI’s platforms, audiences, and ideas into compelling partnership offers
• Support relationship management with brands and companies interested in youth, media, innovation, and social impact
• Business Linkages for MCI Social Enterprises
• Support the growth of MCI’s social enterprise ambitions by identifying opportunities for earned income, clients, service partnerships, and strategic business development.
• Help develop and refine business opportunities linked to MCI’s media, training, production, and innovation work
• Build linkages with clients, collaborators, and buyers for MCI’s products and services
• Support the design of offers that turn MCI’s expertise into viable income streams
• Work with internal teams to connect ideas, audiences, and market opportunities
• Newsroom Sustainability and Revenue Opportunities
• Help build sustainability pathways for Switch Africa and Solutions Now Africa by connecting editorial vision with partnership logic and revenue possibilities.
• Explore ethical revenue opportunities for the newsroom, including sponsorships, branded partnerships, audience-supported models, events, content services, and product ideas
• Work with editorial and leadership teams to shape partnership opportunities that fit the newsroom’s values and vision
• Help design systems that support both impact and financial sustainability
• Contribute to a long-term sustainability strategy for MCI’s journalism and apprenticeship model
• Story Partnerships & Matchmaking
• Lead and support the identification, packaging, and alignment of high-potential stories and editorial themes with relevant partners, funders, and collaborators.
• Identify compelling story ideas, editorial themes, and content series with strong partnership potential
• Match stories and themes with aligned donors, NGOs, brands, and ecosystem partners
• Work with editorial teams to shape stories into partnership-ready opportunities
• Support the development of story briefs that clearly communicate impact, audience, and partnership value
• Ensure that high-impact stories are positioned for visibility, collaboration, and potential funding
• Campaign Partnerships Design
• Lead and support the development of campaign-based partnership opportunities that package MCI’s work into clear, fundable, and partner-ready offerings.
• Design thematic campaigns and content series that align with MCI’s priorities (e.g., health, democracy, youth, climate)
• Translate programs and editorial work into structured partnership offers with clear value propositions
• Develop campaign concepts that combine storytelling, engagement, and partner visibility
• Support the creation of partnership decks, campaign briefs, and concept notes
• Work with internal teams to align campaign ideas with audience needs and partner expectations
• Partnership Experience & Relationship Management
• Lead and support the stewardship of partnerships by ensuring strong communication, engagement, and long-term relationship building with partners and collaborators.
• Manage ongoing relationships with partners, donors, and collaborators
• Support regular communication, updates, and reporting with partners
• Ensure partners are meaningfully engaged and visible within MCI’s work
• Identify opportunities to deepen, renew, or expand existing partnerships
• Contribute to building a positive and trusted partner experience across all engagements

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Sales and Marketing or a related field (master’s degree is an added advantage)
• At least 2–5 years of relevant experience in partnerships development, resource mobilization, business development or grant writing preferably in NGOs or social enterprises
• Proven track record of developing successful grant proposals, partnership pitches or business opportunities
• Strong writing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives for different audiences (donors, corporates, partners)
• Excellent relationship-building and networking abilities; experience engaging with diverse stakeholders (government, private sector, civil society, donors)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and familiarity with proposal management tools
• Why This Role Matters
• Opportunity to work with a passionate, youth-driven team making real impact in African media
• A collaborative and innovative work environment that values creativity and learning
• Competitive compensation commensurate with experience
• Professional development opportunities in partnerships, media sustainability, and grant writing
• Meaningful work that supports the next generation of African journalists and storytellers

Send your CV and cover letter to hr@mciug.org