The Donkey Sanctuary is an international animal welfare organisation, offering care and protection to donkeys worldwide. Our vision is a world where every donkey has a good quality of life, and our mission is to improve the lives of donkeys every day. We will achieve this by transforming the lives of donkeys in need worldwide by fostering greater understanding, collaboration and support, and by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing relationships.  Globally, we support projects in countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, transforming lives through direct care, community training, collaborative partnerships and advocacy work to improve the way donkeys are treated.

These are exciting times for the charity, and we have an outstanding opportunity for a proactive, professional with experience of leadership and programme management skills to our team in Lamu as our Programme and Partnerships Manager. As Programme and Partnerships Manager you are responsible for providing strategic, technical, and operational leadership of the Lamu County programme. The role ensures effective delivery of donkey welfare interventions, strong county-level partnerships, and sustainable community engagement aligned with the Kenya Country Strategy. The post-holder integrates high level programme management expertise, veterinary services experience, advocacy, community development, policy framework, and partnership building to improve donkey welfare while strengthening livelihoods and resilience among donkey-owning

About you:

• Bachelor's degree in development studies, Project Management, Veterinary Medicine, Animal Science, or related fields.
• Postgraduate qualification in programme management or related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in programme management.
• Experience in sustainable animal health, livestock development, humanitarian development, or community-based programming.
• Demonstrated experience in partnership development and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven experience in budget management and reporting.
• Experience in leading teams.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili (written and verbal).

About the role:

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include –

• Lead the design, planning, and implementation of the Lamu Programme in alignment with the Kenya Country Strategy.
• Ensure that the clinic operates optimally.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with Lamu County Government departments, community based organizations, civil society groups, women’s and youth groups, and national regulatory bodies.
• Facilitate participatory community forums on responsible donkey ownership and welfare.
• Establish and monitor programme performance indicators.
• Develop and manage the Lamu programme budget.
• Identify and mitigate operational, reputational, and contextual risks.
• Support county-level advocacy on donkey protection and welfare standards.

What we offer in return:

This  is a full-time permanent contract, working 37.5 hours per week. The post is currently based at The Donkey Sanctuary Kenya, Lamu Clinic.

Applicants for this role must have the legal right to live and work in Kenya.

Closing date for completed applications: Sunday 26^th April 2026.

The Donkey Sanctuary is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults), and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

The Donkey Sanctuary also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, for relevant posts, may request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.

Please note: The Guaranteed interview scheme is only applicable to candidates who consider themselves to have a disability applying for roles based within the United Kingdom.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: We look forward to receiving your application, but we do ask you to complete this in your own words, and not to employ an Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tool or assistant. Applications that are considered not to be an applicant’s own work may not be shortlisted for interview.