Seth E.

About Seth E.

I am a strategic business development and grant writing leader with 18+ years of experience securing funding and driving results in fragile environments.I serve as Fundraising Director for ROCKBlue and advise the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on business development transformation, combining resource mobilization with AI-enabled workflows and modern pipeline systems.I have worked across 25+ countries, from Kabul to Kyiv and Monrovia to Mosul, leading humanitarian and development efforts spanning grants, MEL, operations, and partnerships. My focus stays consistent: turn strategy into funded programs under pressure, with high compliance standards and limited margin for error.At ROCKBlue, I lead global fundraising and partnerships across foundations, corporates, multilaterals, and high-net-worth donors, building Africa-focused pipelines aligned to a 2025–2030 growth strategy. I design sponsorship products for utilities and private sector partners, translate technical water outcomes into donor-ready value propositions, and run end-to-end proposal development. I also built a structured horizon scanning system with tiered opportunity ranking across priority countries.At IWMI, I lead diagnostics and process improvement for the Business Development Unit, roll out Monday.com for pipeline and proposal management, and build AI-powered tools for horizon scanning, rapid eligibility screening, and Go/No-Go decision support, strengthening opportunity tracking, institutional knowledge, and proposal analytics while reducing development cycle time.Across roles, I have mobilized $115M+ in competitive funding and overseen $100M+ in donor-funded portfolios.AI plays an active role in how I work. I use AI to scan donor landscapes, prioritize opportunities, support capture planning, structure proposals, stress-test compliance, and manage institutional knowledge, integrated into CRM workflows and pipeline tracking, paired with senior judgment on strategy and positioning.Highlights:• $45M+ in new funding over the past three years• MEL leadership across $50M+ multi-country portfolios• Project management for a $44.6M USAID governance program in Afghanistan• Emergency response support in Ukraine, Gaza, and the West Bank• Training 300+ staff and partners on MEL, compliance, adaptive learning, and proposal qualityOpen to full-time roles and selective consulting globally across philanthropy, international development, partnerships, strategic growth, and performance measurement.

Experience

1. Consultant Business Strategy and Delivery

   International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

   Nov 2025 — Present

   Leading development of AI-powered tools for business development, including horizon scanning, rapid eligibility screening, and Go/No-Go decision support, strengthening pipeline quality, speed, and strategic focus.• Driving rollout and configuration of Monday.com as IWMI’s core pipeline and proposal management system, covering board design, workflows, permissions, reporting, and integration planning to replace fragmented Excel-based tracking.• Developed new business models for digital tools and data services, including commercialization pathways, pricing and revenue scenarios, IP and data governance, and board-level recommendations.• Conducted diagnostics and led process improvement for IWMI’s Business Development Unit, strengthening opportunity tracking, CRM architecture, pipeline management, and proposal performance analytics.• Facilitated senior leadership and cross-functional engagement to drive internal alignment, capacity building, and change management across partnerships, research, ICT, and resource mobilization teams.

Education

• Cornell University

  MRP

  2008 — 2010

• State University of New York at Binghamton

  BA

  2001 — 2005