About the European Climate Foundation
The European Climate Foundation (ECF) is a major philanthropic initiative working to help tackle the climate crisis by fostering the development of a net-zero emission society at the national, European and global level.
We support more than 800 partner organisations to carry out activities that drive urgent and ambitious policy in support of the objectives of the Paris Agreement, contribute to the public debate on climate action and help deliver a socially responsible transition to a net-zero economy and sustainable society in Europe and around the world.
About the role
Passionate about people and planet? The mission of the Strategic Partnerships team is to build strong philanthropic partnerships to power ECF’s climate impact. In recent years, the ECF has significantly increased its funding base and has currently more than 45 funding partners.
The postholder will lead on the development and delivery of engagement strategies and plans for ECF donors and be responsible for managing strong partnerships with a portfolio of funding partners. You will develop multidimensional plans that integrate all aspects of partnership management, with a focus delivering exceptional service to our funders. The Partnerships Manager will also play a key role in designing and delivering funder communications to maximise our partnerships and ECF’s role as a thought leader and convener.
Internally, the postholder will work closely with the team’s Director on relationship building. The postholder will also be expected to work closely with other colleagues, especially ECF programme staff, CEO’s office, corporate communications and operational teams. Externally, they will manage a portfolio of funding partners (mostly foundations, as well as individual and family philanthropies) from the US and Europe and support the Director on key relationships.
Key responsibilities
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Implementing donor engagement strategies and plans developed in collaboration with the Director, ensuring alignment with the overall stewardship and fundraising strategy. This will require developing a deployment strategy for key ECF staff from our Executive management team, programmes, Board and Development committee members and existing donors and partners.
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Providing supervision to direct reports and supporting team learning efforts as guided by the Director.
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Partnerships management: This will involve independently managing a portfolio of funding partners that provide 7+ figure gifts to the ECF as well as working in close collaboration with the team’s Director to manage partnerships with key donors. This will include managing all aspects of the partnerships in close cooperation with relevant colleagues, from note preparation, proposal and report development, bilateral meetings or events, communication milestones etc.
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Supporting funding discussions and preparing draft agreements in collaboration with the Director, with a focus on flexibility and alignment with ECF’s funding principles.
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Ensuring integrated ECF position towards donors: The Partnerships Manager will need to align the SP team and other ECF colleagues involved in the delivery of the donor engagement plan and communicate/sharing these plans internally as needed to ensure a coherent ECF positioning at all stages of the process (e.g. proposals, reports, meetings, communication materials).
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Ensuring that funder communication is maximised and fully integrated with funder engagement plans: The post holder will be expected to liaise closely with ECF’s corporate communications team under the guidance of the Director (who is responsible for leading on stakeholder communications) on funder communications.
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Fundraising for specific thematic priorities: The postholder may be requested to focus on fundraising for key ECF programmes or campaigns, which will mean working hand in hand with programmes to develop cases for support and funder outreach.
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Oversight and preparation of briefs: The Manager will prepare detailed briefs ahead of key funder meetings involving our CEO, Managing Director, ED for Strategic Partnerships and relevant ECF colleagues.
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Manage 3 or 4 staff members – depending on team needs and structure.
Requirements
Experience and competencies
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At least 8 years’ experience in managing funder relationships, including donor communications
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Exceptional communication and negotiation skills and proven ability to communicate with broad and diverse audiences
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Strong relationship-building and diplomacy skills and comfortable operating with senior level stakeholders
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Highly organised and eye for detail while keeping the big picture in mind
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Team player with proven ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders
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Creative mindset, including problem-solving
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Ability to navigate complex organisations and situations
Other information
What we offer
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The unique opportunity to engage with a highly dynamic, international group of individuals who combine their passion to make a difference with ambition and a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work.
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A flexible work environment and the space to shape the role and develop your skills.
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A full-time employee position.
Location
Any location where ECF has an Office
Work permit
We only accept applications with a valid working permit for the country
Start date
As soon as possible
How to apply
Please upload below:
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CV
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Short cover letter expressing your motivation for this role in English
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You will receive a questionnaire that needs to be answered for that application to be deemed valid
Only applications following the HOW TO APPLY instructions will be considered for the role! All applications will be treated confidentially. We will store your information in our internal database unless you specifically request otherwise.
Diversity statement
We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our organisation. We strongly encourage candidates from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds to apply.
All applications will be treated confidentially.
