Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager (Philanthropy)

Please see the job description attached for all details.

Responsibilities

Relationship Building, Innovation and Proposal Development

●      Undertake donor research, monitor a range of platforms for new opportunities, analyse trends in donor policies and practice, and develop strategic plans for engaging new audiences and increasing the Freedom Fund’s funding from philanthropic donors.

●      Cultivate and track relationships with prospective funders, with a focus on (Ultra) High Net Worth Individuals, philanthropies, foundations and other private donors, largely based in the UK and Europe but with flexibility to work with donors based in other regions.

●      Lead organizational proposal development in partnership with Programs and other Freedom Fund teams, ensuring a coordinated, tailored, professional and timely response to opportunities.

●      Personally produce high-quality funding proposals, concept notes, donor collateral and other formal responses, in close consultation with the Head of Strategic Partnerships and relevant colleagues in other teams.

●      Engage in direct donor discussions and where appropriate, support and facilitate discussions between donors and other staff ensuring these are well prepared and followed up.

●      Support or lead group mechanisms involving donors or partners (e.g., Council of Advocates, consortium-building processes etc.) 

●      Collaborate closely with colleagues in the Partnerships Team to achieve common targets and objectives as set out in the fundraising strategy (including, among other things, maintaining a pipeline of prospective opportunities, and developing outreach and engagement plans for new donors).

●      Acquire the substantive knowledge necessary to effectively present the Freedom Fund’s work to donors and prospects.

Grant management

●      Develop highly bespoke stewardship and engagement plans, ensuring the highest level of donor relationship management tailored to the specific needs and requirements of individual donors, calling on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and other colleagues as appropriate.

●      Manage day-to-day grant and donor servicing for the assigned donors, ensuring deadlines are met and donor requirements fulfilled, utilizing the support of other teams members as appropriate.

●      Negotiate, review, store and track grant agreements, in coordination with relevant colleagues.

●      Prepare narrative reports, based on available program data, and work with the finance team to coordinate financial reporting, ensuring compliance with donor specifications.

●      Track key donor and funding data in Salesforce, and provide synthesised information for use in Board papers etc.

Internal coordination and communication

●      Play a key management role in the Strategic Partnerships team, overseeing relevant task management processes, maintaining a laser-focus on our fundraising objectives.

●      Build good relationships with colleagues in the Programs, Finance and Operations, and Communications teams to ensure effective information sharing, and co-ordination.

●      Work closely with the Communications team in the production and dissemination of donor-relevant reports, updates and other content; and contribute to the conception and organisation of donor-facing events.

●      Provide support and guidance to a competent and skilled Strategic Partnerships Manager and Strategic Partnerships Officer, providing clear direction, coaching support and positive feedback, working closely with other team members to ensure their workload is balanced.

●      Collaborate effectively and proactively with other members of the Partnerships team, including providing support and guidance to less-experienced team members.

External Communications

●      Support the WMT members, including Head of Strategic Partnerships, MD of External Relations, and CEO by preparing research, briefings, talking points and presentations for speaking engagements, meetings and events.

●      Subject to available time and capacity, the SSPM may be asked to produce written content for other Freedom Fund products and processes.

●      Collaborate with the Communications Team to support executive positioning and donor-audience messaging, including conference session proposals, Op-Eds, and other external communications.

●      In collaboration with the Head of Strategic Partnerships, manage and cultivate non-funding relationships with partners such as institutions and peer organisations, including representing the Freedom Fund in funder coalitions / groups.

●      Represent and speak on behalf of the Freedom Fund at conferences and events.

●      Collaborate with colleagues from various departments to write, produce and update collateral material.

Qualifications and experience

Essential

•    Entitled to work in the UK without work permit sponsorship

•    Outstanding English writing skills.

•    Minimum of five years of experience in fundraising or partnerships in a fast-paced non-profit setting.

•    A proven track record of producing successful funding bids for private donors, including high net worth individuals and foundations. 

•    Proven experience building fruitful and lasting donor relationships; access to a network of national/international donor contacts or strong skills in building one.

•    Strong understanding of grant-making and grant-management processes (especially with respect to private philanthropic funding) and experience reviewing and negotiating grant conditions.

•    Strong management skills, including experience in developing and implementing team management processes and using systems to support effective, lean, agile delivery.

•    Personal interest and past experience in the modern slavery field or in the broader human rights and development sector.

•    Experience using MS Office and Salesforce or another CRM database.

Personal attributes

Essential

•    A commitment to the Freedom Fund’s vision, mission, values, and goals, with a passion to work in promoting human rights around the world.

•    A willingness to work as part of a team in a cooperative and supportive way.

•    A commitment to excellence and a relentless pursuit of results, a self-starter with an exceptional work ethic, strong organisational skills, and a can-do attitude.

•    Ability to build relationships with a wide range of individuals from diverse backgrounds.

•    Ability to work independently, displaying strong initiative in solving day-to-day problems.

•    Great attention to detail in dealing with complex donor requirements.

•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to liaise with a range of individuals and stakeholders at all levels.

•    Ability to work to tight deadlines and juggle assignments running in parallel.

•    Willingness and ability to travel locally and internationally (up to 15%).

Please see the job description for all details.