Director, Fundraising & Partnerships

Conservation International; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Conservation International seeks a Director to identify, develop, and manage strategic partnerships in Australia and internationally that mobilise funding for coastal restoration, marine conservation, sustainable landscapes, and Indigenous-led initiatives. The role leads outreach, proposal development, and stewardship to ensure effective implementation.

The Director collaborates with program, finance, and grants teams to position CI as a trusted partner for nature-positive investment and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in international development, environmental conservation, or a related field.
• 7+ years of professional experience leading strategic partnerships, fundraising, or external relations in conservation.
• Proven track record in securing seven-figure funding and managing partnerships.
• Experience building networks with diverse stakeholders and communicating with high-priority partners.
• Fluency in English; additional Pacific languages preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop strategic funding opportunities across Australia and the Pacific.
• Collaborate with CI Australia Board, country Directors, and global donor leads to design engagement strategies.
• Monitor trends in environmental investment and conservation finance to inform strategy.
• Manage donor relationships, cultivation plans, and proposal development from outreach to agreements.
• Represent CI in donor meetings and external events; support stewardship throughout the funding lifecycle.

Skills

Strategic fundraising

Partnership building

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in international development or related field

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Adelaide, Australia, as well to applicants throughout Australia

The Director's goal is to identify, develop, and manage strategic partnerships in both Australia and internationally that mobilise funding and investment to advance CI's regional priorities in coastal restoration, marine conservation, sustainable landscapes, and Indigenous-led conservation initiatives.

This position will lead the development process from outreach/cultivation to proposal development to agreements/contracting and stewardship, and collaborate with program, finance, and grants management teams to ensure effective transition from opportunity identification to active implementation. The Director will also help position CI as a trusted partner for nature-positive investment and public-sector collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Proactively identify, research, and develop strategic/funding opportunities aligned with CI's priorities across the Pacific; build a cultivation pipeline of new donors for CI Pacific Region.
• Work with CI Australia Board, Pacific Country Directors, program teams, regional colleagues, and global donor leads to develop and execute donor-specific engagement and fundraising strategies.
• Monitor trends in regional corporate sustainability, environmental investment, conservation finance, ESG initiatives, and private-sector engagement relevant to CI's mission and communicate to CI Pacific leadership, global colleagues, and program teams.
• Assess strategic fit, partnership potential, and revenue opportunities to support investment and lead cultivation decisions/plans.
• Develop strategic relationships and collaboration opportunities with corporations, financial institutions, foundations, industry bodies, and conservation finance partners.
• Track and maintain a forward-looking pipeline of partnership, investment, sponsorship, and funding opportunities and key stakeholder engagement milestones; maintain accurate fundraising pipelines and donor engagement records within the institutional CRM system.
• Support development of funding approaches that combine public grants with co-financing, private philanthropy, or other complementary sources where relevant; coordinate across internal functions to leverage co-investment and blended finance opportunities and help scale larger conservation investments.
• Strengthen internal and external understanding of the role and value of strategic partnerships and innovative financing approaches in delivering conservation outcomes.
• Build and manage a diversified portfolio of partnership-generated revenue and strategic funding sources.

Proposal Development & Grant Acquisition

• Provide guidance, coordination, and technical support to program staff and partners throughout proposal preparation, including timelines, partnership structures, risk analysis, resourcing, and donor terms and conditions.
• Draft and/or review proposal content, ensuring quality, coherence, donor compliance, and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Coordinate due diligence documentation and donor review processes as required.
• Collaborate with Finance, Conservation Delivery Unit, and Grants Management teams to systematize proposal development processes and ensure effective handover from prospective to active grants.
• Donor Stewardship & Partnership Management
• Strategically position CI Pacific with priority corporate partners, financial institutions, foundations, investors, industry associations, other strategic stakeholders, and relevant regional and international bodies.
• Build relationships with senior decision-makers, executives, investors, funding partners, and strategic stakeholders to strengthen CI's visibility and influence.
• Act as a focal point for priority strategic partners and funding stakeholders, managing relationships in line with engagement strategies and in coordination with relevant internal teams.
• Cultivate long-term, high-impact partnerships by supporting dialogue, collaboration, and co-creation of funding opportunities with donors and partners.
• Represent CI in donor meetings, external stakeholder engagements, conferences, and relevant events, and backstop senior leadership as needed.
• Respond to donor inquiries and support ongoing stewardship throughout the funding lifecycle.

Additional Responsibilities

• Contribute to global policy initiatives around resource mobilization.
• Any other related tasks as may be assigned.

People and Resource Management Responsibilities

• This job does not have the authority to allocate resources or approve budget expenditures.
• This job may be required to manage staff or direct the work of others.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a hybrid role with the possibility of a remote arrangement.
• The position requires international and regional travel required not to exceed 25% of time
• Ability to work outside the normal work schedule to support regional time zones.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in international development, communication, environmental conservation, or a similar field.
• 7 or more years of professional experience leading strategic partnerships, resource mobilisation, corporate engagement, business development, or external relations within conservation, environmental, development, or related sectors.
• Proven track record of securing significant funding (seven figures) and partnership support from corporate, foundation, private-sector, donor, or other strategic funding sources
• Extensive experience and excellent track record in building networks and developing partnerships with a range of stakeholders and in managing communications with high-priority external partners.
• Strong understanding of environmental and development issues relevant to CI’s mission, including nature, climate and oceans priorities in Australia and the Pacific.
• Experience with CRMs and other management software.
• Exceptional organizational skills to prioritize projects and initiate follow-through with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, use independent judgment, and produce a quality work product within tight time constraints.
• Prior experience in an international, cross-cultural work environment is essential.
• Fluency in written and spoken English required; proficiency in additional languages relevant to Pacific is preferred but not required.

Preferred

• Master's degree in a relevant field.

Application Deadline: September 28, 2026 (11:49 PM EST)

Conservation International is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We believe in hiring based on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and inclusive hiring process for everyone.