Senior Partnerships Officer, Foundations - London or Edinburgh, UK

Senior Partnerships Officer, Foundations - London or Edinburgh, UK

Salary: The starting range salary for this position is £37,040

Closing date: Applications to be submitted before April 30th

ABOUT MERCY CORPS

Mercy Corps is a leading global organisation powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In conflict, in disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action—helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

The breadth and impact of our programmes makes Mercy Corps a unique and truly rewarding place to work. Our teams are proud of what we achieve in the countries we work and we are always looking for talented individuals who share our passion and commitment. We know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY

A part of the wider Development Team, the Foundation Partnerships team manages Mercy Corps’ fundraising relationships with major European and US Foundations, working to develop strategic partnerships that support social impact at scale in our priority areas including economic and market development, food and water security, climate change, peacebuilding and emergency response, creating lasting impact with and for the local communities with whom we work.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Partnerships Officer will be responsible for the account management of the existing and growing portfolio of foundation partners within Europe. A key focus of the Senior Foundation Partnerships Officer will be to provide a high standard of relationship management and stewardship so that partners are motivated to continue and increase their support to Mercy Corps’ work through increased funding values and deepened partnerships. This includes responsibility across the portfolio for grants management – including proposal and agreement review, compliance and finance coordination, award kick-off, reporting and tracking budget vs actual spends. They will also support the Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager to raise funds from new trust and foundation partners that have been highlighted as a priority through new business acquisition. This will involve frequent coordination across teams to find the strongest in-roads to cultivate 6, 7 and 8-figure funding opportunities with strategic prospects and build strong relationships that result in fruitful solicitations.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Relationship Management /Stewardship

• Lead on the account management of agreed partners within the Foundations portfolio in Europe, ensuring that each partnership is backed by a strategic plan for development.
• Strategically enhance and steward relationships within the Foundations portfolio to significantly increase giving levels and alignment with Mercy Corps’ priorities.
• Support the Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager on the formulation and implementation of individual strategies for developing key partnerships and initiatives around programmatic priorities.
• Act as a point person for partners and donors in response to outreach, questions and wider collaboration opportunities.
• Lead on coordination with desk teams, finance, compliance, country and programmatic teams to conduct agreement reviews, address internal/external compliance concerns, ensure timely grant reporting, track budget vs actuals and file official grant paperwork.
• Ensure account-related records are accurate and accessible and that up to date information is recorded on Raiser's Edge and appropriate internal and global drives. Ensure that relevant teams understand and adhere to funding requirements so that the objectives of CFT grants are fully met.
• Maintain understanding of key foundation partnerships to be able to represent foundation strategies to internal stakeholders.
• Deputize key accounts when the Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager is unavailable.

Business Development

• Lead portfolio expansion efforts (strategy, planning, materials) and strategies for thematic sectors, like food security and climate.
• Proactively pursue leads and in-roads based on strong alignment with Mercy Corps - from cold to warmer prospects. Cultivate new or lapsed donors to keep them engaged with Mercy Corps’ work and solicit for funds.
• Support cross-team efforts relating to open call opportunities.
• Write, edit and/or project manage the development of concepts, proposals, reports, pitch decks, updates and stewardship materials.
• Work closely with global, regional and desk programmes teams to remain up to date of MC priorities and global impact.
• Input into cross-team workstreams related to new-business mapping; global event and conference research and preparation.

Representation

• Act as an internal expert on the philanthropic landscape, and channel the perspective of foundation partners in developing proposals and ideas with programmatic team members.
• Act as an advocate for the CFT team through regular collaboration and update meetings with programmatic and technical teams to collaborate on funding opportunities and gain knowledge on our programmes to share with the team. Support country and programmatic teams in raising their profile and sharing prospect/partner strategies for internal alignment.
• Effectively represent Mercy Corps to partners and external audiences for both fundraising and profile elevation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 4 years demonstrated experience in Trust and Foundations fundraising or proven experience in partnership development working in the international development/humanitarian sector.
• Demonstrated experience in stewarding donors resulting in the growth of 6-7+-figure partnerships and persuading larger giving values.
• Demonstrated experience in cultivating prospects from cold to warm and banking new business opportunities.
• Demonstrated experience in building long-term strategic partnerships with deepened value, e.g. incorporating profile-raising opportunities, leveraging partner expertise etc.
• Strategic thinking related to engaging and soliciting existing and new donors to mobilise them to provide funding - e.g. finding relevant in-roads for relationships that are most likely to commit funding.
• Excellent writing skills and experience of proposal and report writing for a corporate audience, and the ability to write compelling funding proposals and donor communications.
• Excellent verbal communication skills, able to present the organisation and discuss opportunities for collaboration with a diverse range of actors.
• Experience working with a variety of teams to enhance internal collaboration towards a common goal.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• IT literate with good knowledge of Microsoft Office and databases, particularly experience managing complex trackers.
• Experience of using/managing relationship databases, ideally Raiser's Edge (desirable).

Success Factors

• Strong and collaborative team worker - comfortable working across a number of different teams towards one goal.
• Excellent communicator, able to build and maintain effective internal and external relationships.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, able to work quickly, accurately and to deadlines, managing various ongoing tasks effectively.
• Creative and strategic thinker, able to find interesting angles to engage our partners.
• Professional, highly motivated and solutions-oriented.
• Able to cope with changing priorities, often at short notice, and work well under pressure.

The position is based in London and may involve occasional national and international travel, though not frequently. Team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short term assignment or trip to country offices. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect Local Laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all Mercy Corps locations. Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Mercy Corps' vision. Mercy Corps is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK at the time of appointment.

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Team Efficiency and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Mercy Corps is a global non-governmental, humanitarian aid organization operating in transitional contexts that have undergone, or have been undergoing, various forms of economic, environmental, social, and political instabilities.