Programme Funding Specialist

War Child Alliance; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

War Child Alliance is seeking a Programme Funding Specialist to grow impact by securing funding opportunities, building strategic partnerships and strengthening donor engagement to support programmes for children affected by conflict.

You will work with country teams to identify opportunities, develop pipelines and coordinate proposals, ensuring alignment with donor strategies and War Child’s priorities across the Alliance.

Qualifications

• Experience in funding within (I)NGOs required.
• Experience in conflict/post-conflict contexts preferred.
• Proven track record in developing funding strategies and proposals.
• Experience with consortium development desirable.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of funding opportunities across assigned country portfolios and translate donor strategies into proposals, partnerships and pipeline progression.
• Identify and analyse funding opportunities at country level, monitor donor priorities and calls, contributing to pipeline development.
• Coordinate proposal development processes with country teams, partners and internal quality teams to ensure timely submission and donor alignment.
• Support development of partnerships and consortia at country level, identifying potential partners and coordinating collaboration.
• Contribute to donor engagement at country level, maintaining working relationships and supporting coordinated engagement with global strategies.
• Work closely with country teams to ensure alignment of programme priorities with donor requirements and organisational approaches.
• Ensure application of grant management standards and support country teams on requirements and expectations.
• Identify risks and bottlenecks in pipeline and proposal processes and contribute to solutions.

Skills

Programme funding experience

Conflict/post-conflict context

Funding strategy

Consortium development

Education

Relevant degree in international development or related field

Job description

About the role

War Child is looking for a: Programme Funding Specialist. Play a key role in growing War Child's impact by securing funding opportunities, building strategic partnerships, and strengthening donor engagement to support programmes for children affected by conflict across multiple countries. The role supports War Child Alliance’s resource mobilisation across assigned country portfolios by contributing to the development and delivery of funding opportunities, partnerships and proposals. It works with country teams to identify opportunities; strengthen donor engagement aligned with donor strategies and support the progression of pipeline aligned with organisational priorities. Working under the direction of the RM & BD Team Lead, the role contributes to opportunity development, partnership engagement and proposal coordination, while ensuring alignment with donor strategies and organisational approaches. The role works closely with global strategic leads, enabling functions and country teams to support effective delivery of funding opportunities and partnerships across the Alliance.

What you will do

• Support delivery of funding opportunities across assigned country portfolios, working with the Cluster Lead to translate donor strategies into concrete proposals, partnerships and pipeline progression.
• Identify and analyse funding opportunities at country level, monitoring donor priorities, funding trends and calls, and contributing to pipeline development and prioritisation.
• Coordinate proposal development processes, working with country teams, Proposal Quality (Lily) and partners to ensure timely submission and alignment with donor expectations.
• Support development of partnerships and consortia at country level, identifying potential partners and contributing to collaboration arrangements aligned with opportunity requirements.
• Contribute to donor engagement at country level, maintaining working-level relationships and supporting coordinated engagement aligned with global strategies.
• Work closely with country teams to strengthen opportunity development, ensuring alignment between programme priorities, donor requirements and partnership approaches.
• Ensure application of policy standards and donor requirements, working in coordination with Compliance & Performance (Stephen) and supporting country teams to follow agreed approaches.
• Contribute to pipeline tracking and opportunity management, ensuring visibility of timelines, risks and next steps across assigned countries.
• Facilitate coordination across WCAF, country teams, fundraising Members and partners, ensuring effective communication, alignment and information flow.
• Contribute to capacity strengthening of country teams, supporting development in donor engagement, proposal processes and partnership working.

ROLE-SPECIFIC OR CONTEXT REPONSIBILITIES

• Support country teams in developing funding approaches and opportunity pipelines, aligned with cluster priorities and global donor strategies.
• Coordinate and support proposal design processes, including facilitating inputs from technical teams, finance, MEAL and partners.
• Support donor mapping and analysis at country level, maintaining up-to-date information on donor priorities, trends and opportunities.
• Facilitate collaboration across countries and partners for multi-country opportunities, ensuring coordination and alignment across stakeholders.
• Provide inputs into donor engagement planning, including preparation of materials and coordination of follow-up actions.
• Ensure consistent application of grant management standards across proposals and funding processes, guiding country teams on requirements and expectations.
• Identify risks, bottlenecks and delivery challenges in pipeline and proposal processes, escalating to the Team Lead and contributing to solutions.
• Capture lessons and insights from proposal development, partnerships and delivery, contributing to continuous improvement of approaches and practices

Your profile

Education

• Relevant degree in international development, social sciences or related field.

Experience

• Experience in programme funding within an (I)NGO;
• Experience in conflict/post‑conflict contexts an advantage;
• Strong track record in developing successful funding strategies and proposals;
• Experience with consortium development.

Languages

• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Other WCA languages an asset.

(Technical) Knowledge

• Familiarity with institutional donors (FCDO, EU, UN, foundations);
• Strong understanding of donor trends;
• Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection and rights programming.

What we offer

• Location : We work with global teams with team members being based in different locations. War Child is currently operates in: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (soon to be registered), and Yemen. Preference is given to applicants who reside and have valid working permits. War Child does not offer relocation.
• Type of Contract : Local contract with salary and secondary labour conditions based on the in-country salary scale, local T&C's will apply.

Why You Should Apply

• Meaningful Impact :Contribute directly to improving the lives of children and families affected by conflict through quality education and long-term, sustainable change.
• Professional Growth:Join a dynamic organisation that values learning, innovation, and professional development, with opportunities for capacity building and growth through the role and War Child’s global network.
• Global Reach :Play a key role in scaling a ground-breaking programme across multiple conflict-affected contexts worldwide.
• Collaborative & Inclusive Culture :Work alongside passionate, mission-driven colleagues in a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace that prioritises safety, fairness and equal opportunity for all.