Head of Foundation Relations

Rainforest Alliance; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work flexibility

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Rainforest Alliance is seeking a Head of Foundation Relations to lead the foundation fundraising portfolio globally, including climate, development, and sustainability initiatives. You will build and scale the engagement strategy, win new funders, and grow income from existing accounts, while managing an international team.

You will engage with programme officers and foundation leadership to raise the organization’s visibility, design compelling value propositions, and develop innovative funding

Qualifications

• 10+ years of fundraising, business development, sales, consultancy or sustainable development.
• Experience securing philanthropic foundation funding, including multi-year commitments.
• Experience moving donors through a cultivation pipeline and hitting annual revenue targets.
• Experience leading and developing people, whether as line manager, or leading cross-functional and matrixed teams.
• Working knowledge of sustainability, systems change and global development market trends.

Responsibilities

• Shape and deliver the Rainforest Alliance's foundation fundraising strategy and grow mission-based giving.
• Build a revenue-generating portfolio of foundation accounts and secure new funding commitments.
• Expand and diversify the portfolio with six-figure and above multi-year commitments.
• Meet and exceed annual revenue targets and track budgets in Salesforce.
• Lead cross-functional proposal teams and ensure donor-aligned submissions are delivered on time.

Skills

Fundraising

Foundation funding

Donor engagement

Leadership

Strategic planning

Proposal development

Team management

Cross-functional collaboration

Global development

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business administration, international development, sustainability or a related field

Job description

POSITION: Head of Foundation Relations

LOCATION: We will only consider candidates legally authorized to work in theNetherlands, theUK or theUS.

WORKPLACE TYPE: Flexible hybrid working environment

CLOSING DATE: 01 November 2026

JOB LEVEL: 16

SALARY:

• Netherlands salary range: €70,501 - €88,126
• UK salary range: £51,904 - £64,880
• US National salary range: $96,886 - $121,107
• New York salary range: $101,390 - $126,738

POSITION SUMMARY

Foundations are among the most ambitious funders working on climate, agriculture and food system change. We have created the Head of Foundations role to build partnerships that match that ambition.

This is a new global role with ownership of the Rainforest Alliance's philanthropic foundation portfolio across climate, development, agriculture, sustainability and food system change. You will develop the engagement and growth strategy, win new foundation funders, scale income and impact from the accounts we already hold, and build and lead a small international team to do it with you.

You will spend your time in front of programme officers and foundation leadership, raising the Rainforest Alliance's visibility across the foundation landscape, and designing value propositions and finance models that persuade funders to invest at scale. Working across the organization, you will read the market, prioritize the segments with the most potential, and build a pipeline of strategic opportunities against clear financial targets.

Reporting to the Director of Institutional Relations, you will have genuine latitude to shape how it works. You will also carry the number. Success here is multi-year, six-figure-and-above commitments secured, and foundation relationships that deepen year on year.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Strategy and portfolio growth

• Shape and deliver the Rainforest Alliance's foundation fundraising strategy, growing mission-based and impact project giving across a diverse global portfolio.
• Build a revenue-generating portfolio of foundation accounts through prospect identification, relationship-building and new funding commitments.
• Expand and diversify the existing portfolio, with a focus on six-figure and above multi-year commitments.
• Meet and exceed annual revenue targets.
• Track and report budgetary projections, cultivation activity and progress against goals in Salesforce, and contribute to the wider Institutional Relations pipeline.

Prospecting and external engagement

• Partner with Research and Revenue Operations to stay ahead of funding trends, identify aligned affinity networks and entry points, and produce leads for restricted funding opportunities.
• Prioritize external engagement for yourself and for senior leadership: identify prospects, secure the meetings, prepare the briefings, and drive follow-up.
• Represent the Rainforest Alliance at donor roundtables, networking events and on panels.

Value proposition and funding model design

• Design compelling cases for support, donor collateral and philanthropic offerings tailored to foundation audiences.
• Develop and test new models of revenue generation, including blended finance and pooled funds.
• Bring new thinking to the future shape of Development at the Rainforest Alliance.

Proposal leadership

• Lead proposal development for prioritized opportunities, from concept note to submission.
• Convene and guide cross-functional proposal teams, ensuring, donor-aligned submissions delivered on time and following internal processes.
• Contribute to project design and secure internal agreement on funder interests.

Team and cross-departmental leadership

• Build, lead and develop a small international team, setting priorities and standards for how we manage foundation accounts of every size.
• Ensure strategic alignment, value delivery and long-term partnership growth across all engagements.
• Work across revenue lines and with programmes, products and commercial teams to identify co-funding opportunities and develop public‑private‑philanthropic partnerships that draw on the full range of Rainforest Alliance assets.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, business development, sales, consultancy or sustainable development.
• Experience securing philanthropic foundation funding, including multi-year commitments.
• Experience moving donors through a cultivation pipeline and hitting annual revenue targets.
• Experience leading and developing people, whether as line manager, or leading cross-functional and matrixed teams.
• Working knowledge of sustainability, systems change and global development market trends.
• Experience of global organizations.
• A creative approach: you are comfortable building opportunities from scratch and working at pace without close direction.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business administration, international development, sustainability or a related field.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally on occasion.

BENEFITS OF WORKING AT THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE

• Be a part of a global organization with an impactful mission and a collaborative, respectful, and accountable culture.
• Enjoy opportunities for professional growth and career development.
• Benefit from remote working flexibility and flexible hybrid working environment.
• A favourable time–off policy.
• Prioritize your wellbeing. We have numerous ways to promote work-life balance.

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.