The Purpose of the Role
The Donor Engagement Director manages a portfolio of critical priority donors for IRC. They will lead, guide and coordinate IRC’s funding focused engagement with these donors, that currently includes: the World Bank, UN agencies and governments including Canada, the US and those in Gulf states. The role will also develop a group of emerging partnerships with other key donors at different stages maturity. The role will be working alongside a counterpart, the Director of European Donor Engagement, who manages an equivalent portfolio of important donors and partners.
Managing a team of Senior Advisors, the Donor Engagement Director will be the strategic lead and oversee an internal and external “account management” function to oversee engagement with these donors. The role will be a lead expert, engaging with its portfolio of donors and holding high-level relationships, and leadership on donor relations.
It will work closely with technical and proposal development teams who will provide the operational BD capacity to secure funding from donors in its portfolio, through influential engagement and strategic outreach.
The Donor Engagement Director will lead the development and implementation of strategies for proactive donor and partner relationships. These strategies will be for the whole of IRC and will engage colleagues from technical, regional, country and operational teams as well as working closely with policy colleagues and the executive board.
Major Responsibilities:
Strategy
- Coordinate with senior leaders to lead the development of comprehensive multi-year engagement strategies for key donors within the portfolio.
- Oversee a team of advisors implementing these strategies coordinating actions with relevant stakeholders across every level of IRC.
External Representation
- Develop and maintain a network of senior stakeholders within relevant donors to ensure effective engagement, influence, and winning BD approaches.
- Undertake direct representation with donor officials, and support the development of IRC’s donor relationships, including brokering meetings between donors and IRC’s regional or technical Leadership, Country Directors or senior staff in head quarters. Support the preparation and follow up for these engagements, including working with AMU and cross-functional teams to ensure follow up, ensuring meetings are translated into business development or meaningful action.
- Participate in key meetings with donor officials, including Desk/Program Officers, Heads of Unit, Director-General/equivalent, advisors and other officials.
- Represent the IRC at external events, and forums including delivering presentations/briefings to senior donor representatives, forums and sector groups.
Enabling cross organizational engagement with the donor portfolio
- Proactively identify and broker relationships with key donor officials and stakeholders.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of donor strategies relevant to IRC’s work, such as funding priorities, geographical interests and political climate, providing analyses and synopses of press releases, policies and other announcements, and disseminating this information internally.
- Manage a team to lead the development and implementation of donor engagement strategies.
- Map donor organizational structure, identify key contacts, and maintain relationship records in IRC’s CRM system.
- Maintain tools and resources to support donor engagement and relationship building with donors.
- Contribute to the improvement of donor tools and resources to support engagement and relationship building.
- Work with key senior staff across the organization to support donor engagement and business development planning and implementation, routinely engaging with operational BD teams at global, regional and country levels to review long term pipeline, plan strategic engagement and mitigate portfolio risk.
- Establish and participate in strategic and operational groups focused on donor engagement and the implementation of priority strategies.
- Equip IRC staff with the skills, tools and information to manage local, or technical donor engagement, business development and implementation.
- Work closely to support country, regional, technical and senior leadership engagement with donors, including establishing and supporting high level meetings, conferences and pursueing systematic and entrepreneurial opportunities for influence.
Project & Framework management
- Oversee leadership of existing global framework project(s) with donors in the portfolio, ensuring effective award management and confident reporting alongside donor engagement.
- Drive towards new opportunities for the development of frameworks or other strategic partnerships using both a systematic and entrepreneurial approach to opportunity development
People Management
- Manage a team of advisors and senior advisors, building a positive working culture, leading by example and supporting team members to develop and grow.
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:
- Over 10 years of experience in leadership in the humanitarian sector in areas such as business development, program management, advocacy or other similar roles that include relationship development with key donors in this portfolio.
- Significant senior experience of working directly with some (or all) of the key donors in the portfolio, including the UN, World Bank, Canada, the United States, and Gulf partners.
- Strong working understanding of the humanitarian and development geopolitical context, including the donor landscape around humanitarian assistance.
- Experience of working with International Organizations or Multilateral Development Banks either directly or through member states or civil society partners.
- Holds a wide network of contacts within donors in the portfolio or able to develop these effectively.
- Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, including development of influential reports and targeted briefing documents.
- Ability to lead and manage projects, including working as part of remote/virtual teams.
- Excellent strategic vision and a track record of delivering long-term strategic objectives.
- Good analytical skills and attention to detail. Experience undertaking reviews of policies and reports, producing associated written and verbal guidance relevant to senior and operational staff.
- Strong prioritization skills and organizational skills.
- Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to collaborate with others and work as part of diverse and dynamic team.
Preferred experience & skills:
- Experience of working for donors or partners in this portfolio.
- Demonstrable experience of driving coordinated funding, communications, and targeted advocacy programs to access financial support.
- Ability to understand and advise on programmatic and financial contractual arrangements with donors and partners, including experience of negotiating with donors.
- Proven excellence building bridges and effective partnerships across diverse donors and organizations.
- Experience working in developing countries, preferably in the context of a donor, NGO or International Organization.
- Relevant additional working languages used at IRC, particularly French
