IREX seeks a strategic, innovative and collaborative Director of Strategic Partnerships who will work across IREX to design ambitious, new initiatives and build donor support for them. A self-starter, s/he will continually identify and assess new opportunities to raise revenue and advance IREX’s mission through new models of engagement with the philanthropic and corporate social responsibility (CSR) sectors. The successful candidate will have a deep understanding of international development and proven experience with the philanthropic and CSR communities. She will support IREX’s Strategy and Development Team in developing an overall fundraising strategy and will drive positioning efforts, outreach, philanthropic and CSR market assessments, partnership cultivation and fundraising to advance the priorities of that strategy. S/he will work with professionals across IREX to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurship and support colleagues in developing new initiatives in areas of priority to IREX. S/he will maintain a broad understanding of international development as well as IREX’s operating environment and comparative advantage. This is a role that combines strategy, program design and development, coalition and relationship building, and the generation and acquisition of new revenue.
Duties:
- Spearhead the design and execution of a strategy for corporate, foundation, and individual donors with particular focus on leadership development and youth education, employment and civic engagement
- Work across IREX to design and manage international education and development initiatives (including initiatives developed in partnership with IREX leadership and staff, Board of Trustees, and the Advisory Council)
- Cultivate and grow relationships with individual, corporate and foundation donors nationally and globally, planning at least quarterly visits to, or engagements with, identified markets/locations
- Act as IREX’s lead representative with key partners when appropriate and/or prepare joint representations with relevant members of IREX’s leadership team
- Prioritize multi-faceted, multi-year partnerships with corporations and partners that share IREX’s interests and values
- Develop, manage, and grow relationships with thought leaders and trend influencers in identified philanthropic markets
- In close collaboration with the Director of New Business Development, design and implement a process to ensure that IREX trustees maintain annual contribution commitments, serve as a pathway to prospects, host cultivation events, and help design, fine-tune and implement annual or biannual giving campaigns
- Write cases for support, proposals, and outreach materials and provide stewardship with donors
- Assist the Strategy and Development Group in assessing how funds/fundraising impact IREX’s mission
- Assist IREX’s strategic communications team in driving the event strategy as a key brand-building, cultivation, and donor engagement platform
- Mentor and develop staff members at all levels in areas related to strategic partnership development, fund raising, and new models of revenue generation
- Design approaches and processes to integrate philanthropic relationship building into IREX’s business development activities
- Effectively manage on a day-to-day basis fundraising budgets, vendors, and required external relationships
- Track and report on all revenue streams related to partnerships and individual giving
- Centralize and manage knowledge management processes and systems related to strategic partnerships
- Serve as advisor to and support the Vice-President for Strategy and Development, the President and CEO, and the entire leadership team in overseeing the implementation of fundraising strategies
- Support the Executive Team at the highest level of donor cultivation and stewardship with major donors and partners
Skills and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred
- A deep commitment to IREX’s mission
- At least 10 years of relevant experience
- Demonstrated experience in developing and managing strategic partnerships
- Demonstrated experience in raising funds from multiple sources to support strategic initiatives
- Demonstrated success as a forward-leaning, entrepreneurial, and adaptive leader within organizations
- Ability to think and plan strategically in the context of broad organizational goals
- Superb organizational and communication skills
- Ability to translate strategy into concrete initiatives with the people, revenue, and partners necessary to achieve results
- Demonstrated skills in methodically solving problems in fast-paced environments
- Ability to engage and collaborate with colleagues across the spectrum of interests and programming at IREX
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines
- Ability to translate and shape complex, innovative ideas into compelling funding proposals or develop other models of revenue generation
- Ability to design programs and budgets
- Flexibility for significant travel internationally and domestically, as needed, to develop and maintain relationships
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