Partnerships and Fundraising Lead | Earthwatch Europe

Partnerships and Fundraising Lead

We zijn op zoek naar een ervaren fondsenwerver, die zelfverzekerd en overtuigend communiceert en een sterke kennis heeft van het Nederlandse fondsenwervingslandschap, inclusief mogelijkheden voor zakelijke partnerschappen en overheidssubsidies.

Je bent flexibel en proactief, denkt in kansen en beschikt over uitstekende vaardigheden op het gebied van relatieopbouw en stakeholdermanagement. Kennis en goed begrip van de milieusector, met inbegrip van de prioriteiten van de overheid, zou een bonus zijn, maar is niet essentieel. Je brengt de vaardigheden en het netwerk mee om zelfstandig leiding te geven en te werken, waar nodig met begeleiding, coaching, richting en ondersteuning.

Je sluit je aan bij 7 andere collega’s in Nederland, maar werkt ook nauw samen met programmaleiders in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. We hebben een zeer collaboratieve werkcultuur bij Earthwatch.

We are looking for a seasoned fundraiser, who is a confident and persuasive communicator, and has strong knowledge of the Dutch fundraising landscape, including corporate partnership opportunities and government grants.

You will be flexible and proactive, think in terms of opportunities, and have excellent relationship building and stakeholder manager skills. An understanding of the environmental sector, including government priorities, would be a bonus but is not essential. You will be bringing the skills and network to lead and work independently, with direction, guidance, coaching and support where needed.

You will be joining 7 other colleagues based in The Netherlands but will also work closely with programme leads based in the UK. We have a very collaborative working culture at Earthwatch.

ABOUT EW:

Earthwatch is an environmental charity with science at its heart. Our vision is for a world where we live in balance with nature. We connect people with nature, motivate them to protect the environment and provide them with the knowledge and tools to make change happen. www.earthwatch.org.uk

OUR VALUES

We are driven by people

We always show humanity in our bid to save humanity. As colleagues, we treat each other with genuine warmth and respect. In a polarised world, we’re proud to build a friendly movement of local groups, schools, scientists and businesses. Everyone’s voice is welcome and valued.

We are powered by science

Powered by science, it’s science that makes us powerful. We champion findings collected by people at the grassroots to spark change in our neighbourhoods and at the highest levels of government. We’re committed to debate, openness, honesty, listening and always learning.

We connect with nature

Disconnection from nature is at the heart of ecological crisis. Connection is a driving force for change. So let’s get our boots – and our hearts – muddy. With smiles on our faces, we inspire people to get out into nature, have fun, discover what we all stand to lose, and take action.

We fight for our planet

The environmental crisis is relentless. We, too, never give up. Each day we fight for our fragile earth, not through protest, but practical science. From planting tiny forests to protecting the world’s freshwater habitats, our evidence-based solutions are the seeds of our planet’s survival.

• Location: The Netherlands
• Department: Programmes and Partnerships
• Reports to: Director of Programmes and Partnerships
• Salary: €3,852 to €4,998 per annum, gross FTE (pro-rated €3,521 to €4,569)
• Contract: Fixed term for 12 months, with the potential to become permanent
• Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week, Mon-Fri (with flexibility to offer 32 hours over 4 days for the right candidate)
• Closing date: 11 February 2024, applications will be assessed on a rolling basis so please do not wait until the deadline to submit yours
• Interviews: w/c 19 February 2024 – Interviews will be conducted in 2 stages, 1st stage will be virtual via Microsoft Teams, 2nd stage will be an in person in our Zaltbommel offices

Earthwatch is committed to making any adjustments we can for short-listed candidates, to facilitate participation in our interview process.

Applicants must have the right to work in the Netherlands; Earthwatch is unable to support visa applications.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Role purpose:

To develop and nurture partnerships and donor relations, secure new projects and lead on the growth in income of our Dutch operations across our programme areas: nature in cities, freshwater and farming with nature.

Key deliverables:

• Visibility and pipeline development: Work with the respective programme teams to be visible at key events and present our work to key / new audiences. Develop and nurture key relationships. Build a healthy pipeline of new prospects and manage them through regular engagement and partnership activities.
• Capture and pre-positioning: Lead the early intelligence gathering and pre-positioning efforts with donors and partners (institutional, corporate, or others) in support of our aims and specific programme targets agreed annually.
• Proposal management: Serve as the proposal coordinator/bid manager and lead partner negotiations for tenders/grant applications, sponsorships and partnership contracts. Coordinate inputs from across teams, prepare technical and financial proposals, and manage submission processes.
• Contract negotiation: Drive the contract negotiation process with funders and partners. Ensure smooth handover of signed agreements to project teams.
• Fundraising strategy and proposal evaluation: Assess and analyse the outcomes of our fundraising strategies and submitted proposals, with a focus on identifying areas of improvement in close collaboration with programme leads and the Director of Programmes and Partnerships.
• Maintain a comprehensive reporting process with existing team tools: CRM system, gateway stage approval process and pipeline dashboards. Look for opportunities to improve our business development processes (e.g. tools, templates).
• Account Management: Track funders / partners policies, trends, and priorities in The Netherlands. Facilitate knowledge sharing within Earthwatch and support programme leads with key relationships to identify early opportunities.

The above list of job deliverables is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post

Personal Specification:

Essential

• Min 5 years’ experience in successfully developing and implementing both strategy and plans in a fundraising or business development role
• Proven track record of delivering against an agreed six-figure annual financial target
• Significant experience in working across funders, e.g. developing and successfully delivering corporate partnerships or sponsorships, track record in securing projects from institutional funders or experience in building strong successful long-term major donor relationships, which yield both restricted and unrestricted income
• Good understanding of the Dutch fundraising landscape with relevant networks
• An excellent eye for detail and strong active listening skills
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication skills in Dutch and English, alongside the ability to bring clarity to prospective partners through engaging proposals on often complex sustainability issues
• Excellent interpersonal skills, diplomatic and sensitive, able to build relationships and deliver a consistent high level of customer care and responsiveness
• Excellent negotiation and relationship management skills, with the ability to influence at a senior level
• Commitment to the values and mission of Earthwatch Europe

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience of commercial contract structures and terms
• A high-level understanding of the environmental sector and sustainability, and / or government priorities (incl Provincies, Gemeenten and Waterwachappen)

Earthwatch is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences. We welcome and encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply, and we will consider all applications fairly and consistently.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment – a place where individuality is embraced and everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We value the benefits that different backgrounds, working approaches and ways of thinking can bring.

Don’t meet every single requirement? We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they feel they don’t meet all the essential criteria. We understand that what we think we need could be limiting those that have skills, experience and behaviours that we have not considered relevant or transferrable. So, if you can do most of what we’re looking for, or believe you have suitable experience that we don’t know about, please still apply and let us know what you could bring to the role in your covering letter.

For an informal discussion about the role, please email Maria Pontes on [email protected]