Local recruitment: Interim Director of Partnerships

The fact that 1 in 10 people in the world today doesn’t have clean water is unacceptable, and we need your help to change that.  

WaterAid started in 1981 because no non-profit like it existed.  As the #1 international nonprofit exclusively focused on bringing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene education (WASH) to the children and families who need it most. Our global WASH programs, led and maintained by the communities where we work, aren’t a quick fix. We strive for long-term access to WASH that truly transforms people’s lives. 

To fuel WaterAid’s global mission and programs, our Partnerships Team drives and increases WaterAid America’s impact through innovative, high-value partnerships with a diverse set of private, large family and corporate foundations, government, and multi-lateral donors.  In developing new and existing partnerships, the team also initiates dialogue and collaboration with value-add objectives, such as raising mutual brand awareness with consumer-facing companies, policy and influencing, advocacy and, and/or technical service delivery.  A key team principle is prioritizing relational over transactional giving. 

WaterAid America is searching for an experienced business development professional to join our Partnerships Team and serve as Interim Director of Partnerships through April 30, 2024.  This opportunity is a maternity cover, with potential for extension.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Interim Director of Partnerships is responsible for stewarding an existing portfolio of critical corporate partnerships holding over $12m in restricted funding; stewarding a cohort of emerging partnerships, including the Water Resilience Coalition; and moving a targeted list of corporate prospects through the business development pipeline with the goal of aligning partners’ business and philanthropic goals to deepen their philanthropic support of WaterAid.  The Director also supports the Corporate Development Manager’s portfolio of employee giving and advises the Managing Director on both strategy and operations, proactively identifying, and managing risk across the portfolios, proposing solutions, and leading their implementation.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Business development. 

• Generate new business; develop compelling presentations and proposals, especially related to objectives that support companies’ communications and CSR objectives (i.e. giving back to communities, marketing, ensuring WASH in supply chains) or foundations’ strategic priorities.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of potential high value relationships, annual and multi-year new business opportunities and ensure there is active movement and sufficient lead generation to deliver against planned growth and income.
• Create and/or update and implement donor strategies, prioritizing employee and consumer impact communication, develop a portfolio of US partnerships and add value to global partnerships.
• Negotiate partnership terms and contracts, ensure due diligence is completed and legal review secured, as necessary; ensure that work conforms to WaterAid’s Ethical policy.
• Keep current with industry and other appropriate developments, as well as legal issues affecting corporate and foundation fundraising and WaterAid’s overseas’ programs.
• Keep clear, accurate and timely records on our fundraising database of all prospecting and partnership conversations and use it to inform prospecting plans.
• Maintain strong relationships across the WaterAid International Federation toward a fundraising end; support WaterAid International to maximize global fundraising initiatives; represent and advocate for US priorities within global fundraising working groups.

Management and leadership

• Work across teams to identify and close gaps to ensure that the team’s ways of working across systems, policies, and procedures, are effective and efficient
• Contribute to the performance management cycle: deliver regular, prompt, and high-quality feedback; serve as coach and mentor; assess capability gaps and support the learning & development of direct report by offering opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Model and champion WaterAid’s values; exercise discretion, sound judgement and maintain confidentiality; ensure the safeguarding of organizational assets.

Qualifications:

Essential skills & experience:

• A fundamental commitment to WaterAid’s mission
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent work experience.
• Demonstrated track record (at least 10+ years) of generating and closing new unrestricted and restricted business partnerships (6-figure+) in institutional/ nonprofit fundraising and/or the private sector and managing multi-year partnerships with innovative, high-impact approaches.
• A positive and flexible approach to collaborating across teams and functions to achieve shared goals.
• Strong customer-orientation and attention to detail; solid understanding of the corporate and private foundation sustainability agenda; proven track record of building and managing meaningful relationships with senior and executive level representatives of private sector companies; experienced negotiator.
• Outstanding communication skills and a proven ability to listen and engage with authenticity, as well as the ability to translate and distil strategic or programmatic information to new audiences; confidence and ability to present to board and senior level external contacts, and to network and represent WaterAid.
• Collaborative working style to create innovative and strategic propositions and work positively in a team environment, towards shared goals.
• Proven ability to translate strategy to annual and operational goals; being bold in setting short- and long-term objectives that achieve organizational goals and persisting to get results (and modeling and coaching that for others).
• Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel) as well as a CRM (Raisers Edge); comfortable with understanding and analyzing budget and project reporting information
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally, flexibility to work across time zones (with varied work hours) and maturity to achieve and maintain a healthy work/ life balance
• Proven ability to exercise discretion and sound judgement to maintain confidentiality; commitment to upholding honest & ethical practices to ensure the safeguarding of people and organizational assets.
• Experience building and executing national cause-marketing campaigns. Understands relationship between corporate social impact and the consumer.

Desired skills & experience:

• Experience fundraising for an international organization.
• Professional experience living/ working internationally in a region or country in which WaterAid currently operates.
• Familiarity with Raisers Edge, Salesforce or similar CRM.
• Familiarity with WASH and/or international development in India.
• Proficiency in French and/or Spanish is helpful but not required.

Compensation and hybrid work

WaterAid America welcomes qualified candidates from across the United States; our workforce is currently 65% remote, with a physical office in New York, NY.   If based in NY, in-person working days should be expected each month, but will be coordinated regularly with the Managing Director.

Base salary for this position in either New York, NY or Washington, DC is $126,500; actual compensation is based on multiple factors that are unique to each candidate, including and not limited to level of relevant experience, skill set, and specific work location.  Salary ranges for positions based in other locations may differ based on the cost of labor in that location. 

WaterAid offers a generous vacation and benefits package available to its full-time employees, including:

• Health (medical) insurance (WAA offers several options, ranging from 80-100% employer-paid for you and your dependents and including HSA-compatible plan option), dental & vision insurance (100% employer-paid for you and your dependents), and pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for childcare, medical and commuter expense 
• Participation in WaterAid’s 403(b) deferred contribution plan. 
• Paid time off (PTO) including: 13 public holidays + a ‘floating’ holiday to be used at your discretion; 80 hours of PTO, as well as paid days for volunteering. 
• Employee Assistance Program including Health Advocate, OneMedical, TalkSpace, and other services 
• Professional development support 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

We celebrate, support, and thrive on diversity and difference for the benefit of our employees, our mission, and the communities we serve.  WaterAid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.  We value diverse experiences and will also consider qualified applications from those who have had prior contact with the criminal legal system in accordance with the NYC Commission on Human Rights’ Guidance on the Fair Chance Act  

WaterAid is committed to the safeguarding and wellbeing of all individuals, including the people in communities in which we work, staff, volunteers, contractors, and partners. Any form of abuse is not tolerated.   

Apply: 

Please submit your CV and cover letter no later than 6 October 2023.  Only candidates shortlisted for interviewing will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date for applications.