Senior Strategic Development Officer

About Water.org

1 in 9 people around the world lack access to safe water and 1 in 3 people don’t have access to a toilet. We are working every day to change this. We are Water.org. We’re here to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible and cost-effective because we believe that water is the way to empowering a bright future that we can all share in, worldwide. We are an international nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, Missouri that has positively transformed millions of lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, we pioneer market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis. For 30 years, we’ve been providing women hope, children health and families a future.

Summary

The Senior Strategic Development Officer within the Strategic Alliances department is an individual contributor role, which is primarily responsible for building strategic fundraising partnerships that will help shape the next stage of evolution and growth at Water.org. Partnerships blend includes multi-national corporations, foundations, individuals, and key multilateral development organizations. This professional position requires collaboration and strong working relationships across all departments at Water.org. The Senior Strategic Development Officer reports to the Director, Strategic Alliances.

This position will be based in Kansas City, MO, New York, NY, or San Francisco, CA; other locations will be considered.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Relationship Management (85%)

• Establish new, high-impact, fundraising partnerships.
• Steward a pipeline of existing donors to maintain strong donor relationships that deepen and grow over time.
• Strategically collaborate to meet individual, department and organizational fundraising goals, targeting gifts in the $250,000 to $1M+ range.
• Develop and implement effective outreach strategies to pursue partnerships that support the expansion of Water.org’s programs and operations worldwide.
• Establish and display a thorough understanding of Water.org's scaling strategy, footprint, structure and unique selling points across its markets.
• Assess and track donor behavior on an ongoing basis, prioritizing outreach and communication to each donor accordingly.
• Develop timely revenue projections and provide complete, accurate internal reporting on donor outreach and activities.
• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including management and program staff within Water.org, to develop comprehensive partnerships that drive revenue growth and advance Water.org's global scaling strategy.

Donor Reporting (15%)

• Collaborate with the Grants Management team to develop and review written proposals and progress reports, connecting donor interests to Water.org's in-country programs.
• Collaborate with Water.org's marketing and communications team to develop tailored strategies for funders that lead to awareness, understanding, and appreciation of Water.org's efforts worldwide.
• Provide donor reporting guidance to Strategic Development Officers.

This description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required. Some duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Skills and Competencies

• Customer Focus  – Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Nimble Learning  – Actively learning through experimentation when talking new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Drives Results  – Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates  – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Self-development  – Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using other formal and informal development channels.
• Optimize Work Processes  – Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Manages Ambiguity  - Manages ambiguity by operating effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is not clear.
• Instills Trust  – Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Financial Stewardship  - Demonstrates fiscally responsible decision making as applicable to one’s role.
• Plans and Aligns  – Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
• Strategic Mindset  – Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Cultivates Innovation  – Creating new ways for the organization to be successful while thriving in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment
• Organizational Savvy  – Maneuvering comfortably through complex policy, process, and people-related organizational dynamics
• Drives Vision and Purpose  - Painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action; shows personal commitment to the vision
• Situational Adaptability  - Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred; industry experience equivalency considered.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in complex sales relationships, business development and/or fundraising.
• Strong understanding of the international development required.
• Experience within the microfinance space and/or with Corporate Social Responsibility is given additional consideration. Microfinance, water and sanitation, and CSR and ESG.
• Additional consideration given for knowledge of the water and sanitation sector and/or business development experience in India.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required. Experience with Office 365 (e.g., SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams) preferred.

Travel Requirement

Up to 30% of domestic and global travel. Estimated travel may be higher if incumbent is based outside of San Francisco, CA. Travel will commence as is advisable given business needs and safety considerations as determined by organizational guidelines.

Salary and Benefits

This position offers full-time benefits inclusive of medical/dental insurance, life and disability insurance, retirement program; as well as periodic review for merit and incentive pay based on organizational and personal achievement.

Information

• Location: Kansas City, United States

Industry experience

Education: Bachelor

Seniority: Expert, Engineer, Consultant

Years of experience: 10 to 20 years

Taxonomy

• Funding Partnerships
• Strategy Consulting
• Corporate Strategy
• Fundraising
• Business Development
• Communications Strategy
• water funds