Event Sponsorship Coordinator

Are you a passionate self-starter who wants to prove his/her fundraising capacities outside the trodden paths? We are looking for someone who can raise the bar for the sponsorship and fundraising of our World Conservation Congress 2020 to the next level. Conserving nature has been IUCN’s main purpose since 1948. Every four years, we bring thousands of our stakeholders together at the World Conservation Congress to shape the future of our planet and find solutions to the most pressing environmental challenges. The location and date of the 2020 Congress will be decided in May 2018.

We are looking for an Event Sponsorship Coordinator able to raise an estimated CHF6million + for the Congress. You will report to the Congress Manager and work closely with the IUCN Global Strategic Partnerships Unit, the IUCN Global Business and Biodiversity Programme, the IUCN Global Communications Team, the Directors of IUCN Global Programmes as well as the Host Country Focal Point and the Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) who will be responsible for the exhibition sales and management services.

As the Event Sponsorship Coordinator, you will:

• Design and implement a Resource Mobilization Strategy which takes into account potential fundraising activities by the Host Country
• Together with the IUCN Communications team, prepare the content, design and branding of marketing materials for sponsors
• Identify sponsors, carry out due diligence assessments and develop customized sponsorship packages
• Manage relationship with sponsors from start to finish (from contract negotiation to delivery of benefits and final reports)
• Advise in the design, layout and sale of the exhibits
• Track all new and existing sponsorship and exhibit sales, prepare regular progress reports and a final lessons-learnt report

You have

• 10+ years of working experience including several years in sales, event sponsorship, corporate sponsorship and/or fundraising
• Motivation to lead Congress sponsorship activities in collaboration with the Strategic Partnership Unit which coordinates IUCN’s overall engagement with donors and with the Business and Biodiversity Programme which coordinates IUCN’s engagement with business.
• Proven track record of reaching sales targets and successfully building and maintaining relationships with sponsors
• Excellent presentation skills as well as outstanding oral and written communication skills in English and French
• Team player with can-do attitude and ability to interact with people of all levels and business areas
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Understanding of IUCN and environmental community highly desirable
• Ability to travel regularly (30% of the time out of the office)

What we offer You

• Work with passionate staff from all over the world in a global non-profit organization striving to create a just world that values and conserves nature.
• The immensely rewarding feeling that you are directly contributing to a successful event which will inspire thousands of conservationists.
• An amazing experience in a small team that will take your career to a different level.
• A position based in the IUCN Headquarters in Gland, one of Europe’s greenest new office buildings, on the shore of lake Geneva and next to the Alps, offering many opportunities for the nature lover hidden in you
• A contract from 1 April 2018 to 31 October 2020
• An attractive salary

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Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System here, by opening the vacancy announcement and pressing the "Apply" button.

Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews.

In your application please include a list of references from previous employers and sponsors you have worked with. We will only contact them if you are selected for the position.