Officer, Foundations & Trusts

The IRC's strategy centers on its ambition to continue to improve the scale and effectiveness of its programs worldwide with evidence of what works best to impact people’s lives in conflict and fragile settings. The organization’s External Relations (ER) department is responsible for the global delivery of the IRC’s private sector resources (financially contributing circa US$200M per annum, as well as key partnerships and influence that support our mission) and plays an important strategic role in the creation of IRC’s brand, awareness and support for its advocacy goals. ER teams based at New York headquarters and globally deliver marketing, communications, advocacy, and private-sector funding to support this work.

Job Overview:

The IRC’s International Philanthropy & Partnerships (IPP) team, which sits within the External Relations Department, raises funds from global private foundations, corporate foundations, from business areas including corporate social responsibility, marketing, sponsorship, employee giving and match giving, as well as non-U.S.-based high net worth individuals. The IPP team maintains a growing portfolio of strategic partnerships in the U.S. and other markets, primarily in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and matches funder interests with IRC’s extensive programs globally.

The Foundations & Trusts Officer develops new business for and manages a portfolio of mainly U.S.-based foundation partners that support the IRC through financial and other resource commitments. The Officer creates tailored strategies for collaboration with foundations, with a focus on sustained revenue generation and humanitarian impact through innovative, outcomes-based partnerships.

The Officer reports directly to the Associate Director of Foundations & Trusts and works closely with others from the IRC’s senior leadership, including the Senior Director of Global Foundations & Trusts, VP of International Philanthropy & Partnerships, as well as program and communications colleagues to develop engagement strategies for partners at a deep strategic level. The Officer coordinates with colleagues on IRC’s international and U.S. programs teams, both at IRC Headquarters and in the field, maintaining engagement with and knowledge of programs and acting as a collaborative and respectful colleague and liaison between funder and program.  S/he will be expected to understand the needs and performance of donors and prospects, think strategically, make recommendations, offer creative solutions and manage systems to continually grow and improve the IRC’s donor relationships and influence the organization’s strategy for engagement in new and existing markets.

Major Responsibilities:

• Work with the Associate Director, Foundations & Trusts and others to develop and prioritize a series of high-impact, solutions-focused partnership opportunities that serve the IRC’s beneficiaries across the world;

• Design and implement creative and comprehensive outreach, solicitation and management strategies for partners within the portfolio, leading on partnership negotiations, proposal submissions, and pitches;

• Monitor and analyze philanthropic and foundation partnership trends as they relate to the U.S. market, ensuring that the IRC’s partnership proposition remains compelling and competitive;

• Ensure open and relevant communication is maintained between the IRC and our private sector partners as well as IRC colleagues globally;

• Synthesize the IRC’s sophisticated programs into clear, compelling presentations, proposals, and reports for private sector audiences which position IRC as the go-to partner in the humanitarian sector; and

• Maintain clear CRM records for the portfolio that contribute to comprehensive tracking/reporting on IPP’s client universe.