Director, Strategic Partnerships (Foundations, Europe), (Maternity Cover) - UK or Europe

Location: UK (preferred) or Europe (Netherlands, France, Belgium, Switzerland)

Status: Full-Time, Fixed Term

Starting Salary: UK £53,360 ; NL €63,040, commensurate with professional experience and internal equity

Closing Date: Submit application by 9 November

Risk Level: X  Level 3☐Level 2     ☐Level 1

• (Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability. 
• Level 2: Some contact with participants; unplanned non-direct contact with children.
• Level 1: Likely to have no contact with participants or sensitive data)

About Prosper Global

Barely enough is not enough for anyone. Prosper Global is a humanitarian organization working alongside communities facing conflict, climate change, and economic hardship to meet urgent needs and create the conditions for lasting progress. Today's challenges demand new solutions, so we pair local knowledge with global resources to help communities build what's needed, test what's possible, and scale what's proven so that people everywhere can pursue a full life on their own terms. In 2026, we changed our name from Mercy Corps to Prosper Global, to reflect our belief that when every community can prosper, all of humanity moves forward.

The Program / Department / Team

The Philanthropic Growth & Engagement (PG&E) department drives and supports Mercy Corps’ strategies for restricted funding, unrestricted funds, and brand profile raising. As a part of this department, the Corporate and Foundations Team (CFT) cultivates and maintains strategic relationships with private donors, working closely with program colleagues around the world to develop partnerships that support social impact at scale in our priority areas including market-led solutions to disaster recovery, climate change adaptation, youth employment, technology-informed development, and addressing the root causes of conflict.

The Position

The Director of Strategic Partnerships (Foundations, Europe) serves as the focal point for all activity relating to Europe-based Foundations and Trusts. This minimum 7-month (December 2026-June 2027) maternity-cover role will work proactively with teams and colleagues across Prosper Global to generate revenue and impact for the organisation by building new and upscaling existing partnerships with major foundations based in the UK and Europe (predominantly). Pending FY28 budget approval, this position will be extended to October 2027. Our fiscal year runs July 1-June 30, thus we expect budget approval approximately April 2027.

Working with 6-7+ figure grants, this position’s predominant focus will be: a) keenly stewarding and expanding a handful of crucial existing partnerships with catalytic donors, b) developing strong trust with more recently onboarded partners; c) steering new funding opportunities with donors the team has identified as being most strategic whilst the Director is on maternity leave.  

This role will also oversee/provide line-management to the Senior Partnerships Officer - Foundations (based in London). This cover role will lead the Europe Foundations team to growth - in terms of prioritising funding opportunities across portfolios and encouraging greater strategic depth with existing partners across the portfolios of the team. They will represent the Foundations’ portfolio in Europe both internally and externally by capturing and communicating key trends and keep all involved teams (and sometimes leadership) abreast of partner strategies. This role is the key guiding force amongst teams on how to best steward and grow partnerships creatively and ensure alignment. 

This position holder will be incredibly strategic and will support building out the Director’s vision for a considered pipeline of funding opportunities and balance this with existing grant management to ensure we remain a partner-of-choice with influential donors.

The objective of this role in this timeframe is to grow stronger, long-term foundation partnerships, and leverage influence, expertise and connections across various Prosper Global teams to maintain and create more successful, coordinated, trusting and durable relationships. As such, a key element of this role will also entail being able to navigate complex internal team structures to drive a common goal for a partnership, rallying internal teams towards the same strategic vision, and providing second-to-none partner engagement that is proactive rather than reactive.  

Essential Responsibilities

Driving Effective Portfolio Management and Funding Opportunities 

• Lead on the continued development of the existing Foundations portfolio (generally 6-7+ figure partnerships - including through support to the Senior Officer) to deepen relationships and steward foundation donors to renew, and ideally significantly increase, giving levels and alignment with Prosper Global’s priorities; 
• Proactively lead on the development and implementation of individual strategies for key partnerships and initiatives around programmatic priorities, mobilising necessary internal and external resources to ensure all partnerships are effectively executed and partners’ needs are fully met.  
• Act as an internal expert on the philanthropic landscape in Europe, and channel the perspective of foundations in developing proposals and ideas with programmatic staff. 
• Identify any concerns with programme implementation and highlight those to senior management and ensure any common challenges across the portfolio are addressed promptly and effectively.  
• Support country teams and regional teams in establishing and building relationships with Foundation donors in our programme countries, ensuring coordination across multiple touch points and relationship holders to maintain the individual donor strategy. 

Team Leadership and Strategic Guidance

• Lead on the Foundation strategy in UK/Europe and support the Senior Director by contributing to the development and implementation of our evolving multi-year global fundraising strategy from a UK/Europe perspective. 
• Support cross-team initiatives that aim to enhance and deepen partner relationships and raise brand profile - including campaigns, key events, and leveraging leadership; 
• Monitor and share updates with relevant internal stakeholders on Foundation donor priorities, official communications, trends, etc. 
• Manage the Foundation donor portfolio to a bottom-line revenue goal, alongside responsibility for revenue projections for these partners. 

rEPRESENTATION & iNFLUENCE

• Represent Prosper Global and/or facilitate participation of other PG team members in key private sector donor events and meetings. 
• Participate in strategic meetings and events and represent Prosper Global in fundraising platforms, communities of practice, and other relevant fora in the UK and Europe. 
• Coordinate the dissemination of research and briefs with Foundation donors. 
• Pitch, lead, and prep Prosper Global executive team members for high-level donor meetings, events, and communications.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Prosper Global including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior Partnerships Officer – Foundations (UK-based) – Line Management

• Facilitate regular meetings with team to stay aligned on team members’ portfolios, helping to connect opportunities and encourage creative ideas; 
• Ensure full transparency of opportunities across a relatively small team to support in busy periods/when people are on leave; 
• Provide general guidance on prioritisation of portfolio and removing bottlenecks for opportunities where possible.

Accountability

• Report directly to: Senior Director, Foundation Partnerships (US-based)
• Works directly with: Corporate and Foundation Teams (UK and US), Development Operations Team, Award Management Teams, Strategic Leads, Programme/Country teams

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Prosper Global team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification and Transferable Skills

• At least 7 years’ experience in global development, philanthropy, or partnership/coalition development, in a fundraising position; 
• Demonstrated track record of fundraising success with major Foundations or building strategic partnerships in a way that maximises value for donor and recipient and builds profile with external audiences. Ideal candidate will have significant experience and professional network; 
• Deep knowledge of the international relief and development and philanthropic sectors. 
• Experience mobilising executives and senior stakeholders for strategic donor engagement. 
• Strong written & oral communication skills for effective collaboration internally and successful proposals to donors.  
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to create and follow timelines for complex relationship management, research, writing, and editing. 
• Line management experience 
• Experience of using/managing relationship databases, ideally Raiser's Edge, would be advantageous 

Success Factors

• Strategic, proactive and forward thinking.
• Highly organised
• Ability to develop and lead foundation strategy within a complex environment, and a clear, focused, and ambitious vision for each partner in the portfolio.
• Empathetic, humble leader with strong emotional intelligence.
• Persuasive, articulate and confident. Familiarity with global development issues that affect our work and partners.
• Strong understanding of how to navigate cross-cultural relationships.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in London area (preferred) or elsewhere in the UK or Europe, and it may involve occasional national and international travel. Prosper Global team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short-term assignment or trips to country offices. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect Local Laws, customs, and Prosper Global's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all Prosper Global locations. Fostering a diverse and open workplace is an important part of Prosper Global’s vision. Prosper Global is an Equal Opportunity Employer regardless of background. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Prosper Global is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding and Ethics

Prosper Global is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Prosper Global Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report this to Prosper Global Integrity Hotline (integrityhotline@prosperglobal.org).