Context

The Secretary-General’s Office is supporting the Secretary-General in the implementation of his/her mandate and the overall management of the Institute including strategic leadership, institutional development and internal management, external relations and partnership building, Member States interactions and support, communication, outreach and resource mobilization.

The work of the Secretary-General’s Office is coordinated by the Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General, based on the strategic priorities set by the Secretary-General and International IDEA’s Institutional Strategy.

The incumbent will support the Secretary-General by managing and developing external relations with key stakeholders, including Member States, with the aim of establishing meaningful collaborations and increasing funding for International IDEA. The Senior External Relations Officer will provide strategic leadership and direction in donor management strategy and fund acquisition, building the profile of the organization. The position is key within the office of the Secretary-General, requiring coordination with internal and external stakeholders of the Institute. The role requires close collaboration with the Resource Management and Partnerships Officer, the Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General as well as with the Budget and Programme Performance Team which handles procedures related to resource mobilization for restricted funding.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. In collaboration with the Chief of Staff and the Executive Director, provides strategic direction for fund acquisition by developing an appropriate strategy and business plan based on relevant market understanding and analysis;
2. Reaches out to Member State and multilateral funding institutions to initiate funding discussions
3. Coordinates fundraising efforts within the institute; supports and initiates innovative funding streams;
4. Supports internal teams in developing projects that are appealing to donors, providing advice and guidance on funder interests;
5. Through regular interactions with colleagues, develops and maintains a project pipeline for funding;
6. Develops the capacity of internal colleagues to fundraise through regular training and coaching
7. Provides input to pre-award teams on translating early discussions with potential partners into concept notes, project proposals and funding agreements;
8. With the Resource Mobilization and Partnership Officer manages a CRM system which facilitates information management of Member States, donors and partners, internal communications and timely follow-up in the pursuit of new partnership and funding opportunities;
9. Analyses the global political, social and economic landscape relevant to International IDEA and identifies opportunities for programme development;
10. Gathers and shares strategic intelligence regarding Member States and donors;
11. Explores and identifies the possibilities of non-financial contributions from donors, Member States and partners;
12. Maintains strategic interaction with Member State representatives, ensuring active membership engagement;
13. Identifies potential partners and initiates relationships; Builds and maintains strategic partnerships with government agencies, professional associations, international organizations, bilateral donors, foundations and NGO’s;
14. Represents International IDEA at external events; Presents International IDEA’s expertise and communicates its added value to donors and key stakeholders;
15. Monitors and tracks the implementation of multi-year core agreements, including taking follow up action on commitments with relevant units as appropriate and ensuring implementation of the multi-year core agreements.

General Profile

• Combines in-depth knowledge, acquired through academic achievements, excellent skills including managerial skills and relevant experience working with resource mobilization in development corporation and strategic partnership development;
• Contributes to assigned projects with authority, and provides policy analysis and design
• Has the intellectual leadership to integrate innovation into his/her field of expertise;
• Directly manages a team including staff members, interns and possibly consultants;
• Fosters team-based activities in their unit; collaborates with other entities of the Institute;
• Acts as a model and mentor for colleagues;
• Is expected to travel globally to any geographical area involved in their projects;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Acts in accordance with International IDEA’ s core values; Respect, Integrity and Professionalism;
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.

Reporting line

Chief of Staff

Education and Experience

• University degree international relations, public relations, business administration, communications or related discipline;
• A minimum of eight (8) years’ experience working in donor relations, external relations, resource mobilization, communications and advocacy or related field within global organizational environments (national, multilateral, governmental or NGO);
• A minimum of three (3) years experience managing teams;
• Proven fundraising track record and experience working at a similar-sized organization (50M+ EUR annual budget) or larger
• Excellent knowledge and experience of project management with government and multilateral agencies grant funded projects and experience of grant compliance procedures for major bilateral and multilateral donors;
• Experience working with USAID an advantage
• Experienced networker with an ability to maintain a good up to date knowledge of the grant opportunities and trends;
• Experience mobilizing resources from non-traditional sources

Terms of Contract:

• International Post
• Two (2) year fixed term appointment
• Remuneration – EUR 6 018 NET per month + benefits

Applying for this position:

• Applications should be submitted no later than 23:59 (CET) 29 February 2024.
• Please note that all applications must be made in English.

Selection Process:

• Evaluation of qualified candidates will include a written test assessment and up to two (2) interviews.
• Candidates selected to proceed to the next stage of the process will be contacted once all applications have been carefully reviewed.
• All candidates will be notified of the status of their application via email once the process has been finalized

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality