Head of Foundation Relations

External Posting•New York, NY

15h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Head of Foundation Relations is a new global role responsible for the Rainforest Alliance’s philanthropic foundation portfolio across climate, development, agriculture, sustainability, and food system change. The role develops the engagement and growth strategy, secures new foundation funders, grows income and impact from existing accounts, and builds and leads a small international team. It involves engaging foundation programme officers and leaders, increasing the Rainforest Alliance’s visibility, and designing value propositions and funding models that support investment at scale. Working across the organization, the role assesses the funding landscape, prioritizes promising segments, and builds a pipeline of strategic opportunities against clear financial targets. It reports to the Director of Institutional Relations and carries responsibility for securing multi-year commitments of six figures and above and deepening foundation relationships over time. The role requires occasional domestic and international travel. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the Netherlands, the UK, or the US. The workplace is described as flexible hybrid.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, business development, sales, consultancy, or sustainable development.
Experience securing philanthropic foundation funding, including multi-year commitments.
Experience moving donors through a cultivation pipeline and meeting annual revenue targets.
Experience leading and developing people, as a line manager or by leading cross-functional and matrixed teams.
Working knowledge of sustainability, systems change, and global development market trends.
Experience working in global organizations.
A creative approach, comfort building opportunities from scratch, and ability to work at pace without close direction.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in business administration, international development, sustainability, or a related field.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally on occasion.
Legally authorized to work in the Netherlands, the UK, or the US.

Responsibilities

Shape and deliver the Rainforest Alliance’s foundation fundraising strategy, growing mission-based and impact project giving across a diverse global portfolio.
Build a revenue-generating portfolio of foundation accounts through prospect identification, relationship-building, and new funding commitments.
Expand and diversify the existing portfolio, with a focus on multi-year commitments of six figures and above.
Meet and exceed annual revenue targets.
Track and report budgetary projections, cultivation activity, and progress against goals in Salesforce, and contribute to the wider Institutional Relations pipeline.
Partner with Research and Revenue Operations to monitor funding trends, identify aligned affinity networks and entry points, and generate leads for restricted funding opportunities.
Prioritize external engagement for the role holder and senior leadership by identifying prospects, securing meetings, preparing briefings, and driving follow-up.
Represent the Rainforest Alliance at donor roundtables, networking events, and panels.
Design cases for support, donor collateral, and philanthropic offerings tailored to foundation audiences.
Develop and test revenue-generation models, including blended finance and pooled funds.
Contribute new thinking on the future shape of Development at the Rainforest Alliance.
Lead proposal development for prioritized opportunities from concept note through submission.
Convene and guide cross-functional proposal teams to deliver donor-aligned submissions on time and in accordance with internal processes.
Contribute to project design and secure internal agreement on funder interests.
Build, lead, and develop a small international team, setting priorities and standards for foundation account management.
Ensure strategic alignment, value delivery, and long-term partnership growth across engagements.
Work across revenue lines and with programmes, products, and commercial teams to identify co-funding opportunities and develop public–private–philanthropic partnerships using the Rainforest Alliance’s full range of assets.