US Foundations Adviser

NRC USA was established in 2016 with the main objective of strengthening the profile, outreach, and impact of the Norwegian Refugee Council in the USA. 

The US Foundations Adviser will be responsible for building and managing partnerships with US-based foundations that meet ambitious fundraising goals in support of NRC’s mission to improve the lives of people displaced by conflict. They will be part of the NRC USA Representation Office in Washington DC, with a direct reporting line to its Executive Director and a strong technical reporting line to the Director of Corporate Relationships in the Global Corporate Relations section. The Global Corporate Relations section is part of the External Relations Department and is responsible for building strong partnerships with corporations, foundations, and philanthropists.  

The US Foundations Adviser will work with the NRC USA Executive Director and the Global Corporate Relations section to secure funding commitments by developing, monitoring, and implementing NRC’s corporate and private foundation fundraising relationships, policies, and strategies in the US. This includes both creating and sustaining one-on-one relationships with US-based philanthropies and working with the wider NRC team to meet robust multi-year fundraising goals that are impactful and give a good return on investment.

Do you have fundraising experience with foundations and knowledge of the humanitarian sector?  Are you willing to put your solid skills to work to build partnerships with US-based philanthropies in the service of NRC’s mission?

Great! Please read on. 

What you will do 

You will be responsible for delivering funding commitments from US-based foundations, as well as contributing to the wider Global Corporate Relations section and organizational goals. The US Foundations Adviser will work across all of NRC, engaging staff with different competencies, cultures, and understandings to develop ideas on ways foundations can provide value to NRC’s work.

Some of your day-to-day tasks will include: 

• Providing leadership across NRC on identifying and engaging specific partnership opportunities in the US.
• Leading on developing and implementing a US foundations partnership strategy, with support from the NRC USA Executive Director and the Director of Corporate Relations and in collaboration with their teams.
• Developing strategies and procedures for fundraising activities towards new and existing partnerships in the US, especially focusing on foundations.
• Helping train staff engaged in private partnerships across NRC in coordination with the Global Corporate Relations Section.
• Developing expertise on specific NRC needs and competencies.

 What you will bring 

• Highly professional experience within business development/sales, corporate partnerships, and/or social impact or other relevant professional fundraising qualifications, ideally in the US.
• Knowledge of corporations, foundations, or individual philanthropists located in the US.
• Capacity for flexible thinking and innovation to find win-win solutions between NRC and US-based foundations and philanthropists.
• Experience in creating new partnerships – including identifying partnership opportunities, designing projects, brokering and cultivating relationships, negotiating, designing, and formalizing partnership structures. 
• Ability to engage at C-suite roles/senior levels in business contexts, and to build trust-based relationships with senior-level executives and high-net-worth philanthropists.
• Communication skills to build bridges between foundations, individuals, and the humanitarian sector.
• Experience working with stakeholders across the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the US, and ideally, an existing network of foundations contacts to draw upon.
• Ability to multi-task and work with short deadlines and experience in project planning and management.
• Willing and able to work outside normal work hours and accommodate different time zones to facilitate work with colleagues and partners around the world.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.

We know that you are curious and would like to learn more about this role; please click here to access the full Job Description. 

What makes this position attractive? 

• A challenging and exciting opportunity to work with an international team dedicated to advocating for the rights of people forced to flee. 
• A chance to leverage the philanthropic sector to provide funding and strategic partnerships that improve the lives of people displaced by conflict.
• Salary and benefits according to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions in the location of employment. 

We are also looking for people who share our values: 

• To be dedicated to what we do; 
• To be innovative with our solutions; 
• To act as one unified and inclusive team; 
• To be accountable to the donors that make our work possible; the beneficiaries that we exist to serve; and to each other… the members of our NRC family. 

We will be assessing candidates on an ongoing basis, therefore early applications are recommended.