Head of External Engagement

Internal vacancy

Scope: Global

Hours: 40 hours per week

Reports to: CEO

Term: 4 years

Office: All Hivos locations

Deadline: December 12th, 2025 (Midnight UTC)

About the Role

The Head of External Engagement reports directly to the CEO and is a member of Hivos Core Leadership Team (CLT) and responsible for the external engagement team.  As a member of the CLT, the role carries collective responsibility for leading the entire organization—working collaboratively with the CEO and fellow CLT members to shape strategy, uphold organizational culture, and ensure coherent, cross-functional leadership.

Purpose of the Role

The purpose of this role is to secure unrestricted funding and enhance Hivos’ visibility, advocacy impact, and public engagement by developing coherent communication, branding, and fundraising strategies. The role strengthens the alignment between project and corporate communications, safeguards brand consistency and digital content quality, and drives individual giving campaigns. It also elevates Hivos’ presence through effective media relations, storytelling, and engagement across digital channels, while developing tailored pitches for private donors—including corporate and philanthropic foundations—to expand Hivos’ financial base and influence.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Formulate and implement high impact and innovative offline and online strategies to acquire and develop committed donors/supporters globally, and to maximize income.
• Analyze donation patterns and use data to underpin decisions about global
• fundraising strategies and tactics.
• Deliver income targets and expenditure budgets for External Engagement and be responsible for monitoring progress and setting the budget on an annual basis.
• Oversee the management of the supporter and donation process to deliver a quality donor journey to maximize the retention rate of individual donors.
• Managing relationships with key external service providers and agencies, including negotiating contracts
• Develop and implement the Corporate Communication strategy and plan. Assuring visibility of Hivos in general, for our stakeholders and in particular donors and private supporters in particular.
• Ensure the inclusion of programs into a wide Hivos-wide narrative. Guide program managers on communication strategy and actions.
• Translate corporate strategy and identity into Hivos corporate branding. Promote, expose and reinforce Hivos’ visibility and enable consistency and correct usage of branding by all employees.
• Combine advocacy efforts, campaign initiatives and modern storytelling techniques into a consistent Hivos narrative
• Translate program work (e.g., research, surveys, media and reports) into products used by the External Engagement team to position Hivos.
• Deliver effective management to External Engagement team ensuring excellent communication and service delivery to meet KPIs and deliver ROI
• Lead efforts to build and nurture Hivos’ constituency of supporters, partners, and allies —strengthening engagement, trust, and long-term commitment to Hivos’ mission and value
• Develop compelling products, narratives, and evidence-based propositions that connect fundraising, business development, and program design — fostering a learning loop that enables continuous improvement and repeat partnerships.
• Identify and expand new communication, fundraising, and engagement channels—reaching new target audiences and markets to broaden Hivos’ visibility and supporter base
• Lead, motivate, and develop staff, ensuring teamwork and professional growth.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, donor requirements, and external regulations

Skills and Experience

• Strategic leadership experience in fundraising, communications, and external engagement within complex, mission-driven organizations.
• More than 10 years of progressive experience in individual giving
• Strong expertise in individual giving, donor acquisition and retention, donor journey management (preferably in multi-market), and developing tailored pitches for corporate and philanthropic donors.
• Solid understanding of corporate communications, brand management, media relations, digital engagement, and safeguarding brand consistency across all channels.
• Ability to integrate program outputs (research, surveys, stories, evidence) into compelling narratives, campaigns, and fundraising or visibility products.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills, including interpreting donor data, audience insights, and market trends.
• Excellent storytelling, editorial, and messaging skills with the ability to craft a coherent organizational narrative that aligns advocacy, programs, and fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally and ensure alignment between project-level and corporate communications.
• Proven team leadership experience, including managing diverse teams, setting KPIs, monitoring performance, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• Experience managing external agencies, suppliers, and media partners, including procurement and contract negotiation.
• Strong project management, planning, and prioritization skills, with the ability to deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Knowledge of donor CRM systems, digital communication tools, and analytics platforms.
• Commitment to Hivos’ mission, values, equity principles, and locally led development.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter (maximum 1 page) and CV (maximum 2 pages) as soon as possible by clicking the ‘Apply here’ button. "Or something extra for applicants.