Institutional Partnerships Director

Who is Water Mission?

Water Mission is a nonprofit Christian engineering organization that designs, builds, and implements safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. Guided by love, excellence, and integrity, we are driven to share clean, safe water and God’s love with all. To date, we have served more than 7 million people in 57 countries. Working at Water Mission is as much a calling as it is a career, and we are searching for people with the courage, passion, and drive to help us change the world. Read more about our Statement of Faith and Christian Mission.

What is the opportunity?

The Institutional (WASH Sector) Partnerships Director will be responsible for developing partnership strategies, managing institutional partnerships as well as managing internal projects that lead to increased collaboration and funding partnership opportunities with government (i.e. USAID), UN, and NGOs. This includes planning, developing, and executing strategies with existing partners, as well as developing new partnerships through engagement, research, cultivation, and relationship management. Thus, a demonstrated ability to understand the institutional partnership landscape and analyze data and sector trends is required.

This position requires substantial contact and strong collaboration with cross-departmental teams and the ability to manage complex internal processes. Similarly, the role requires strategic contact, project management and strong collaboration with leadership and partners. The position will work closely with the Senior Director of Global Partnerships, Executive Vice President of Programs, and a cross-departmental team including finance, logistics, operations, program managers and marketing. The Institutional (WASH Sector) Partnerships Director will represent the Global Partnerships team and Water Mission at events to cultivate partnerships and advance Water Mission’s reputation with WASH and development sector audiences. This position can be based remotely or at Water Mission’s headquarters in N. Charleston, SC, and will report to the Senior Director of Global Partnerships. The Institutional Partnerships Director will be responsible for:

Partnership Engagement & Management (40%)

• Maintain a strong Christian witness to colleagues, donors, those we serve, and the general public.

• Effectively communicate about the global water crisis and Water Mission’s values, vision, mission, and solutions to various audiences.

• Maintain high-level knowledge of Water Mission’s organizational objectives, programmatic strategies, projects, and activities.

• Represent Water Mission effectively to external stakeholders, driving engagement and relationship building to identify and highlight alignment for potential partnership.

• Develop broad networks in the US and globally with institutional partners in order to build strategic partnerships for funding opportunities.

• Collaborate with programs staff for relationship engagement recommendations at the field level.

• Identify industry thought leadership opportunities.

• Determine partnership engagement strategies in collaboration with programs staff, develop annual plans, and execute plans. Ensure partnership goals, acquisition targets, and stewardship plans, and budget goals are met and accurately recorded in Raiser’s Edge along with relevant communication.

• Proactively keep partners informed by providing timely and appropriate touchpoints. Adjust according to their preferred mode and frequency of project reporting.

Proposal Management and Development (30%)

• Pre-Positioning
  • Assess and track priority funding strategies, proposal guidelines, and funding opportunities.
  • Maintain internal database of accurate information about opportunities.
  • Analyze partner strategies & make priority recommendations.
  • Manage internal pre-positioning efforts for identified bids; including planning, gathering materials, coordinating meetings, managing timelines, and liaising with staff.
• Proposal Development
  • Develop high-quality proposals for pitches, as well as responses to competitive solicitations for key partners. Serve as a lead or support writer, soliciting input from staff and partners to create effective proposals.
  • Manage the review process for proposals to ensure they are in alignment with Water Mission style and brand, programmatically sound, high-quality, and meet partner needs.
  • Act as a subject matter expert for the program and international staff on institutional funding.
  • Maintain accurate and timely electronic files and ensure that relevant information is accessible and shared as needed.

Project/Grant Management (30%)

• Grant hand-off
  • Prepare memoranda of understanding, and other institutional agreements. Project manage internal processes for approvals and reviews.
  • Liaise with program staff to transition project and ensure donor/partner requirements are understood and preferred methods of communication (field-based, etc.) from the partner have an organized plan according to the partner requests.
• Reporting & Financial Management
  • Maintain visibility on grant and project budgets, deliverables, and timelines. Work closely with Programs and Accounting & Finance teams on approved spending levels and ensure accurate and timely financial and progress reports to partners.
  • Develop and direct process for managing grant requirements to ensure a timely and accurate reporting process as outlined in the grant.
  • Track and assess ongoing grant allocations from strategic foundation partners, coordinating communication between the team, leadership, and international colleagues to understand how the is progressing.
  • Anticipate and inform on revenue growth from key partnerships and funding to help the organization plan and budget.
• Thought Leadership
  • Collaborate with program teams to leverage technical expertise to develop effective strategies for priority partner engagement & content for thought leadership opportunities.
  • Provide institutional funding trends analyses, recommendations, guidance, and reports to supervisor and key leadership staff as requested.

W****hat is required?

• Personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Alignment with Water Mission’s Statement of Faith and core values of Love, Excellence, and Integrity.
• Five or more years of relevant experience in partnership management or business development with proven results of securing high-value awards and growing strategic engagements.
• Demonstrated technical skills and expertise in the WASH sector. Focus on grants, reporting, or institutional relationships, especially with USAID, is a plus.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively with a team, set strategy, and influence cross-functional teams to drive execution and results.
• Bachelor’s degree required; additional education is a plus, preferably in international development, business, or engineering field.
• Experience in strategic planning, business development, revenue projection, project management, and public speaking.
• Cross-cultural communication experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly articulate ideas and feedback in a constructive way. Excellent PowerPoint and presentation skills.
• Experience with Raiser’s Edge is a plus, but not required.
• Ability to travel domestically for up to one week, four to eight times a year.
• Ability to travel internationally for up to two consecutive weeks, approximately twice a year.
• Flexibility to work periodic nights and weekends as required for organizational needs.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• Home internet bandwidth strong enough to support video conferencing and other job-related responsibilities required.
• Commitment to the values and mission of the organization and ending the global water crisis.