Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. We support communities – and the most marginalized within them – to emerge from crisis and build towards a more inclusive, resilient future. Mercy Corps is composed of a global team of humanitarians working together on the front lines of today’s biggest crises to create a future of possibility, where everyone can prosper. In more than 40+ countries around the world, over 5,400+ team members work side by side with people living through poverty, disaster, violent conflict, and the acute impacts of climate change. We’re committed to creating global change through local impact — 84% of our team members are from the countries where they work.
We bring a comprehensive approach to every challenge, addressing problems from multiple angles. And we go beyond emergency aid, partnering with people living in fragile communities, local governments, social entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking corporations to develop bold solutions that make lasting change possible.
About Programs at Mercy Corps
The Programs function at Mercy Corps supports our mission and works with program impact, innovation, and influence teams. The Program Function is responsible for furthering our four outcome areas through program implementation: food security, water security, promoting economic opportunities and peace and good governance. The Programs function is composed of global and regional departments which are guided by Mercy Corps global strategy: Pathway to Possibility (P2P) and works in close partnership with all other agency departments to deliver the highest quality programming and impactful results. The Program Team aligns closely with the Pathway to Possibility, and works to deliver increased accountability, alignment, and fair and transparent resource allocation in how programs are implemented, while championing our Core Behaviors of collaboration, curiosity, inclusion, and integrity in everything they do. The Programs function is a key steward of Mercy Corps’ strategic commitments and the integration of these commitments into our programming: Climate Smart, Locally Led, Evidence Driven, Innovative & Creative, and Safe, Diverse & Inclusive.
To achieve our goals, Mercy Corps works closely in partnership with a range of international institutions of key Governments around the world, including but not limited to: United States (USAID, Department of State), European Union (a number of the EU’s agencies but especially ECHO), United Kingdom (FCDO and the British Council), France (AFD), Canada (GAC), Switzerland (SDC), and Sweden (SIDA). Thanks to their generous support we are able to put bold solutions into action – helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President (VP) Institutional Donor Engagement steers a vision of partnership with key donor communities, and promotes the public profile, brand recognition, and voice of Mercy Corps while championing its work across the globe. As an integral member of the Leadership Team (LT), they are responsible for developing and executing a global business development strategy to maintain productive relationships with, and build revenue from existing institutional donors, including key North American and European governments, while expanding and diversifying the portfolio of institutional donors beyond these two entities.
Along with the VP of Global Programs & Support and Global Program Delivery, the VP for Institutional Donor Engagement serves as part of the Global Program Leadership Senior Team, collaborating to ensure excellence in the effective implementation of Mercy Corps’ strategic vision under Pathway to Possibility (P2P) as stewards of Mercy Corps’ key accountability mechanisms. As the head of an integrated Institutional Donor Engagement department, the VP, Institutional Donor Engagement ensures consistent practices across institutional donor engagement and executive-level visibility into institutional fundraising and business development efforts. The VP and their teams consolidate new program development and donor trends, empowering teams to develop high quality, evidence-based programs that build community resilience and inclusion, while driving sustained agency performance and growth in our sector.
Working in partnership with and aligning strategies with the Chief Development Officer and the Mercy Corps Europe Executive Director, they champion a vision for business development efforts that align with Mercy Corps’ Pathway to Possibility strategy (leveraging the new business development strategies), the European Strategic Plan which sets out how Pathway to Possibility will be achieved in Europe, and institutional donor priorities (capitalizing on deep donor relationships), while keeping at its core the delivery of climate smart, evidence-driven, innovative & creative, locally led, and safe, diverse, and inclusive programming.
Essential Responsibilities
Plan, set, and promote a strong agency competitive position and approach to institutional business development and donor relations with a focus on continued revenue growth and diversification.
In partnership with the Mercy Corps Europe Executive Director and Chief Development Officer, lead in the agency’s strategic growth through a deep knowledge of industry trends, analysis of opportunities, and strategic choices regarding Mercy Corps’ investment of time and resources for specific business opportunities.
Accountable for bringing in institutional donor revenue which aligns with our four outcome areas in the regions and countries in which we work.
Develop a medium-term pipeline for all institutional donors for Mercy Corps so we can plan organisational growth and development in line with projected revenue.
Update the Executive Team and Board of Directors on pipeline of strategic opportunities while outlining trends and potential risks in partnership relations.
Work with the Mercy Corps Europe Executive Director; Comms and Marketing Team, Corporate/Foundations; Policy & Advocacy; Program Performance and Quality; Finance & Compliance, Research & Learning, Regional Awards Management Teams; and other teams as needed to maintain and strengthen Mercy Corps’ reputation, strategic position, and partnerships with bilateral and multilateral Institutional donors.
Drive consistent practices across institutional donor engagement and bring executive visibility into MC’s business development.
Act as a spokesperson for Mercy Corps business development needs who can regularly and effectively liaise with donors.
Provide leadership, oversight and management for Mercy Corps’ entire portfolio of relationships with institutional donors and support the team to develop a strategic plan on how to shape and develop it in line with our four outcome areas.
Provide quarterly reporting to the ELT and the board on progress on our goals as well as discuss management of risks associated with the portfolio.
Lead in devising fundraising strategies for program and project development. Ensure effective information sharing across regions and departments, from proposal and budget development to implementation, monitoring and reporting.
Evaluate partnership opportunities with other International NGOs or contractors and support the team to pursue the most strategic ones.
Support regions and country programs in fostering relationships to work with other peer agencies through consortium models across regions or sectors.
Ensure quality analysis on donor policy and positioning is generated and shared with country and regional teams, identifying priority countries and thematic areas, and providing strategic guidance and support to senior leadership across Mercy Corps.
Explore and maximize new lines of revenue that align with the agency’s strategic direction through partnership within Mercy Corps and with external actors.
Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to build agency capacity to pursue contract mechanisms.
Ensure that the European Strategic Plan is incorporated in all relevant fundraising strategies for program and project development expanding our European portfolio of grants and contracts.
Foster a department that supports Regional Directors in proactively identifying and accessing new funding opportunities within their respective regions. Ensure resourcing is provided to build regional capacity and work with relevant staff to ensure that regional capacities for business development and donor relations are well-managed and well-coordinated between regional and functional managers.
Collaborate with Global Program Support Department, and specifically the Technical Resources & Quality team, in developing strategies for collaboration on proposals to ensure robust and technically-sound contributions to proposal design. Ensure technical resources are directed to support initiatives that have the highest potential return on investment.
DONOR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE
Lead the coordination and sharing of Mercy Corps’ knowledge base for expertise and support of its key institutional donors, including knowledge of donors’ priority countries, themes, and sectors.
Enable the team to provide regular knowledge sharing, training and support to regional and country teams on donor processes, holistic understandings of donor approaches and thematic priorities for donors.
Increase the diversity of funding and expand our existing partnerships in multiple countries and regions.
Coordinate and troubleshoot challenges while pre-emptively identifying potential challenges with in-country donor relations as and where they exist.
Work with regional and country teams to support and coach staff with donor-facing roles, as needed.
Work with relevant stakeholders to identify additional institutional donors and devise a target strategy.
INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION
In collaboration with the VP, Global Program Delivery and Regional Directors, and the VP Global Policy & Advocacy and Executive Director in Europe where pertinent, support in the development of an influence strategy that can expand regional or country connections and benefit from localized expertise and capacity.
In collaboration with the VP Global Policy & Advocacy, proactively engage with donors to shape and influence their strategies and funding priorities for areas that Mercy Corps deems critical for transformational outcomes, and partner with donors to explore, evaluate and present innovative funding opportunities at a global level.
Advance our external influence and profile through work with other agency leads, including the leads of Evidence & Learning, Technical Resources & Quality, Policy & Advocacy, Marketing & Communications teams, and the Mercy Corps Europe Executive Director, to raise Mercy Corps global profile.
Establishes good systems for information sharing and flow across the organization on donor intelligence, changes in the institutional donor landscape and forward looking to position ourselves on pipeline opportunities over the next 2-3 years.
In collaboration with these departments, highlight Mercy Corps’ contributions as a leading global partner using data, evidence, and analysis to improve programs, scale what works and influence others to build resilience in the face of conflict and climate change.
Demonstrate exceptional leadership by consistently delivering expectations and maintaining composure, even in challenging situations.
Embrace a growth mindset, actively seek diverse perspectives, and welcome feedback to drive continuous improvement.
Maintain the highest ethical standards, treating all individuals with respect and dignity.
Demonstrate professionalism in all aspects of life, ensuring that your conduct reflects positively on Mercy Corps and does not compromise its mission or work.
Mercy Corps’ five commitments outlined in Pathway to Possibility underpin all that we do regardless of program intervention or context and challenge us to continually push the boundaries of what is possible. As key leaders within our organization overseeing the majority of Mercy Corps’ operations and programs, the VP, Institutional Donor Engagement will work with Program Delivery and Technical Support to hold accountable the defined priorities for each commitment in partnership with relevant global leads and is accountable for operationalizing those priorities.
Partner with global commitment leads to conceptualize, deliver, and monitor the progress of plans, workstreams, and communication and collaboration modalities required to implement the commitments effectively at the regional level.
Supervisory Responsibility
Senior Director, New Initiatives and Senior Director of Programmes, Funding and Operations
Reports Directly To: Chief Operating Officer
Works Directly With: Mercy Corps Europe Executive Director, Chief Development Officer, VP, Global Programs Support – inclusive of Technical Resources & Quality and Evidence & Learning, VP, Global Program Delivery, VP Global Policy and Advocacy, and the global Leadership Team.
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
MA/S or MBA required in international development, business, political or social sciences or another relevant field.
10+ years of management and leadership experience with demonstrated track record of supervising teams, setting direction, and delivering results.
5+ years of overseas experience preferred, including a field leadership position in the non-profit sector.
A proven track-record building and negotiating partnerships to deliver complex and impactful proposals.
Demonstration of delivering strong working relationships with institutional donors, and with peer agencies.
Ability to run rapid data analysis and effectively present to executive team members, board members, and other official stakeholders.
Strongly established professional networks and willingness and ability to grow more, including emerging or non-traditional donors.
Proven leadership, self-motivation, and interpersonal skills, even under tight work deadlines and in high pressure contexts.
Leading matrixed or dual-managed teams for successful results in non-hierarchical settings.
Exceptionally strong verbal and written communications skills and organizational skills are required.
Willingness and ability to travel frequently to Mercy Corps project sites and field locations, including traveling to insecure environments, is required.
Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency in an additional language commonly utilized in Mercy Corps’ operational footprint is considered advantageous.
The VP, Institutional Donor Engagement is a visionary tactician, able to see the big picture and establish broad strategy while being attentive to individual regional, country and program needs and constraints. They understand the geo-political dynamics of the regions/countries and the drivers of fragility. They are a skilled communicator, able to develop and grow strong relationships with staff, partners and donors and inspire others to act, and can leverage the credibility that Mercy Corps carries within the sector to create new partnerships and continue to expand existing ones for significant growth.
At Mercy Corps, we value team members who embrace curiosity, act with integrity, and foster an environment of inclusion and collaboration. Our successful team members work effectively in evolving and dynamic environments, prioritize clear communication, and build collaborative relationships across departments. They interact with all global team members with an inclusive approach and excel at multitasking, meeting deadlines, and processing information to support our changing program activities.
The position is based in Washington, DC, London, or Edinburgh, UK. Some travel may be required, up to 30% travel to support country programs, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/short term assignment to a field posting. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis. Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees
Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.
This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.
For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.
This position is no longer open.
