Overview

Location: Flexible European location, with a preference for France or UK.
Reporting to: Director of Business Development.
Manages: Will recruit a team in the future.
Annual salary: €120,000 – €140,000 EUR for Europe/£100,000 – £120,000 GBP for the UK.
Contract type: Consultant contract or permanent dependant on location.
Working hours: Full-time.
Candidate level: Management.

Background

Founded in 2006, Panthera is devoted to the conservation of the world’s forty species of wild cats and the vast ecosystems they inhabit. Our team of biologists, data scientists, law enforcement experts, and wild cat advocates studies and protects the seven species of big cats: cheetahs, jaguars, leopards, lions, pumas, snow leopards, and tigers. Panthera also creates targeted conservation strategies for the world’s most threatened and overlooked small cats.

With our supporters around the world, we inform the public about the plight of wild cats, work closely with communities living alongside these iconic species, protect wild cats and their prey from poaching, fight the illegal wildlife trade and safeguard the precious landscapes wild cats need to survive.

If you love wild cats, then you’re in our pride. Welcome to the movement to protect these captivating creatures and secure them for future generations.

Purpose of role

Panthera is on a healthy growth trajectory and this key, strategic hire, forms part of those growth plans to build upon success within a European context. Panthera is seeking a visionary European funding expert that has experience and understanding of the funding ecosystem in the areas of conservation of biodiversity and environmental issues to sustainably spearhead growth from public sector partnerships and institutional donors both building on existing and forging new relationships.

The Head of European Programme Funding will have experience securing and managing six and seven figure gifts from public sector partnerships (PSPs), government, and institutional donors based in the EU. The successful candidate will be a key member of the organization’s development team and will be responsible for mobilizing financial resources from EU development cooperation programs (DEVCO, NEAR, and EU Delegations) and other EU institutional donors.

The post-holder will identify and coordinate funding opportunities and work with PSP, program, country teams and national offices across Panthera to focus on program funding for conservation and environmental programs that align with Panthera priorities. The post-holder will bring strong fundraising acumen, prior experience in environmental conservation, and a spirit of collaboration to Panthera to deliver income growth and strengthen programmatic partnerships within the EU.

The successful applicant will have demonstrated success in building and maintaining programmatic relationships with institutional donors, with a quantifiable record of raising significant funds. The successful applicant will have proven experience of developing and implementing successful program and project proposals for PSP donors, delivering income against targets, leading successful large-scale bids, and securing grants at a multimillion level. We are looking for a strategic and analytical fundraiser, with the ability to identify opportunities for the EU and Panthera to collaborate on priority programs.

The Head of European Programme Funding will partner with senior staff across the organization to successfully cultivate, solicit and steward a large and growing portfolio of institutional funders that increasingly provides significant support for Panthera to carry out its mission.

Primary responsibilities

The job holder will have the following key responsibilities:

Proposal and bid development

• Act as operational lead responding to and managing large and strategic EU funding opportunity proposals.
• Act as a bid manager, coordinating a team of technical advisors, consultants, and in-country teams to develop content for grant proposals.
• Provide leadership support and guidance to Panthera regional offices leading proposal development processes, ensuring all final submissions meet quality standards and donor requirements, as well as internal standards.
• Identify, scope and position Panthera as a partner of choice for new EU funding modalities such as direct awards, trust funds, tenders, and complex consortia partnerships.
• Qualify and coordinate Panthera’s approach to EU global opportunities and manage internal pre-selection processes.
• Promote consistency of approaches and best practice across the Panthera network in EU proposal development and donor compliance.
• Keep abreast of the EU donor intelligence about upcoming opportunities and funding streams aligned with Panthera’s priorities and ensure their wide and timely communication within Panthera.

Partnerships development and relationship management

• Identify opportunities for the EU (e.g., DEVCO) and Panthera to collaborate on priority programs and initiatives.
• Develop and nurture relationships with Panthera’s national and country offices, working with Development and Program colleagues to obtain early intelligence on funding opportunities to ensure a coordinated approach.
• Create opportunities for Panthera national and country offices to engage regularly with DEVCO officials in order to position Panthera’s network as a leading implementation partner.
• Contribute to the advocacy on the EU development cooperation (e.g., NDICI) and support Panthera’s country offices to conceptualize program bids at the country and regional levels.
• Keep abreast of changes in the EU funding instruments and modalities and identify opportunities to input on and influence existing and new EU funding instruments and strategies.
• Scope and develop partnerships with other organizations working in the international development and environment sector on resource mobilization, potential consortium partners, private sector, international organizations, and relevant research institutions.
• Actively participate in relevant donor meetings and networking events to further develop funding relationships.

Profile

The following offers an aspirational view of our ideal candidate profile; however, we encourage applications from candidates with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented groups. 

Required experience, skills and competencies

• A minimum of 5 years proven experience of PSP/institutional fundraising in the international development sector in the EU for environmental conservation.
  • Experience in developing and implementing successful program and project proposals and delivering income against targets.
  • Demonstrable experience in leading successful large scale or multi-country bids and securing grants and contracts at a multimillion-dollar level.
  • Track record of creating and managing relationships with donors like EU DEVCO.
  • Strong understanding of the latest trends in the fundraising and programming environment for international development, especially the EU development cooperation.
  • Excellent project management, with the ability to lead and work collaboratively with virtual teams across multiple countries in high pressure environments in meeting tight deadlines.
  • Experience coordinating bid teams to deliver proposals and bids and manage contracts.
  • Ability to interpret and analyze complex information from a range of sources and present to a donor in a detailed and accurate way.
  • Ability to analyze financial information, budget and monitor costs.
  • Experience in working within a networked and multicultural organization, building relationships of trust with colleagues in different entities and countries in order to work effectively and flexibly to achieve impact.
  • Confidence to operate in a strategic role and to engage with senior managers.
  • Strong interpersonal and organizational skills. Excellent communication skills, particularly to produce high quality written documents.
  • Experience with Salesforce or a comparable CRM system.

Qualifications and languages

• University degree in a relevant subject, preferably in development, environment, international relations, European policy, or social sciences.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Fluency in French and German is highly desirable.

To apply for the post

Please send a letter of application stating the skills and approach that you would bring to the post with your CV/resume (no photos) in strict confidence by email only to Zoe Oldham at zoeoldham@darylupsall.com. An applicant’s pack is available at the same address. Please ensure they are sent with the titles “your name cover letter” and “your name CV” Please put “name of client and post” in the email subject line.

The deadline for application is Sunday 2^nd July 2023

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Daryl Upsall International actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. In recruiting candidates, we seek candidates with the proven skills required, irrespective of race, gender, religion or belief, age, disability, or sexual orientation.