Assistant Director for Institutional Advancement I

Job Opportunity with CGD Europe

• Job Title: Assistant Director for Institutional Advancement
• Location: London, UK
• Salary: £70,875
• Date of posting: 6 November
• Closing date : 5 December @ 10 am GMT

CGD Europe (CGDE), an independent think tank in London, United Kingdom, seeks an Assistant Director for Institutional Advancement (IA) to contribute to strategic and functional aspects of CGDE’s fundraising activities. CGD has an office in Washington DC, and the IA team is split across both the London and DC offices. The Assistant Director will collaborate closely with the IA team in London and DC, headed by the Senior Director, IA to contribute to the IA team’s daily operations, be a strategic fundraising partner to the CGDE Managing Director, pursue new funding relationships, and steward ongoing grant partnerships for CGDE programmes. This role has line management responsibility for the IA Senior Officer. This is an excellent opportunity for an energetic and dedicated individual to have a significant impact on CGD/E’s trajectory in the field of international development.

Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

50% Grant Management

• Manage a portfolio of grants for one or more CGD programs of research.
• Manage a portfolio of grants for new CGD/E initiatives (e.g., climate).
• Work closely with programme teams to prospect funders, develop, write, and submit funding proposals and budgets.
• Meet regularly with CGDE research staff to stay up to date on upcoming work streams.
• Review all grant agreements and contracts to ensure alignment with organisational policies and terms.
• Attend CGD/E-related Programme meetings and have regular check-ins with key internal staff, including Programme Directors.
• Attend meetings with funders/donors and prospects along with members of the IA team and/or other staff and manage and initiate follow-up as appropriate.
• Maintain and coordinate consistent quality communications with donors and prospects in coordination with CGDE and programme leadership, and the IA team.
• Lead donor reporting to ensure all funder reporting requirements are met, working in collaboration with programmes and the finance team.

20% Strategic Management

• Fundraising oversight and line management for the IA team in London.
• Track fundraising progress and pipeline and report regularly to the leadership team.
• Stay informed on trends and shifts in the philanthropic landscape and provide regular updates to the leadership team.
• Work closely with the leadership team, contributing to strategic planning efforts (e.g., finance, communications, and outreach) to help build CGD’s organisational profile.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with fundraising and partnership networks in the UK and Europe.

20% Major Gifts/Individual Fundraising

• Work with the IA team to develop and implement an effective fundraising strategy for securing and retaining unrestricted funding (e.g., from high-net-worth individuals and corporate funders) for CGD’s entire research portfolio.
• Identify, cultivate, secure and steward potential major gift donors.

10% IA Operations

• Utilise Salesforce and other IA systems (One Drive, notional pipeline, master reports tracker) to track funder outreach, concept notes, proposals, payments, CGD impact, and reporting requirements.
• Keep the pulse (e.g., attend CGD communications and programme meetings, subscribe to funder newsletters, read major philanthropic journals/periodicals) on upcoming major global development events, initiatives, etc. for strategic fundraising purposes and flags useful information for the rest of the IA team.
• Build and maintain a culture of information sharing and transparency, both within the IA team and with all CGD staff.

Qualifications: Our ideal candidate has a strong background in fundraising, experience and network of individual donors, excellent communication skills, and a passion for our mission.

• Bachelor’s degree required, master’s degree in business, non-profit management, international development, communications, journalism, or a related field preferred.
• Demonstrated 5-7 years’ experience securing major gifts and/or grants from individuals, corporate donors, and trusts/foundations, in international development, policy, think tanks or academic research.
• Exceptional writing and communication skills are required. Clear and concise writing is necessary; excellent editorial skills, ability to understand and distill technical research subjects into easily accessible funding pitches (in English).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite is required.
• Demonstrable experience securing and managing grants and contributions of $250,000+.
• Experience in donor stewardship and the ability to nurture relationships with donors after they have made a grant or gift.
• Friendly and flexible team player attitude; a willingness to pitch into all projects and tasks is necessary; enthusiastically troubleshoots and proactively problem solves on a regular basis.
• ​Poise, confidence, self-motivated, collaborative, and outstanding time management skills.
• Ability to maintain strong working relationships with high level individuals, executive management, and donors.

How to Apply

Applicants should submit resume, cover letter and writing sample via CGD’s website.

It is a requirement for this role that the successful candidate has, or obtains, the right to live and work in the UK.

It is the expectation that the successful candidate will be within commutable distance to the offices based in SW1. The successful candidate will need to be in the office a minimum of three days a week.

CGD/E is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and celebrates fostering a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive work environment. All persons will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, parental status, veteran status, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age or sexual orientation.