Director

Job Description

The Opportunity

The Coalition of Philanthropies for Global Nutrition is formalizing and advancing its organizational structure in the next year, beginning with the recruitment of a Director for the Coalition. The Director will be responsible for cultivating this dynamic and rapidly expanding coalition through active management of the Coalition steering committee and growth of broader coalition membership. They will lead the execution of all day-to-day Coalition activities, playing a central leadership and management role in solidifying the Coalition’s vision, strategy, and impact.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader to be both architect and builder in a startup environment, operating at a highly strategic and active hands-on way in service to a global community of partners at the forefront of solving the malnutrition crisis.

The Director will support the Coalition’s overarching goals to:

• Inspire greater philanthropic investment and increase overall Official Development Assistance for global nutrition
• Support philanthropies and philanthropists interested in investing in global nutrition by providing educational resources and facilitating consultations with the steering committee and other experts
• Foster alignment and collaboration across global nutrition funders
• Leverage the collective voice of the Coalition for advocacy and global impact

Primary Responsibilities

Build and support the member base:

• Actively identify, cultivate and recruit new members with the aim of expanding philanthropic investments in global nutrition
• Engage and support potential new members – high-net-worth individuals, NGOs, private sector companies, etc. – eager to get involved or learn more about the importance of global nutrition funding and the opportunity to become involved in this movement
• Working with the Coalition steering committee and members, cultivate priority relationships in key geographies around the world to add global diversity of the Coalition’s membership
• Actively foster stronger relationships, alignment, and collaboration across global nutrition philanthropies, identifying and leading to new joint initiatives, co-funding opportunities, and/or collective action.

Expertly Manage Coalition Meetings and Global Summit:

• Ensure all critical forums meet Coalition objectives, including facilitation of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, inspiring increased financial commitments, advancing the shared values and objectives of the group
• Design and execute the Global Summit, including shaping membership participation, materials and agenda; preparing speaker briefings; facilitation; management of event planners, consultants and staff
• Orchestrate Coalition participation at major global moments such as the Nutrition for Growth Summit, the SUN Global Gathering, and the UN General Assembly.

Shape External and Member Communications:

• Complete development of the Coalition’s first website, develop communications collateral and other relevant products to establish a presence for the Coalition
• Raise the profile and elevate the voice of the Coalition across key stakeholders in the global health and nutrition community with communications and advocacy strategies and tactics such as joint statements, op-eds, open letters, speaking moments, etc. to communicate key Coalition priorities and developments
• Design regular communications structure with Coalition members and keep up to date with latest developments at individual partner organizations.

The Ideal Candidate

First and foremost, the Coalition Director should lead with compassion for vulnerable populations across the globe affected by malnutrition. Candidates must bring a strong interest in the issue, a sense of purpose and optimism, as well as a readiness to share the field’s urgency to significantly increase funding to address the crisis.

This is the first full-time Director for the Coalition; we seek a network builder, an expert strategist, and a discrete advisor who will blend sophisticated fundraising experience with an ability to strategically identify what will best serve the Coalition’s objectives. Candidates should demonstrate a track record of inspiring, engaging and supporting philanthropic donor communities globally.

The diverse, global, and multi-stakeholder nature of the Coalition requires an effective listener who is composed, intellectually curious, and at ease in social settings. They are well-spoken, flexible, diplomatic and warm in their approach to interacting with and balancing priorities of high-level executives across multiple organizations and time zones.

As the leader of a new organization, the Director will work closely with the steering committee and collaborate across the membership with entrepreneurial gusto to effectively shape the Coalition’s future. The role requires attention to detail while also driving the broader vision and growth of the Coalition. The ideal candidate may be described as an adept strategist who is also comfortable as master of ceremonies and event producer. The Director must demonstrate ability to effectively hire and manage consultants to fill capacity gaps and ensure high quality programs and events.

Candidates need the capacity to manage the launch a new website, proficiency in budgeting, project and event management, and knowledge management and sharing to effectively meet Coalition goals.

Experience that will prepare candidates well for this position include:

• At least 10-15 years of experience in direct donor cultivation among diverse, global philanthropic organizations and individuals
• Demonstrated experience leading and supporting major events, meeting planning, and experience working with event planners on a significant scale
• Functional skills in communications tactics and tools to launch a website and elevate the voice of the Coalition is an asset
• Prior professional experience working in global development or in global nutrition is preferred.

This position is funded by the Coalition for an initial two-year contract and hosted by the current Coalition Chair organization, the Eleanor Crook Foundation (EFC).

About the Organization

The Coalition of Philanthropies for Global Nutrition is the world’s leading collaborative of philanthropic organizations working to advance investments to end malnutrition around the world. Malnutrition is a crisis that deprives millions of women, children, and families lives of dignity and denies them their full potential. While data and evidence gaps exist, so do proven and effective tools to address this global crisis.

In 2017 several philanthropies attending the Nutrition for Growth Summit in Milan stepped forward with new nutrition investments and expressed interest in convening with other private foundations to take collective action on malnutrition. The Coalition of Philanthropies for Global Nutrition was thus born, taking up the global nutrition challenge by marshalling its strengths to accelerate and scale proven and cost-effective interventions to end malnutrition for the most vulnerable populations. The Coalition’s work aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 2.2 targets.

The Coalition offers a forum for philanthropies around the world to work together to enhance the efficacy of their own work, expand collective impact through partnerships, and help expand the network of philanthropic funders for nutrition. Guided by an engaged steering committee, the Coalition members include high-level representatives from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chaudhary Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Eleanor Crook Foundation, Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation, King Philanthropies, Rockefeller Foundation, and Tata Trusts.