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Senior Project Associate - Development

WRI India is seeking a Senior Project Associate in Institutional Development to formulate, coordinate, and expand its strategy to secure the resources and partnerships needed to advance the objectives and goals of the organization. The individual will assist the Director of Institutional Development in raising project based funding as well as flexible unrestricted funding for WRI India by identifying, developing, and implementing strategies to collaborate with corporate, foundation, and government sectors, and support the Director with board management and board liaison for WRI India’s board. The individual will be responsible for growing the budget for WRI India in the years to come and contribute towards the responsibility to raise a significant proportion of this budget. In doing this, the individual will work closely with staff across WRI India programs as well as senior management.

What is WRI? World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity and human well-being. We are working to address six critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water and sustainable cities. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of nearly 700 people with work spanning 50 countries. We have offices in Brazil, China, Ethiopia, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges, and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

The World Resources Institute India (WRI India) is an Indian environmental organization with experts and staff who work closely with leaders to turn big ideas into action to sustain a healthy environment – the foundation of economic opportunity and human well-being. WRI envisions an equitable and prosperous planet driven by the wise management of natural resources, and aspires to create a world where the actions of government, business, and communities combine to eliminate poverty and sustain the natural environment for all people.

WRI India aims to help solve the four most urgent challenges in India – rapid urbanization, the increasing demand for energy, responding to climate change and the large-scale degradation of natural resources. Over 75 experts and staff across three office locations – Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi – deliver these ambitious goals. WRI India is supported by WRI’s international offices, to ensure that the global organization’s experience can be brought to bear within the context of India. WRI India has the capacity to convene key stakeholders, and forge strategic partnerships with governments, business, foundations, civil society organizations, institutes and NGOs, to scale-up solutions that can bring game-changing results for the sustainable management of natural resources in India.

Position overview: The position will help advance the WRI India work plan, and at the same time deliver both flexible unrestricted and project funding from sources that do not conflict with WRI India values and mission Specifically, the individual will:

• Assist the Director to establish and develop Foundation Relations, Corporate Relations, and Government Relations functions for WRI India, with an emphasis on establishing and stewarding relationships with Indian companies, domestic and international foundations, United Nations agencies, and international and Indian government agencies; • Establish a cohesive list of potential funding prospects within the Indian development ecosystem; • Communicate and amplify WRI India’s work and key messages to target sectors; • Manage external connections in order to cultivate valuable new ideas, opportunities, and outcomes; • The ideal candidate will have strong grounding in or knowledge of issues of fundraising, development, and sustainability, and experience engaging with the private sector on issues of corporate social responsibility. Candidate must have experience building strong relationships with a wide range of organisations, particularly in the philanthropic, business and government sectors, a track record of raising funds, and a proven ability to think and act strategically. The ideal candidate will be willing to take on ambitious fundraising targets and goals against which their performance will be measured. The person will be an excellent communicator, strong team player, and highly motivated professional.

The ideal candidate will have strong grounding in or knowledge of issues of fundraising and sustainability, and experience engaging with the private sector on issues of corporate social responsibility. Candidate must have experience building strong relationships with a wide range of organisations, particularly in the philanthropic, business and government sectors, a track record of raising funds, and a proven ability to think and act strategically. The ideal candidate will be willing to take on ambitious fundraising targets and goals against which their performance will be measured.

Responsibilities Develop both local and international Foundation Relations function for WRI India • Identify and lead approaches to prospective local foundation donors and manage portfolio of existing donors who are positioned to expand their support to WRI India • Coordinate WRI India funding approaches to international foundation donors with WRI’s Development office in Washington

Develop Corporate Relations function for WRI India • In accordance with WRI India’s values and objectives statements, develop an outreach and engagement strategy resulting in joint projects/workshops with companies to build WRI India’s profile, particularly with the Indian corporate sector. Work with colleagues to develop communications materials that are suitable for a corporate audience and which promote WRI India’s priorities and projects; • Identify and solicit corporate prospects and secure CSR funding from corporate donors for WRI India This includes work to: • Manage portfolio of existing donors who are positioned to expand their support to WRI India • Draft solicitation letters and proposals, and review and edit fundraising proposals by program staff; • Coordinate fundraising approaches to multinational corporations with offices/operations in India with WRI’s Development office in Washington

Government Relations function for WRI India • Undertake prospect research into and lead approaches to EU and UN funding available to WRI India • Coordinate with WRI’s offices in Europe and in Washington to identify and pursue funding from bilateral and multilateral agencies

Administration, logistics and management • Maintain accurate and up-to date records of donors and track utilization of funds using Salesforce • Stay on top of and map all donor outreach activities for WRI India, including approaches to international donors, maintaining an open flow of information between WRI India and WRI in Washington. Note that fundraising from international donors will be primarily the responsibility of WRI India project staff or WRI’s development team in Washington • Ensure adherence to WRI’s support guidelines and corporate vetting procedures, working with colleagues in WRI India and in Washington • Develop effective management reports on fundraising activities.

Communications • Work closely with program teams to learn the intricacies of our projects, structure, and deepen the focus areas for financial support, become resourceful and contribute to the success of these initiatives; • Provide corporate, foundation and government partners with regular updates on relevant program activities, outputs and outcomes of WRI India; • Communications materials for development (including PPTs, capabilities statements, project references, etc.) • Coordinate with Communications team and Knowledge Manager to collect and produce case studies and program stories for donor-centric communications and marketing materials. • Prepare briefing materials for the CEO or Strategy Head for donor presentations and/or meetings.

Board liaison: • Play a key role in enhancing communication with WRI board members, particularly as the Institute expands the international composition of its board. This position will support board member participation in WRI's influence strategies, external communications, and fundraising efforts, and assist in coordination of various country-level and topical board advisory committees. • Will be responsible for managing the preparation of materials for board meetings and assisting with logistics, and organizing committee meetings and events related to the board. • Support the CEO, Strategy Heads and Directors as they work to define structured roles with each board member on a biennial basis, and help ensure follow up on agreed actions.

Qualifications and Skills

• 4-7 years of experience of working in the development sector, or demonstrated familiarity with corporate sustainability issues and philanthropy; • Proven track record in fundraising or business development; • Master’s degree required and management experience a plus; • Excellent strategic thinker, bridging environment and development challenges with business and government imperatives • Able to effectively manage own workflow after ensuring understanding of expectations; • Demonstrated ability to solve range of general problems independently and provide input to complex and sensitive problems; • Exhibit appropriate judgment and ability to make ethical decisions; • Experience identifying and resolving issues and conflicts within a project team; • Outstanding communication skills; • Proven relationship building skills; • Proficiency in MS-Office required, experience with fundraising databases such as Salesforce is preferred; • A committed team player and an ability to prioritize and deliver on commitments; • Delivers oral presentations with competence and confidence.

Salary and Benefits: Salary is commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a generous, comprehensive benefits package

Duration: Full-time regular

Location: Mumbai/ Bangalore, India

To Apply: Qualified applicants should apply online at www.wri.org/careers. All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered.

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