Senior Development Officer, Foundations

About MSF USA | Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international organization that provides medical care to the people who need it most. The organization cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters, and social exclusion in more than 70 countries. MSF offers medical humanitarian assistance solely based on need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics. Our international project teams include medical, logistical, and administrative staff, most of them hired locally and working with their own communities. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of independence, impartiality, and neutrality. We also bear witness and speak out about the experiences of our colleagues and patients.

MSF USA is one of 24 sections supporting the global movement, primarily through staff recruitment, fundraising, advocacy, and communications. We welcome candidates who bring a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to join us in working toward MSF’s social mission.

Role Overview

The Senior Development Officer for Foundations works under the general direction of the Director of Foundations and Corporate Partnerships, and is a member of the Foundations and Corporate Partnerships leadership team. As such, they play a leading role in the creation, oversight, and execution of the overall strategy to raise funds from US-based professional foundations. This is a key position that supports the team in meeting or exceeding its ambitious fundraising targets in a highly competitive environment.

In carrying out their role, the Senior Development Officer works closely with the Foundations and Corporate Partnerships team as well as with other stakeholders across the organization including other senior development managers/officers, prospect researchers, channel leads, communications, program, legal and finance staff.

The Sr. Development Officer manages a personal portfolio of professional foundations. In this capacity, they identify, develop, manage, and grow strategic relationships with high value foundation donors. This includes developing proposals and funding relationships around priority MSF activities and initiatives and coordinating closely with appropriate MSF personnel (within MSF-USA, and occasionally with MSF offices in Europe and the field) to identify and secure new or renewed funding.

In addition, the Sr. Development Officer for Foundations directly supervises the Sr. Associate, Foundations and the Development Officer for Foundations.

Department Accountabilities

Prospecting

Pursue strategic opportunities in coherence with MSF-USA´s strategy, that create long-term value for the movement by identifying and developing new audience segments or donors for its mission.

Donor Cultivation, Engagement and Management

Build trust and loyalty with potential and existing donors. At the simplest level, update donors on activities. At a more complex level, build long-term relationships with key donors and key donor segments. Take overall responsibility for designing, developing, and delivering the donor engagement strategy. May be through channels or through personal relationships.

Fundraising

Secure reliable, sustainable and efficient resources in alignment with MSF-US commitments.

Brand Positioning

Drive awareness and consideration through brand positioning based on the brand strategy and implement brand plans.

Best-in-Class Fundraising Systems and Capabilities

Deploy and champion the latest technological systems and capabilities that push the boundaries of what Development can produce for its donors.

Roles Specific Outcomes

Leadership and Direction

Communicate the actions needed to implement the function's strategy and business plan within the team; explain the relationship to the broader organization's mission, vision and values; motivate people to commit to these and to doing extraordinary things to achieve local business goals.

Improvement and Innovation

Identify shortcomings in existing business practices, then suggest and implement improvements while developing and delivering projects or a work stream within the organization's change management program. Involves working with guidance from senior colleagues.

Donor Relationship Development (Prospecting)

Develop and implement a relationship management plan for strategic, complex potential accounts to build key relationships at local and national levels. Coordinate the engagement of own organization with the donor organization to ensure effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues.

Donor Relationship Management (Account Management)

Develop and implement a relationship management plan for strategic, complex existing accounts to build key relationships at local and national levels. Coordinate the engagement of own organization with the donor organization to ensure effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues. Manage key client and donor relationships, often through account teams, to ensure their ongoing satisfaction and loyalty.

Key Account Management

Manage and develop important donor relationships with guidance from senior colleagues and/or manage an account team delivering day-to-day support. Donor organizations are likely to include mid-tier foundations, multinational foundations, and similar.

Customer Relationship Management Data

Oversee the implementation and maintenance of the donor relationship management system within the area of responsibility, identifying and communicating opportunities for system improvement that may enhance the management of donor relationships.

Donor Renewal

Drive and secure donor renewals through exceptional service interactions, ensuring the donor is consistently gaining value from the product/service; this role will often have a renewal quota to fulfill.

These core accountabilities should not be construed to contain every function/responsibility that may be required to be performed by an incumbent in this job. Incumbents are required to perform other functions as assigned.

Complexity and Problem-Solving Skills

Operates as a recognized expert to shift into and out of a mental mindsets associated with assessing the facts and circumstances of the current situation and/or environment and making the appropriate/innovative adjustments to thinking and work habits to thrive in any scenario. Typically known as a subject matter expert.

Applies expertise to act as an authority to accurately identify and understand the key donation influences pertaining to an opportunity.

Applies expertise to act as an authority to quickly and effectively establish trust within the client’s organization.

Applies expertise to act as an authority to orient MSF-USA around delivering to the key needs of their donors.

Behavioral Competencies

THOUGHT: How MSF USA staff understand the organization, manage complexity, and contribute by creating the new and different.

People Focus

Builds strong relationships and delivers solutions geared to aiding others. Solicits feedback and data; conveys a clear understanding of the level of service the team is providing; takes action when standards are not met by team; aligns processes with organizational needs.

Manages Complexity

Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Consistently looks at complex issues from many angles; obtains a rich and deep understanding; swiftly cuts to the core issue; skillfully separates root causes from symptoms.

Global Perspective

Takes a broad view when approaching issues, using a global lens. Shows global thinking at work; adjusts organizational practices to meet the unique needs of different regions or countries. Uses a broad perspective when addressing issues and challenges.

Cultivates Innovation

Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful. Approaches professional work in