Manager, Partnership Development

BSR - Business for Social Responsibility

Paris or Copenhagen

Organization

BSR is a global nonprofit that works with its network of more than 250 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. We are proud to say that we have a team of some of the most talented and motivated people working on business and sustainability with expertise on human rights, empowerment, climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services, supply chain management and corporate transparency and accountability.

BSR’s Partnership Development & Research (PDR) team has two main functions. The first is to lead BSR’s relationships with foundations, governments, and multilateral donors, securing funding for research and project work focused on global meta-trends that will impact the sustainability agenda in the coming years. The second is to ensure that BSR’s research on key sustainability issues is forward-looking, ambitious, rooted in a strong evidence base and actionable for business.

We have identified two major themes as the focus of our Partnership Development and Research work over the coming three years. These are “Business in a Climate-Constrained World” and “Business Leadership for an Inclusive Economy.” Both speak to BSR’s core aspiration of a world in which all people will live prosperous, dignified lives within the boundaries of the world’s natural resources.

Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability.

Position Overview

BSR implements a wide variety of programs with support from both philanthropic and corporate foundations as well as governments and multi-lateral agencies to further our mission of creating a just and sustainable world. In EMEA we work with funders such as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The UK Department for International Development (DfID), The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Department of State, and the European Climate Foundation. Our grant-funded initiatives are global in scope and serve an important role in BSR’s efforts to achieve our mission. In recent years, grant-funding amounted to approximately 25% of BSR’s annual funding. 

BSR’s Partnership Development & Research team seeks an exceptional individual with 6-10 years professional experience for its operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to implement a donor engagement and stewardship strategy in partnership with other members of our global PDR team. The new hire will also design and execute concepts related to BSR’s new organizational themes on Business in a Climate-Constrained World and Business Leadership for an Inclusive Economy. This would involve developing robust research and supporting project execution. 

Based in BSR’s Paris or Copenhagen office, the Manager will initially work to obtain grant funding in the EMEA region to build a robust research and project portfolio, and will also be involved in research and project execution where appropriate.

• Donor Funding: The Manager will lead efforts to develop new donor relationships and secure funding in the EMEA-region. The Manager will work in concert with the global PDR team with colleagues in New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong and will report directly to the Director of Partnership Development and Research (PDR) based in New York. He/she will work to formulate new initiatives that synthesize BSR program interests with the funding priorities of target donors, including bi- and multilateral donors along with private and corporate foundations;
• External Representation: The Manager will represent BSR to an external audience by: meeting with representatives from target donor agencies; identifying and forming beneficial external partnerships; and attending/presenting at industry conferences;
• Research and Project implementation: Though primarily focused on sourcing new grant opportunities with European donors, the Manager will also play a role in implementing research and project work funded by European and other donors, most likely in Africa and the Middle East;
• Internal collaboration: In concert with the New York-based PDR Director and the global PDR team, the Manager will work to implement the global PDR strategy, building cohesion and support across BSR around donor-funded projects and contributing to the learning and development of the organization more broadly;
• This position represents an unrivalled growth opportunity for the right candidate to: 1) build and manage a grants portfolio within a global partnership development team; 2) connect the development and CSR agendas; 3) engage with key local and global stakeholders in support of sustainable development and 4) contribute to building the skills of colleagues across BSR to support donors and members in designing and implementing collaborative cross-sector initiatives.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economic development, development studies, geography, political science, or related field;
• 6-10 years of relevant professional experience, with expertise related to climate change and inclusive economy desirable, and experience working with the European government institutions including the European Commission preferred;
• Demonstrable track record of success in working with European donors to successfully obtain donor/grant funding; experience in bidding for tender contracts;
• Ability to drive strategic work, and engage colleagues around the collective implementation;
• Experience managing multiple, disparate projects simultaneously;
• Fluent both in written and conversational English and another major European language with German most desirable;
• Excellent proposal writing skills;
• Well-developed interpersonal skills for high-level interaction with potential donors;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills;
• Ability to undertake business travel up to 30% of time;
• Capacity to work and thrive in a growing, fast-paced entrepreneurial organization within a collaborative environment;
• High ethical standards and commitment to BSR core values of Leadership, Respect and Integrity.

Career Development

BSR has a performance management cycle designed to provide each employee with a clear sense of their performance expectations for achievement of our mission and organizational goals. The process consists of annual goal setting, monthly manager chats, mid-year performance check-ins, and an annual performance review. During the goal setting process, employees consult with their manager to establish a professional development plan with needs addressed through a variety of on the job opportunities such as work assignments, mentoring, cross functional projects, facilitation and coaching. Additional outside training programs, educational courses or other suitable learning experiences, are available with approval from the Director of Human Resources and direct manager.

Diversity

BSR is committed to developing an inclusive work environment where diversity of thought, style, culture and skill and is valued in support of individual performance and potential, as well as our business goals and mission. BSR is an EEOC employer.

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