Development and Strategic Partnership Lead

The Jain Family Institute (JFI) is seeking a Development Lead to build and direct our fundraising strategy. This is a senior, external-facing role, reporting to JFI’s CEO; moreover, it is a new role, with the opportunity to define and grow a fundraising function from the ground up at an innovative, fast-growing nonprofit. The Lead will be responsible for consolidating and intensifying fundraising strategy; prospecting and research; outreach; and ongoing communication with funders and strategic partners. The Lead will work collaboratively with JFI’s directors and board to set annual and multiyear fundraising targets for the organization as a whole. The Lead will also advise JFI’s initiative experts on their own project-specific fundraising projects. 

JFI’s current focus is on the global green transition. We work with national and subnational governments, multilateral development banks, and cooperation initiatives on technical design and implementation on topics such as supply chains and green energy production. Our partners work in domains where 1) there is a clear path to implementation and 2) the best course is highly contingent on the details that can only be revealed through analytics.

This position requires specific knowledge of the funders and major policy players in the global green transition. Strong candidates will have experience in federal-level policy, finance, or economics, or experience conversing with funders and decision makers whose work is relevant to equitable economic policy.

About us: JFI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit applied research organization founded in 2014 by Bobby Jain. Our mission is to apply the instruments and frameworks of finance to issues of global policy concern. Working to understand and coordinate international channels of state and private resources, we apply our data, modeling, and simulation tools to the biggest challenges of our time. Over the past decade, our work has also focused on the student debt crisis, cash transfers, and digital ethics. JFI also publishes Phenomenal World, a journal of rigorous and innovative writing on economics, history, finance, policy, and politics.

JFI is firmly committed to the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). We believe that the quality of our work and research is immensely strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, disability, and more. We actively seek and welcome applicants who identify as BIPOC, women, members of the LGBTQIA community, persons with disabilities, and people at the intersections and peripheries of these identities, from across the spectrum of disciplines and methods. For more details about our staff and current projects, see https://www.jainfamilyinstitute.org.

Deadline to apply: October 21, 2024. Accepting rolling applications afterward.

Salary range: $100-140k annually

Responsibilities

• Development of core JFI fundraising strategy in collaboration with CEO and CSO
• External networking with current and potential funders and partners including travel to US and international conferences and meetings 
• Prospecting and research of individual donors, philanthropy, and strategic partners
• Development of fundraising collateral in collaboration with the Editorial Director
• Ongoing donor engagement including leading ongoing grants management and progress reports in collaboration with project leads
• Monitoring and communicating progress towards annual and multi-year goals
• Occasional board engagement

Commitment

• You will be expected to join us in our Manhattan office at least two days a week: Monday, and other day(s) to be determined by your supervisor
• NYC area is preferred; however, we are open to qualified candidates based in other locations 
• You may also be called upon to attend in-person events and meetings as needed
• National and international travel approximately every two months

Requirements

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, as well as a strong personal interest and intellectual curiosity about the green transition and climate finance
• Familiarity with federal-level policy, finance, or economics, or experience conversing with funders and decision makers whose work is relevant to equitable economic policy
• 5+ years’ experience at a grantmaking institution or in a development role at a public policy institution or foundation, with firsthand knowledge of how institutional grants are evaluated and managed
• Bachelor’s degree or higher

Benefits

• Full benefits, including healthcare, dental, and vision, NYC Metro area transit costs covered 100% by employer, 401(k) with 6% company matching, unlimited PTO, up to 20 weeks of parental leave, and more