Development Manager, US Climate Alliance

The salary range of this position is $90,000 to $100,000

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW

The U.S. Climate Alliance is a bipartisan coalition of governors sustaining America’s fight against climate change with bold, state-led climate action. The Alliance Secretariat helps its member states accelerate climate action by providing a broad range of technical, analytical, policy, and capacity assistance and resources. It also coordinates engagement with national and international partners to drive solutions across government in support of an ambitious, durable national climate framework. For more on the Alliance, visit www.usclimatealliance.org.

JOB SUMMARY

The U.S. Climate Alliance seeks a Development Manager ready to execute on the Secretariat’s fundraising goals and activities to enable the delivery of critical capacity-building support to member states. The ideal Development Manager will be proactive, relationship-driven, and focused on implementing organization-wide goals for growing contributed revenue and strengthening philanthropic partnerships. Key responsibilities include managing day-to-day fundraising activities across a diverse portfolio of foundations and grants; writing and editing compelling grant proposals and progress reports; tracking and ensuring compliance with funder requirements, including deadlines, engagements, and submittals; prospecting new potential funders while maintaining relationships with existing funders; facilitating coordination and collaboration across Secretariat teams; and supporting leadership with the development and execution of annual fundraising plans.

This role reports to the Deputy Director of Member Support and works as part of a broader team that includes Alliance states, consultants, and external partners. The position is based in Washington, DC (hybrid schedule) with consideration for remote work in the contiguous U.S.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage the development and submission of grant proposals

• Coordinate the development of clear, concise, and impactful grant proposals that advance the Alliance’s policy priorities and support the needs of member states, working closely with fellow Secretariat staff


• Lead on writing and editing grant narratives


• Support development of grant budgets and budget narratives, in coordination with the Secretariat’s Operations team


• Identify and gather all supporting materials required to be submitted alongside grant proposals (e.g., organizational materials, governance documents)


• Submit grant proposals through the relevant donor portal and facilitate ongoing communication with the funder through approval and receipt of funds

Track and ensure compliance with funder requirements

• Lead on tracking deadlines for grant submissions, narrative and financial reports, and relevant funder engagements


• Write and edit compelling progress reports that demonstrate progress toward grant outcomes and Alliance goals, with support from fellow Secretariat staff


• Ensure completion of financial reports in coordination with the Operations team


• Facilitate review and approval of materials by Alliance leadership and the submission of materials to funders

Identify, research, and actively cultivate prospective funders

• Conduct research and develop briefing memos on prospective funders whose strategies align with Alliance state needs


• Identify near-term and long-term funding needs across Secretariat teams


• Make recommendations for funder outreach and engagement

Support impactful engagements with current and prospective funders

• Serve as the primary point of contact for coordinating funder meetings


• Draft agendas for funder meetings to facilitate timely and productive dialogue on shared priorities and emerging topics


• Develop briefing memos, slide decks, talking points, FAQ documents, and other written material as needed


• Draft emails and coordinate timely outreach and follow-up

Manage day-to-date activities of the Secretariat’s Development team

• Develop agendas and manage biweekly Development team meetings, in close partnership with Alliance leadership


• Regularly update the Alliance’s CRM platform (Salesforce) with notes and action items from funder engagements


• Maintain up-to-date contact lists for current and prospective funders


• Develop file maintenance norms to ensure proposals, reports, budgets, and other documents are appropriately stored

Set and monitor progress toward annual fundraising plan

• Work across Secretariat teams to execute on grant deliverables and priorities


• Ensure that organization-wide priorities inform funder prospecting, communications with funders, and fundraising decisions


• Conduct annual work-planning to identify and prioritize fundraising activities for the upcoming year, working across Secretariat teams to capture funding needs and priorities

Perform other duties as assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Development Manager is not a supervisory role.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, or commensurate professional experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the essential functions of the role


• 4-7 years of prior work experience in nonprofit fundraising


• Demonstrated success securing major or mid-level grants from foundations strongly preferred


• Familiarity with climate and clean energy issues and knowledge of key philanthropic organizations in the climate and clean energy space


•  Experience crafting persuasive and engaging content to clearly communicate technically complex information to diverse audiences

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills


• Aptitude for independent research and analysis


• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills


• Ability to write clearly, concisely, and persuasively with superior attention to detail


• Ability to organize diverse workstreams to meet a variety of goals, often managing multiple projects simultaneously


• Responsible, flexible, hard‐working, proactive, and committed to the Alliance’s mission


• Familiarity with donor databases (e.g. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud) and proficiency with Microsoft Office and Airtable


•  Ability to work under tight deadlines and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The essential functions of this role will generally be performed in a typical professional office environment with routine use of standard office equipment. Employees are expected to either work on-site in accordance with the U.S. Climate Alliance’s hybrid work policy, which currently requires regular in-office presence, or may be approved to work remotely elsewhere in the contiguous U.S., provided the employee maintains a dedicated workspace that supports confidentiality and productivity. Employees approved for remote work must ensure limited background noise and environmental distractions to effectively perform essential job functions.

LOCATION

While the U.S. Climate Alliance is headquartered in Washington, DC, we maintain a hybrid work schedule. Employees based in the DC area are expected to commute to the office at least two (2) days per week and may work from home three (3) days per week. We will also consider remote candidates based in the contiguous U.S.

DISABILITY SPECIFICATIONS 

The United Nations Foundation/Better World Fund (UNF/BWF) will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

To be considered for this position, please upload both a resume and cover letter. Applications that do not include both documents will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

For full-time, U.S. benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:

• a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)


• dental insurance


• vision insurance


• flexible spending accounts


• 403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution


• group term and supplemental life insurance


• short-term disability


• long-term disability


• back-up care


• employee assistance program

Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.

The United Nations Foundation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.