Senior Philanthropy Specialist

About the Department

The External Relations Department drives DNDi’s visibility, influence, and financial sustainability. Its Communications, Private Sector Fundraising & Partnerships, and Institutional & Public Fundraising teams ensure that DNDi is visible, supported by committed stakeholders, and successful in securing the resources needed to deliver on its mission. 

About the Office

This position will either be located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil or work remotely from the UK.

DNDi established its Latin American office in Rio de Janeiro in 2004. Since then, DNDi Latin America has made extensive contributions to advancing R&D and access partnerships across the region’s diverse health ecosystems. Its work spanning neglected diseases such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, hepatitis C, and dengue plays a central role in delivering DNDi’s global strategy. The office also leads advocacy efforts and drives capacity-building initiatives through multi-country clinical research and drug discovery platforms.

Overview

• The Senior Philanthropy Specialist is a member of DNDi’s Global Private Sector Fundraising team, based in the Rio de Janeiro office and reporting to the Head of Private Sector Fundraising, based in the UK. The role will grow philanthropic income by proactively identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major individual donors, family foundations, private foundations and family offices with the capacity to make significant multi-year gifts.
• The role will have a strong focus on developing DNDi’s philanthropic pipeline in the United States, as part of the global team’s wider work with US donors and foundations. This will include opportunities arising through DNDi Board and Committee members, senior leaders and other strategic champions, alongside proactive outreach and prospecting. The postholder will also pursue selected high-potential opportunities in Latin America and contribute flexibly to global fundraising priorities.
• The postholder will lead assigned donor and foundation relationships from initial qualification through solicitation and stewardship, working closely with colleagues across DNDi to develop compelling approaches, proposals and engagement plans. The role will also lead stewardship strategy for assigned major donors and selected mid-level donors, drawing on external writing and design support as needed.
• As a senior philanthropy specialist, the postholder will develop deep expertise in DNDi’s global mission, R&D portfolio, access approach and organisational priorities, with particularly strong knowledge of DNDi’s work and partnerships in Latin America.

Responsibilities

Major donor and philanthropic fundraising

• Build and manage a strong pipeline and portfolio of major individual donors, prospective major donors, family offices, family foundations and private foundations, with a strong focus on the United States and in coordination with colleagues managing complementary US relationships and opportunities.
• Proactively identify and qualify prospects, undertake targeted outreach, and create credible routes to engagement rather than relying solely on referrals and introductions.
• Develop and implement tailored cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies for assigned prospects and donors.
• Personally lead donor engagement and asks, including face-to-face and virtual meetings, proposals and negotiations, with the objective of securing significant six- and seven-figure USD gifts and multi-year commitments.
• Translate DNDi’s global priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities, working with programme, R&D, finance, legal, communications and leadership colleagues as required.
• Maintain accurate, timely opportunity and relationship records in Salesforce and use pipeline information to prioritise activity and forecast income.

Board, Committee member and champion engagement

• Work with DNDi Board members, including members of the North America and Latin America Boards, Board Committee members, senior leaders and other strategic champions to identify and engage prospective philanthropic supporters.
• Develop practical engagement plans, briefing materials and clear follow-up that enable volunteer champions and senior colleagues to contribute effectively to fundraising.
• Coordinate opportunities arising through DNDi’s global networks, agreeing ownership and next steps with relevant colleagues and ensuring disciplined follow-through.

Foundation development and global team contribution

• Develop and manage selected US private and family foundation opportunities capable of providing meaningful flexible or programme funding, using proactive outreach, relationship-building and targeted prospecting.
• Lead selected foundation approaches, proposals and donor relationships, and establish efficient stewardship arrangements for mid-level foundation funders where appropriate.
• Pursue selected high-potential philanthropic opportunities arising in Latin America, working closely with relevant regional and global colleagues to develop a strategic and coordinated approach.
• Contribute flexibly to global Private Sector Fundraising priorities, including taking ownership of selected prospects and donor files, supporting high-value approaches, and providing additional fundraising capacity where the postholder’s experience and location/time zone are particularly useful.
• Share intelligence, relationships and effective approaches across the global team; contribute to annual planning and fundraising strategy; and support stronger integration between global and regional private sector fundraising.

Donor stewardship

• Lead stewardship strategy for assigned major donors and selected mid-level donors, with contact, reporting and recognition plans tailored to donor history, value and preferences.
• Coordinate the preparation of simple, high quality appeals, soft asks and stewardship materials, including printed communications where appropriate, working with the Fundraising Associate and external suppliers as needed.
• Ensure that stewardship communications support wider cultivation and solicitation strategies and reflect DNDi’s global work accurately and persuasively.
• Build positive, long-term relationships with donors through high-quality, timely and personalised engagement.

Additional / specific / project responsibilities

• Participate in the development and delivery of the Global Private Sector Fundraising strategy and annual action plan.
• Represent Private Sector Fundraising in internal meetings and represent DNDi externally with donors, prospects and sector stakeholders as required.
• Brief and coordinate writers, designers and other suppliers supporting assigned fundraising activities, as required.
• Contribute to strong team processes, collaboration and continuous improvement across locations and functions.

Reporting line & Interactions

Senior Philanthropy Advisor reports to Head of Private Sector Fundraising

Interactions

• Works closely with the Fundraising Associate (New York) on donor administration and stewardship delivery, and with fundraising colleagues globally on prospect ownership, proposals and donor engagement.
• Collaborates with colleagues in regional offices and across External Relations, Communications, R&D, Legal, Finance and other functions as appropriate, and in particular with fundraising, communications, R&D, operations and leadership in Latin America.
• Acts as a senior DNDi representative in donor interactions and maintains productive relationships with external peers, advisers, agencies and philanthropic stakeholders.
• Act as technical representatives in negotiations or donor interactions. Maintain active relationships with external peers and stakeholders in the same technical domain.

Experience and Education

• At least 12 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial experience leading complex philanthropy or major-gift work.
• Proven track record of personally cultivating, soliciting and securing six- and seven-figure USD gifts or grants from major donors, family offices, family foundations or private foundations.
• Demonstrated experience creating new philanthropic opportunities through proactive outreach and prospecting, as well as advancing opportunities introduced by senior volunteers and organisational leaders.
• Experience fundraising in the US or from donors and foundations based in the US is strongly preferred.
• Experience working internationally and effectively across cultures, locations and organisational functions.
• Advanced degree, or graduate degree combined with equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Experience in global health, international development, medical research, science, philanthropy or another mission-driven international organisation is desirable.

Skills and competencies

Critical Skills

• Outstanding relationship-building, influencing and solicitation skills, with the judgement and confidence to engage senior philanthropists, Board and SAC members, family offices, foundation leaders and DNDi executives.
• Demonstrated ability to originate opportunities through proactive prospecting, targeted outreach and network development, and to move them from qualification to gift.
• Ability to develop persuasive donor strategies, funding propositions, cases for support, proposals, briefings and stewardship communications.
• Strong commercial and fundraising judgement, including the ability to prioritise among uncertain opportunities and focus effort where it can generate the greatest return.
• Excellent written and oral communication in English, including the ability to make scientifically complex work compelling and accessible without losing accuracy.
• High level of initiative, organisation and follow-through; able to manage multiple high-value relationships and deliverables across time zones in a matrix environment.
• Collaborative and politically astute, with the ability to clarify relationship ownership, bring colleagues into donor engagement appropriately and work across global and regional structures.

Technical Skills

• Deep knowledge of major gift and foundation fundraising practice, including prospect qualification, cultivation, solicitation, negotiation, stewardship and pipeline management.
• Ability to understand and communicate DNDi’s R&D model, global health mission, portfolio and access objectives; prior global health or biomedical R&D experience is desirable but not essential.
• Competence in Salesforce or a comparable fundraising CRM and disciplined use of donor and opportunity data.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft 365.

Other requirements

• Fluency in English, with exceptional written and presentation skills.
• Professional proficiency in Portuguese; Spanish or French is an asset.
• Intellectual curiosity and willingness to develop deep knowledge of DNDi’s scientific, medical and global health work.

Other information

Status: Full time–2 year fixed term contract

To apply

• Deadline for application: accepting applications until 15 November 2026
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted
• Application submission for this position may close early if we have enough suitable applicants

DEI Statement

DNDi is committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive organisation. Our success and global reach are dependent upon our ability to encourage diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We particularly welcome applications from those who are underrepresented in at DNDi and across the sector, especially women, and including, but not limited to, black and minority ethnic candidates, and those with other protected characteristic.

Originally posted on Himalayas