Head of Partnership Development

JOB TITLE:Head of Partnership Development

REPORTING TO:Senior Director of Partnerships

HOURS:37.5 hours per week

LOCATION: Hybrid - Central London/Remote

CONTRACT:Permanent

About Us

Founded by HRH Prince William in 2020 The Earthshot Prizes (TEP) mission is to unleash urgent optimism and action by discovering accelerating awarding spotlighting and scaling transformative solutions to repair and regenerate our planet.

In 2025 we find ourselves in a world that is going through seismic change. The challenge we face as a global community is to ensure we dont slip into widespread climate defeatism anger and anxiety but rather fuel a movement of innovation and action through urgent optimism.

This is where our work plays a critical role. The Earthshot Prize Finalists tell the story of possibility potential inspiration and optimism. To ensure their solutions have maximum impact our team works to support and supercharge their incredible innovations world-wide all while seeking to identify the next cohort of amazing finalists.

Were a can-do fast-moving fail fast and high growth platform on a mission to catalyse millions of people to choose to hope not despair and to turn anxiety and despair into action and change in this Earthshot Decade.

Job Purpose

We are seeking an experienced Head of Partnership Development to support our 2025 vision. This role includes several key responsibilities such as activating the fundraising strategy identifying and securing new financial partnerships developing and managing a strong pipeline and cultivating excellent relationships with a world-class ecosystem of stakeholders from leading businesses non-profits philanthropists and influential supporters.

Working in partnership with an additional Head of Partnerships (already in post) Senior Director of Partnerships and Head of Research and Intelligence this postholder will identify new prospects and partnership opportunities to maximize the impact of the Prize. Through expert relationship management and the creation of compelling proposals the role will foster long-term partnerships to secure financial support. Additionally they will maintain a robust prospect pipeline ensuring all prospects are effectively nurtured and progressed through the partnership lifecycle and provide regular pipeline status reports to key senior stakeholders. This is also a great opportunity to review and improve our fundraising processes.

Principal Accountabilities

• Support the implementation of The Earthshot Prize fundraising strategy through the cultivation and securing of new funding partnersand supporting on renewals of current donors.

• Manage the prospect pipeline and provide regular internal updates to senior stakeholders.

• Develop and write engaging creative proposals by collaborating with teams across The Earthshot Prize to align funding and organisational requirements with partner and prospect objectives.

• Onboard new partners by creating contract agreements and establishing internal working groups to ensure a smooth onboarding process and seamless handover to the partnerships delivery function.

• Play a key role in delivering the Partnership Teams annual OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).

• Activate the partnerships reward and recognition strategy ensuring excellent communication and engagement plans for prospects.

• Represent The Earthshot Prize at external events.

• Ensure accurate record-keeping for all stakeholder engagements with all communications and activities recorded in the stakeholder database (Salesforce).

Person Specification

The Earthshot Prize is a high-profile organisation and the successful candidate will understand the importance of discretion and confidentiality demonstrating a mature and professional approach. This role is ideal for a self-motivated responsive and well-organised individual who excels in cultivating donors and partnership relationships. The candidate must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment adaptable to ambiguity and a self-starter who is willing to contribute and support in all tasks no matter how big or small. Ideally the candidate will bring philanthropy and/or corporate experience given the funder base of The Earthshot Prize and experience of working across the globe in different regions and timezones.

Key skills and Competencies

• Excellent stakeholder and partnership management skills: Demonstrable ability to establish maintain and evolve high-value multi-year strategic partnerships.

• Innovative and creative approach: Develops unique impactful and mutually beneficial funding proposals and partnerships.

• Ability to work in fast-paced environments: Delivers exceptional accurate work in complex settings managing multiple stakeholders and priorities simultaneously.

• Adaptability and flexibility: Comfortable with ambiguity and able to adapt to changing priorities.

• Project management skills: Proven ability to manage complex projects and ensure timely delivery.

• Attention to detail: Ensures precision and accuracy in both external and internal presentations.

• Collaborative team player: Works exceptionally well within a team fostering collaboration.

• Strong communication skills: Excellent written verbal and online communication abilities.

• Confident presentation skills: Capable of leading conversations with high-profile organisations.

• Interpersonal and networking skills: Strong ability to build and maintain relationships.

• Sound judgment and initiative: Identifies potential issues early and uses initiative to resolve them.

• Commitment to values: Dedicated to upholding The Earthshot Prizes values in all areas of work.

Experience and Knowledge

• Demonstrable experience in a management or leadership role working with high-value strategic funding partnerships ideally in philanthropy/major donors and/or with corporates.

• Experience in developing and implementing an ambitious and successful strategic fundraising strategy that engages partners to support program aims and objectives beyond financial contributions.

• Excellent proposal writing skills with experience in crafting detailed funding proposals.

• Strong experience in delivering impact and progress through the development and execution of unique funding partnerships.

• Demonstrable experience in building and activating a diverse prospect pipeline.

• Excellent networking and interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain key senior relationships.

• Significant experience in managing high-value high-profile partners and responding positively to challenging circumstances.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise the utmost discretion at all times.

• Comfortable with and knowledgeable about managing stakeholders based in various global locations.

• Proficiency in using Excel PowerPoint Outlook and Salesforce.

• Experience and in-depth knowledge of climate change and the environmental sector are a plus.

Practical Requirements

• Available to work beyond standard hours and to travel as needed.