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About the Role

As the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet's first Director of Principal Giving, you will play a defining role in shaping the next chapter of philanthropy at the organization and building its principal giving function from the ground up. You will help shape and scale a newly established Partnerships and Philanthropy Division designed to expand the Global Energy Alliance's funding base, engage new philanthropic audiences, and mobilize the resources needed to accelerate lasting change across global energy systems. You will lead the development of the Global Energy Alliance's principal giving strategy, cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals, philanthropic families, and giving collectives who share the organization's ambition to advance a more equitable and sustainable energy future. This is a unique opportunity to shape strategy, establish new approaches to donor engagement, and position philanthropy as a powerful force for transforming energy systems and expanding economic opportunity around the world.

Responsibilities

Design and execute GEA's global major giving strategy, focusing on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and family foundations.
Build and manage a high-value donor pipeline and global HNWI networks to secure gifts of six figures and above.
Develop and implement tailored engagement strategies for each donor, including co-creation opportunities and visibility plans.
Leverage intermediary channels like donor-advised funds, philanthropic advisory firms, and private banks to access new HNWI audiences.
Coordinate high-touch stewardship and cultivation events, such as regional convenings, site visits, and thought leadership roundtables.
Build relationships with board members to identify and develop pathways into priority prospects.
Support board engagement strategies and track outcomes from funder interactions.
Manage the cadence and quality of board-facing communications from the fundraising team.
Prepare briefing packages for board members for key external events to equip them as ambassadors.
Serve as a senior leader within the Partnerships and Philanthropy Division, contributing to vision, goals, and team growth.
Champion data-driven decision-making by contributing to dashboards, CRM tools, and donor journey tracking systems.
Support internal capacity building by mentoring colleagues on HNWI engagement and donor stewardship.
Represent GEA externally through speaking engagements, donor briefings, and partner roundtables.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Business, Nonprofit Management, Environment, Energy, Climate, or a related field preferred.
10+ years of experience raising major and principal gifts.
Demonstrated success managing a multi-million-dollar fundraising portfolio and building principal giving partnerships, particularly in the environment, climate, or clean energy space.
Strong working knowledge of individual giving trends.
Exceptional relationship management, negotiation, and communication skills, with a strong track record in major giving.
Ability to synthesize complex ideas and translate them into clear, compelling value propositions.
Experience working in or with global organizations focused on clean energy, climate, or international development is highly desirable.
High digital fluency, including CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and performance analytics tools.
Strong professional presence and established networks.
Intercultural knowledge and appreciation.
Strong strategic partnership building skills.
Excellent interpersonal abilities including strong listening, writing, and verbal skills.
Effectiveness in presenting ideas to a variety of internal and external audiences.
Ability to evaluate risks and opportunities.
Analytical and problem-solving skills.
Initiative and drive for results.
Ability to prioritize work and understand its fit within the overall mission and strategy.
Commendable project management skills.
Ability to manage time well and provide guidance to others to meet deadlines.
Sense of urgency and responsibility for work.
Ability to access functional and substantive expertise organizationally.
Inclusiveness and collaboration.
Innovative and creative thinking.
Strong negotiation skills.
Accountability for work.
Ability to anticipate future opportunities and consequences.
Innovative and flexible approach to work.
Ability to weave together strands into a coherent plan and implement.
Superior skill at collaborating within and across teams.
Commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity.
Ability to challenge conventional wisdom through evidence, reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.
Thrives in evolving and fast-paced environments.
Flexibility, initiative, and resourcefulness.
Comfortable building and refining systems, testing new approaches, and supporting growth.

Skills

Major giving
Principal giving
Relationship management
Negotiation
Communication
Interpersonal skills
Listening
Writing
Verbal skills
Presentation skills
Problem-solving
Project management
Time management
Collaboration
Innovation
Negotiation
Strategic planning
Data analysis
CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce)
Performance analytics tools
Intercultural competence
Partnership building
Donor stewardship
Fundraising strategy
Individual giving trends
Synthesizing complex ideas
Translating ideas into value propositions

Location

London
NYC
DC

Work Type

Full-time
Exempt
Hybrid schedule (typically 2 days in office per week)

Experience Level

10+ years of experience raising major and principal gifts

Education Level

Bachelor's degree required
Advanced degree in Business, Nonprofit Management, Environment, Energy, Climate, or a related field preferred

Salary/Compensations

£120,000-£140,000

Benefits

Robust paid time off plan of 28 days annual leave
Org-wide end-of-year-office closure
Pension plan with 10% employer contribution
$1,000 annually for work-from-home expenses

About the Company

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (Global Energy Alliance) works for a world where everyone has access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity and the means to use it to improve their lives.
Our Alliance builds transformative public, private, philanthropic partnerships to end energy poverty and accelerate green economic opportunity.
Founded in 2021 by The Rockefeller Foundation, IKEA Foundation, and Bezos Earth Fund, we design innovative projects/programs, unlock finance, strengthen institutions and transform markets, delivering progress anchored in deep community engagement.
By uniting actors across the value chain, from households to heads of state, we go beyond individual projects to drive lasting systems change.
With work in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, our Alliance aims to reach 1 billion people with clean electricity, prevent 4 billion tons of carbon emissions and create or improve 150 million jobs.
In 2025, the Global Energy Alliance (GEA) launched a dedicated Partnerships and Philanthropy Division to expand and diversify our funding base.
We are establishing new fundraising revenue streams, engaging nontraditional funders, and building deep, trust-based partnerships to mobilize resources and drive systemic impact.

Equal Opportunity

We operate from a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do.
We expect all Global Energy Alliance employees to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.
Global Energy Alliance is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
To this end, the organization ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, or liability for service in the United States Armed Forces.
Global Energy Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer.