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About the Role

The Senior Philanthropy Specialist will grow philanthropic income by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual donors, family foundations, and family offices. The role focuses on developing DNDi’s philanthropic pipeline in the United States, with opportunities in Latin America, and contributing to global fundraising priorities. The specialist will lead donor relationships, develop compelling proposals, and manage stewardship strategies.

Responsibilities

Build and manage a pipeline and portfolio of major individual donors, prospective major donors, family offices, family foundations, and private foundations, with a focus on the United States.
Proactively identify and qualify prospects, undertake targeted outreach, and create credible routes to engagement.
Develop and implement tailored cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies for assigned prospects and donors.
Lead donor engagement and asks, including meetings, proposals, and negotiations, to secure significant gifts and multi-year commitments.
Translate DNDi’s global priorities into compelling philanthropic opportunities, collaborating with various internal departments.
Maintain accurate records in Salesforce and use pipeline information to prioritize activity and forecast income.
Work with DNDi Board members, Committee members, senior leaders, and champions to identify and engage prospective philanthropic supporters.
Develop practical engagement plans, briefing materials, and follow-up for volunteer champions and senior colleagues.
Coordinate opportunities arising through DNDi’s global networks.
Develop and manage selected US private and family foundation opportunities.
Lead selected foundation approaches, proposals, and donor relationships.
Pursue selected high-potential philanthropic opportunities in Latin America.
Contribute flexibly to global Private Sector Fundraising priorities.
Share intelligence, relationships, and effective approaches across the global team.
Contribute to annual planning and fundraising strategy.
Support stronger integration between global and regional private sector fundraising.
Lead stewardship strategy for assigned major donors and selected mid-level donors.
Coordinate the preparation of appeals, soft asks, and stewardship materials.
Ensure stewardship communications support cultivation and solicitation strategies.
Build positive, long-term relationships with donors through high-quality, timely, and personalized engagement.
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 externally with donors, prospects, and stakeholders.
Brief and coordinate writers, designers, and other suppliers supporting fundraising activities.
Contribute to strong team processes, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

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.
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.
Fluency in English, with exceptional written and presentation skills.
Professional proficiency in Portuguese.
Intellectual curiosity and willingness to develop deep knowledge of DNDi’s scientific, medical, and global health work.

Skills

Outstanding relationship-building, influencing, and solicitation skills.
Judgement and confidence to engage senior philanthropists, Board and SAC members, family offices, foundation leaders, and DNDi executives.
Ability to originate opportunities through proactive prospecting, targeted outreach, and network development.
Ability to develop persuasive donor strategies, funding propositions, cases for support, proposals, briefings, and stewardship communications.
Strong commercial and fundraising judgement.
Ability to prioritize among uncertain opportunities and focus effort for greatest return.
Excellent written and oral communication in English.
Ability to make scientifically complex work compelling and accessible without losing accuracy.
High level of initiative, organisation, and follow-through.
Ability to manage multiple high-value relationships and deliverables across time zones in a matrix environment.
Collaborative and politically astute.
Ability to clarify relationship ownership and bring colleagues into donor engagement appropriately.
Ability to work across global and regional structures.
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.
Competence in Salesforce or a comparable fundraising CRM.
Disciplined use of donor and opportunity data.
Excellent knowledge of Microsoft 365.
Spanish or French is an asset.

Location

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Remote from the UK

Work Type

Full time
2 year fixed term contract

Experience Level

Senior

Education Level

Advanced degree, or graduate degree combined with equivalent relevant professional experience.

About the Company

DNDi drives visibility, influence, and financial sustainability through its Communications, Private Sector Fundraising & Partnerships, and Institutional & Public Fundraising teams.
DNDi established its Latin American office in Rio de Janeiro in 2004, contributing to R&D and access partnerships across the region.
DNDi Latin America's work spans neglected diseases such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, hepatitis C, and dengue, playing a central role in DNDi’s global strategy.
The office leads advocacy efforts and drives capacity-building initiatives through multi-country clinical research and drug discovery platforms.

Equal Opportunity

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.