Location: London, United Kingdom (Hybrid)Department: CEO Office | Type: Full-time The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is seeking an accomplished and visionary Director of Partnerships to join the CEO Office in London. This leadership role offers an opportunity to shape and execute CIFF’s global partnership and resource mobilisation strategy, aligning with its mission to improve the lives of children across health, education, climate, and other development priorities. Purpose of the Role The Director of Partnerships will work closely with the CEO to deliver the organisation’s strategic objectives for influencing, collaboration, and resource mobilisation. Although CIFF is an endowed foundation and does not fundraise for itself, the Director will be instrumental in mobilising external resources and partnerships to advance systemic, scalable solutions that meet children’s needs worldwide. This role provides dedicated leadership in managing CIFF’s philanthropic, governmental, and institutional partnerships while ensuring a long-term, strategic approach to relationship management. The position also entails reputational stewardship, fostering trust and collaboration across teams, and enhancing CIFF’s influence within the global development ecosystem. Key Responsibilities 1. Leading CIFF’s Partnership Strategy Design and implement a comprehensive organisation-wide partnership strategy, encompassing philanthropic foundations, multilateral and bilateral agencies, development banks, and private sector actors. Develop innovative financing mechanisms such as blended finance, outcome-based funding, and social impact bonds to mobilise capital that complements CIFF’s own resources. Identify and cultivate partnership opportunities in collaboration with CIFF teams, providing strategic guidance on engaging local, regional, and global stakeholders. Strengthen CIFF’s position as a credible, high-impact partner by representing the organisation at key international forums, summits, and convenings. Lead high-value partnership negotiations, particularly with multilateral development banks (MDBs), family offices, and private financial institutions in Asia, the Gulf, and other key regions. 2. Direct Support to the CEO Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO, providing strategic insights and recommendations on partnership and policy opportunities, political landscapes, and stakeholder engagement. Shape and coordinate the CEO and Chair’s external engagements, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and influence goals. Draft speeches, talking points, and thought leadership materials to advance CIFF’s partnership agenda and raise its global profile. Conduct due diligence on potential partners—including high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutions—to ensure alignment with CIFF’s mission and values. 3. Internal Leadership and Capacity Building Lead and mentor CIFF’s distributed Partnerships Team, building capacity across departments to manage complex, high-value partnerships and financial collaborations. Strengthen internal systems, including CRM tools and partnership management processes, to improve efficiency, collaboration, and impact measurement. Drive strategic alignment and accountability through regular performance reviews, partnership tracking, and cross-team communication. Foster a culture of excellence, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving across CIFF’s partnership network. 4. Grant and Relationship Management Manage key relationships with major co-funders and strategic platforms, ensuring coherence between grant-making and partnership strategies. Support CIFF grantees and implementing partners in their fundraising and resource mobilisation efforts, working closely with the Ecosystem and Organisational Development teams. Oversee the integrity and performance of partnership portfolios, ensuring alignment with CIFF’s broader objectives and impact framework. Candidate Profile and Requirements Experience and Expertise: Senior-level experience in partnership management, advocacy, or resource mobilisation, ideally within philanthropy, global development, or financial sectors. Demonstrated success in structuring large-scale, cross-sector partnerships, particularly those involving MDBs, DFIs, or blended finance mechanisms. Deep understanding of development finance instruments and their application in social sectors such as health, education, or climate resilience. Proven ability to negotiate and manage partnerships with family offices, institutional investors, and high-net-worth individuals. Strong political and strategic acumen, with experience navigating complex stakeholder ecosystems. Skills and Competencies: Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills at senior levels. High financial literacy and analytical capability, with the ability to evaluate partnership value and risk. Leadership experience managing small to medium-sized teams, fostering accountability and professional growth. Demonstrated track record of strategic thinking, execution excellence, and results-oriented management. Experience in CIFF’s priority regions and familiarity with innovative development financing is desirable. Benefits and Application CIFF offers a hybrid work model, allowing a balance between office-based collaboration and remote work. The organisation provides a competitive compensation package that includes: 25 days of annual leave (increasing with tenure up to 30 days) Discretionary annual bonus Training and wellbeing allowances Life and medical insurance coverage Applications are invited until Wednesday, 19 November. However, CIFF reserves the right to close the recruitment process early if a sufficient number of qualified applications are received. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply early through the official CIFF careers portal. For more opportunities such as these please follow us on Facebook, Instagram , WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and Telegram Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the hiring organization. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.