Director of Partnerships

Nura is a new philanthropic fund with an urgent challenge: to help reimagine and rebuild the architecture of the global information economy in ways which better serve the public interest, thereby making space for climate engagement and action more possible. We combine pooled funding, align strategy development, and provide technical support to supercharge the climate movement’s ability to pursue innovative, scaled, measurable, and impactful strategic communications. Our key strategies include: leveraging cultural industries’ unique influence to increase support for climate policy and depolarize climate action; challenging the fossil fuel industry’s political and cultural power through investigative work that exposes political interference, corruption, and greenwashing; and through creative comms strategies that build the social licence of clean energy; building capacity in critical yet under-resourced geographies to shift national-level politics and power in favour of climate action; supporting media and technology experiments that build the power and reach of climate narratives in a global information economy swiftly being disrupted by AI. We are based at the Meliore Foundation: a leading organisation for philanthropy focused on funding global strategic communications. Meliore is a network that works with partners around the world to support programmes focused on informing fact-based awareness and debate. Our shared goal is to increase public understanding and encourage well-considered action in response to pressing global and local issues. Our vision is for a world where facts, science and the objective truth help guide the public debate. We put just, inclusive and equitable solutions to global issues at the core of the world’s political, social, environmental and economic discourse. About the role: Director of Partnerships As we enter a period of rapid growth, Nura is seeking a highly experienced and creative Director of Partnerships, reporting to the Executive Director, and working alongside them, the senior leadership team and key partners, to build out and drive our fundraising and donor engagement. We have set ourselves an ambitious goal of at least $100m in aligned funding by next year (by which we mean funding both for Nura and its key partners). We already have 15 funders and more than 75 grantees across the world. In 2026, we will disburse $54m in funding with a median grant size of $200,000. One of our key purposes is raising the overall level of resourcing for the wider global strategic communications ecosystem for climate. That means working closely with and aligning strategies with other donors; and developing the capabilities of our key partners to fundraise directly themselves. While we work with major climate philanthropies, we are ambitious about collaborating with a growing number of donors from outside the climate field too, and aligning with funds that deploy other types of capital in pursuit of shared goals and mission. To that end, we are looking for someone who is: passionate and highly skilled at relationship-building and communicating; rigorous about data and evidence; and can support partners in developing fundraising skills and capacities for themselves. The right candidate thrives in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment; and is willing to roll up their sleeves, working with others in the network to build out our fundraising systems and processes. We are seeking a creative and perceptive team member, able to quickly spot and uplift stories of success and/or opportunity from across our global community of grantees and partners. They will know how to make case studies visually and emotionally compelling, and be able to identify and engage the right audiences for our work. Our ideal candidate has a minimum of 10 years of leadership and organisational experience in philanthropy in a complex and growing enterprise. They will possess thorough knowledge of all areas of comprehensive fundraising and funder support programmes, and a track record of significant professional success in the stewardship of philanthropic grants from a wide range of donors. They must be excited about our mission and thrive in results-oriented, low-ego, highly collaborative teams. How you'll contribute Leadership and vision Identify and build the capacities needed to deliver ambitious fundraising growth and donor engagement for Nura, including as necessary, the hiring and management of other team members, consultants and service providers. Collaborate closely with the wider Meliore development team to build best-in-class shared systems for fundraising and donor engagement. Inspire and support the senior leadership team and key partners to develop shared fundraising excellence and meet ambitious targets. Identify and develop new funder prospects, and deepen relationships with existing institutional donors. Prospecting and relationship management Work with the wider Meliore development team, representing Nura as part of wider Meliore fundraising efforts, and working together to design and implement systems to support prospect identification, qualification, and cultivation by senior leaders. Generate tailored materials for funding prospects that showcase successes and offer funding opportunities. Support the Executive Director and other senior leaders in their engagements with current and prospective funding partners by organising briefings, presentation materials, and project management throughout the grant development process. Oversee the development and implementation of an onboarding process for new funding partners. Advise on relationship management and allocation of responsibilities among senior leaders. Establish coordination mechanisms to maintain alignment when multiple teams and leaders engage with the same prospect or funding partners. Reporting and storytelling Ensure regular, timely, and personalised updates, reports, presentations and other stewardship materials are provided to donors on the status and impact of their grants. Develop, maintain, and continuously improve core donor reporting processes, practices and systems, including curated reporting templates, standards, and links to key data sources (finance, impact, etc), drawing on and helping to develop Meliore’s growing systems in aid of this. Build and maintain, in partnership with regional and thematic leads, a library of compelling collateral material (strategies, case studies, fact sheets, etc.) that can be drawn upon to support funding partner engagements. Ecosystem support Collaborate closely with the Movement/Ecosystem Director to support our community of practice in their fundraising efforts as/when needed, and to identify stories, challenges and opportunities that arise from that community. Alongside the Executive Director and senior leadership team: help identify key grantees for fundraising support and development; and provide tailored assistance and capacity-building based on grantee needs (potentially involving external coaches, consultants or systems development, through to more light-touch mentoring, feedback and donor match-makings). Systems and processes Work with the wider Meliore development team to establish donor prospecting systems and maintain a prospect database to track donor information and the status of outreach and relationships. Work closely with the Nura and Meliore MEL teams to ensure accurate reporting on impact and learnings from across our work. Work with senior leaders to develop a streamlined process to identify funding gaps and recommend options to close them. Work with finance colleagues to maintain a best-in-class system to track funding pipeline and revenue outlook. Culture and team development Be part of fostering a healthy, inclusive, and empowered team culture that balances accountability with trust, safety, and innovation. Play a key role in encouraging collaboration and high performance across the team and wider Meliore network. Champion a culture of accountability and excellence across all levels of the organization. Our ideal candidate has To succeed in this role, you will have all the below qualities: An experienced leader in nonprofit development/fundraising, with demonstrated expertise in building and managing fundraising infrastructure in complex, matrixed organisations, and in raising 7- and 8-figure funds for a wider coalition or ecosystem of partners. Excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to facilitate long-term, trusting relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders, partners & audiences. Track record of effective stewardship of philanthropic relationships across diverse donor types (geographies and institutions) Matrix management experience with the demonstrated ability to build and develop a fundraising team, and to work with several teams and levels of seniority across an organisation. Excellent written and oral communications skills, including ability to translate technical strategy documents into visually compelling donor-facing materials, and tell powerful stories via funder pitches, reports, and other modes of communication on an ongoing basis. Strong record of developing the fundraising skills and capacities of other partners and team members Excellent written and spoken English Values & Alignment Deep commitment to climate action, social justice, democratic values, and systemic change. Embodies a collaborative, empowering leadership style, balancing vision with pragmatism. Nice to haves: Experience of coaching and/or mentoring is desirable. Additional languages are an asset. Why join us? Be part of a remote-first, international network of professionals working on climate, energy and nature and work with a bunch of dynamic, culturally diverse individuals who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work. 6 offline days (with no calls or meetings) per year to focus on your work Reduced working time on Fridays during the Dry Season (summer) Access to our employee assistance program to support your mental health and personal development Supplementary paid business closure for end-of-year holidays Parental leave matched to 20 weeks for countries where regulation allows less than that Enjoy regular opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues around the world A full-time position with an employment or consultant contract, subject to location, for 12 months, with possible renewal after one year. Location: flexibly remote. Some international travel will be required. We may be able to provide co-working spaces in some locations. Only candidates with the right to work in their location will be considered. Contract and Benefits disclaimer : Contract type and some benefits may vary by jurisdiction. We will confirm eligibility and the applicable terms during the hiring process. Salary / Fee: Meliore sets compensation levels through a systematic alignment with local market data, taking into account the responsibility level of each role or the expected level of services and the skills and experience of the selected candidate. We apply a consistent, equitable, compensation policy, and provide data on our calculations and pay or fee ranges, in all locations where we operate. Our compensation practices reflect our commitment to fairness, inclusion, and accountability, and are regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with evolving market standards and organisational values.