WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Our purpose is to be a catalyst for system-level change that improves the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of humanitarian action. We do this by working as a network to develop, test & spread new ways of collaborating and resourcing locally-led crisis response and anticipation.

Our current membership is made up of over 100 local, national and international NGOs based all around the world. We also support 10 national and regional hubs made up of civil society organisations and NGOs as our vehicle for devolving power, resources and accountability.

OUR SOLUTIONS

DECENTRALISATION & LOCALLY-LED ACTION: Shifting power and resources and decentralising decision-making to locally led networks and organisations.

EARLY & RAPID FINANCING: Building a global financing system that reduces risk, anticipates, and acts ahead of predictable crises.

COMMUNITY-LED INNOVATION: Catalysing innovative, locally led, and contextual solutions - and learning from them together with people affected by crises.

For more information about Start Network and what we do, please visit our website. 

OUR VALUES

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it.

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

JOB PURPOSE

The Head of Resource Mobilisation is a crucial role within Start Network. You will hold responsibility for setting and driving the income generation strategy, in collaboration with the Director of Business Development, for all of our global initiatives, particularly the Global Start Fund, Start Ready, our Innovation initiatives and our hubs. You will work closely with the Director of Business Development and relevant team heads to ensure financial stability for the organisation, and be responsible for overseeing all fundraising activities for our global programmes. This is a role for an ambitious and bold fundraising leader who has significant experience in securing large seven and ideally eight figure grants.

A large part of this role will focus on maintaining relations with governments, private foundations, corporate partners and making sure we maximise current donors for the benefit of the overall strategy. An exciting upcoming opportunity within this role will securing a new eight figure business case from FCDO in 2025. Beyond this, diversifying our donor base is also critical, so experience in securing new donors from scratch, particularly trusts and foundations and corporates (at the seven-figure level) will be paramount, so bringing a creative take to this area of work will be important. 

Start Network’s programmes are innovative, impactful, unique and life-changing for vulnerable communities around the world. You and your team will need to convince donors to support our vision and provide them a refreshing and engaging experience. We will also look to this role to develop with key allies in our members and the sector to build relationships and influence how funding flows to the people affected by humanitarian crises.

You will have a passion for locally led action and will be able to speak eloquently around this point, as well as influence donors to change and flex their ways of working to shift power and resources to the front lines to enable locally led decision making and action.

Finally this role, will be a key driver in maintaining cooperative and fruitful relationships with our existing donor base.

Overall, this role will suit a positive, high performing leader, who has great self-leadership skills in order to manage and enable our talented resource mobilisation team to reach new heights.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Retain and maximise current donors

• Maintain the overall donor portfolio for global initiatives and maximising key strategic donors

• Ensure that Start Network meets the needs and expectations of current donors

• Oversee the development of quality donor reports

• Support finance and grant management to report effectively to large strategic donors

• Develop exciting new pitches for current donors, making sure we engage them across a range of initiatives

• Lead on the development of a new eight figure FCDO business case, together with the institutional funding team and other Heads across the organisation as required

• Create a positive and engaging donor engagement culture

  Diversify and grow income

• Develop, cultivate and convert new donor relationships

• Diversify our income for global initiatives even further by securing new 7-8 figure grants from trusts and foundations and corporates

• Secure new large, pivotal multi-year grants from government

• Work with the Director of Business Development to deliver a strategy to grow the income of our financing mechanisms 15%-20% annually

• Secure flexible funds to support specifically our hub and innovation initiatives

• Work with government donors to increase the flexibility and accessibility of their funding

• Support the development of creating quality donor proposals, including by providing strategic guidance to the team

• Create complex budgets and log frames

• Form positive relations with key teams such as finance, grant management, monitoring and evaluation and others to improve the donor proposal development processes

• Negotiate the terms of new grants, making sure principals around localisation, flexible funding and risk sharing are considered

• Ensure the organisation supports and adheres to donor policies and compliance requirements

  Influence externally 

• Work with the Director of Business Development to position Start Network strategically in global funding discussions

• Engage key donors at strategic events and meetings

• Oversee the design, development and implementation of biannual strategic donor meetings together with the Director of Business Development

• Work with the Head of Advocacy and External Affairs to coordinate advocacy messages for donors

• Represent the organisation in key donor events globally, as required

  Team management and leadership

• Oversee and manage small and high performing team

• Coach and mentor team members, as appropriate, enabling them to fulfil their potential

• Represent the team on the Senior Management Group

• Help to lead the Directorate Management Group

• Ensure the organisation builds it’s capacity around donors’ compliance and policies

• Deputise for the Director of Business Development where required

• Ensure all staff members in the resource mobilisation team have relevant objectives, targets and other KPI’s

• Lead by example, building the team’s confidence, supporting them as appropriate and being a positive influence across the organisation

• Develop and manage the resource mobilisation budget

• Drive a positive culture of fundraising within the Resource Mobilisation team and across Start Network

START NETWORK CULTURE

• To carry out the responsibilities of the role in line with the Start Network Code of Conduct and with a commitment to safeguarding adults and children

• A commitment to the Start Network vision, principles, values, and approach

• The Start Network team is an agile group of individuals who use their experience and skills across the network, so flexibility to work in and with different teams and functions is a part of our culture.

PERSON PROFILE

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

• Substantial experience as a senior fundraising manager/head, directly responsible for managing strategic donor relations

• Demonstrated experience in securing and maintaining significant 7 figure grants

• Demonstrate ability to manage a growing, dynamic and complex donor portfolio

• Excellent networks with strong relationship-building skills and the confidence to work with people at all levels of seniority

• Proven ability to drive a strategic agenda, and the ability to apply this to Start Network

• Experience with institutional donors, corporate donors, trust and foundations

• Experience in diversifying income and securing donors from scratch (particularly with trusts and foundations and corporate donors)

• Excellent knowledge of the aid sector and trends in global philanthropy

• Demonstrated extensive experience of proposal development, and creating compelling pitches and cases for support for large funders

• Experience in setting bold fundraising strategies that focus on growth and securing flexible funding

• Experience in raising funds for complex programming

• Experience in managing medium size teams  effectively

• Experience in managing complex projects

• Master’s Degree in a related field OR substantial equivalent experience working in the humanitarian sector /development sector / with government actors

• Excellent communication and coordination skills in English

• Able to present complex technical information to a non-technical audience

• Confident public speaker

• Advance budgeting skills and the ability to review and understand complex financial reporting

• Ability to negotiate, persuade and influence a variety of stakeholders

• Ability to motivate a high performing team

• Passion for Start Network’s vision, mission and values

• Able to take initiative and demonstrate agility

• Experience in setting communication plans to strategically engage donors across a range of topics

• Excellent people leadership and interpersonal skills

  DESIRABLE

• Spanish or French language skills

• Previous experience with innovative funding models such as pooled funds or disaster risk financing

• Understanding of the global localisation agenda (Charter for Change, Grand Bargain)

• Previous experience of being a part of a management team

• Experience of managing £7m+ donor portfolios

KEY COMPETENCIES

Communication: Able to convey complex information concisely to different audiences

Strategic Thinking: Deliver results with awareness of impact on others internally and externally by considering the positions and perspectives of relevant stakeholders

Collaboration: Actively promote collaboration by spotting and breaking down barriers to siloed working, connecting colleagues, teams and initiatives

Leadership of self and others: Willing to share own expertise with others in the organisation and network, both formally and informally

Ability to adapt and learn: Balance the need to follow systems and processes with the courage, identifying when systems and processes do not align with the mission, suggesting alternatives

Getting things done the Start Network way: Deliver results in pursuit of our mission by holding yourself to account for your work