Description
About People Powered
People Powered is a global hub of organizations, governments, and community leaders working to strengthen participatory democracy around the world. We support people to have a direct voice in the public decisions that affect their lives, helping governments become more responsive, communities more powerful, and democracy more inclusive. We operate through two non-profit entities registered in the US and Ireland.
Working across more than 80 countries, and with more than 300 members, we bring together practitioners, researchers, advocates and public institutions to advance participatory democracy through peer learning, capacity-building, advocacy and collective action.
About the Role
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future sustainability and growth of one of the world's leading democracy hubs!
We are looking for a highly experienced and entrepreneurial fundraising leader to develop the next chapter of People Powered's resource mobilization efforts at global scale.
As Resource Mobilization Director, you will lead the development and implementation of a new fundraising strategy that diversifies People Powered's funding base, strengthens relationships with existing and prospective funders, and builds ambitious partnerships that advance both our financial sustainability and our mission.
You will help position People Powered with foundations, governments, multilateral institutions, philanthropy, international organizations and strategic partners around the world. Working closely with the Executive Director, Fundraising Manager, and senior colleagues, you will identify emerging opportunities, cultivate long-term relationships, and develop funding approaches that reflect our values as a global member-led community. You will also collaborate closely with our communications team on funder-facing positioning and impact story-telling. Through this, you will play a key role in shifting funding resources and financial power to participatory democracy organizations in the Global Majority.
You will also take on a leadership role internally by strengthening fundraising capacity across the organization, increasing collaboration and alignment between program development, community-building, and fundraising, and capacity-building colleagues and People Powered members to become more confident and effective fundraisers. You will lead a small but mighty fundraising unit with one other Fundraising Manager.
Who We're Looking For
You have significant experience leading fundraising within international NGOs and global social justice movements, and you bring deep knowledge mobilizing resources in the service of networks, alliances, or member-led organizations. You know how to build trusted relationships, identify opportunities before they become funding calls, and position organizations for long-term success.
You enjoy opening doors, connecting people and building alliances that create value beyond funding alone. You're equally comfortable discussing strategy with a foundation director, designing an organizational fundraising plan, supporting colleagues to shape competitive proposals, or helping partners identify opportunities for joint fundraising.
You understand the opportunities and challenges of fundraising for international networks and member-led organizations, and you are excited by the prospect of helping strengthen participatory democracy around the world.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Fundraising Leadership
- Lead the development and implementation of People Powered's global fundraising strategy in line with the next 3 year strategic plan and beyond
- Diversify the organization's funding portfolio across foundations, governments, multilateral institutions, philanthropy and strategic partners.
- Establish fundraising priorities, targets, KPIs and systems to support sustainable organizational growth.
- Monitor trends in global and regional philanthropy and identify emerging funding opportunities aligned with People Powered's mission.
- Identify opportunities for collaborative fundraising, joint initiatives and consortium bids
- Represent People Powered in strategic external engagements, conferences and funder spaces.
- Build strategic relationships that increase both organizational visibility and long-term funding opportunities
- Work closely with the Executive Director, Fundraising Manager and senior leadership to align fundraising with organizational strategy.
Institutional Fundraising
- Build and steward long-term relationships with major institutional funders and philanthropic partners in the US, Europe and beyond.
- Lead cultivation strategies that result in significant multi-year grants and strategic partnerships.
- Oversee the development of competitive funding proposals, concept notes and donor reports.
- Lead the design of fundable programs and other strategic initiatives in close collaboration with our team, ensuring proposals align with donor priorities while remaining mission-driven.
- Strengthen systems for grant management, pipeline development and donor stewardship.
Capacity Building
- Support People Powered members to access fundraising opportunities that advance shared goals and to develop joint funding initiatives across regions and issues in a way that supports building the ecosystem of participatory democracy.
- Develop practical tools and processes that strengthen fundraising across our staff and membership. Deliver fundraising learning and workshops.
- Build fundraising capacity across the organization by coaching colleagues, and fostering a culture in which fundraising is understood as a shared organizational responsibility.
Fundraising Management
- Develop and manage fundraising budgets, forecasts and performance reporting.
- Develop and manage improved processes for collaborative fundraising through consortia, partnerships and strategic alliances.
- Monitor fundraising performance against organizational goals and recommend strategic adjustments.
- Improve grant management processes and reporting / tracking systems
- Manage fundraising staff, systems, occasional consultants and external partnerships as required.
- Contribute as a member of the senior leadership team to organizational planning, decision-making and culture.
Requirements
Essential Skills and Experience
- At least 5 - 7 years' experience leading institutional fundraising and resource mobilization for international nonprofit organizations, global social movements, alliances, or international network-based / member-led organizations
- Demonstrated experience fundraising for democracy, governance, civic participation, human rights or social justice initiatives.
- Proven ability to work in a collaborative and movement-oriented way with diverse stakeholders through alliances, consortia or other strategic initiatives and joint funding partnerships
- Demonstrated success securing and managing six to seven-figure (USD / EUR) and multi-year institutional grants from US and international foundations, governments or multilateral donors.
- Demonstrated experience developing and executing multi-year organizational fundraising strategies.
- Strong network of relationships with US and international funders and a demonstrated ability to cultivate new funding partnerships.
- Strong financial planning, budgeting and project management skills.
- Experience building organizational fundraising capacity, coaching peers and partners to meet fundraising goals.
- Experience of line management / supervision of staff or teams
- Excellent relationship management, negotiation and communication skills.
- Professional fluency in English.
- Commitment to People Powered’s mission and vision
Desirable Skills and Experience
- An understanding of the EU funding landscape or experience securing funding from European Union programs, including Horizon Europe, CERV or related mechanisms.
- Professional proficiency in Spanish, French or Portuguese
- Experience living or working across multiple regions, particularly in the Global Majority.
We recognize there are many different pathways into this role. If your experience aligns with the criteria above, we encourage you to apply.
Compensation
You will join a supportive, culturally diverse and highly committed team. We are based all around the world, with the majority of us speaking English as a second language. We are grounded in our core values of collaboration, equity, inclusion, learning, and problem-solving. All of us participate actively in organizational planning and decision-making, including through in-person convenings and retreats. We prioritize the well-being and growth of our people, with an emphasis on learning and development and democratic participation in the workplace and in our member-led community. You can read more about our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and you can also check out our team and board members .
Salary:
- $92,000 - $109,000 - annual salary adjusted for local cost of living. The salary advertised is for locations with the highest cost of living globally and may differ based on the candidate’s city and country, as well as years of experience and additional skills (for example, languages).
Benefits
- Comprehensive health insurance (medical, vision, dental)
- Pension contribution of 3%
- 3 weeks of organization-wide breaks per year (in August and December)
- 27 days of paid time off (15 vacation days, 12 floating holidays)
- 7 days of professional development leave per year
- 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave
- 1 month fully paid sabbatical leave after every 5 years of service
- Opportunity to travel and collaborate with our members and partners at annual in-person events
Employment type
- This is a full-time salaried position based on a 40-hour working week
Location
- This is a fully remote position and we welcome applicants from anywhere in the world, with a focus on our priority regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe).
Desired start date:
- October- November 2026. Dates can be flexible depending on the right candidate.
How to Apply
Applications should include the following:
- Cover letter explaining your relevant experience and interest in the position (800 words maximum)
- Resume / CV (please keep this to 2 pages maximum)
- Answers to questions on the application form
People Powered is an Equal Opportunity Employer, strongly committed to building a team that represents the diversity of the communities we support. We especially encourage applications from women and gender non-conforming individuals; people from ethnic, national, or racial minorities; LGBTQIA+ individuals; people with disabilities and those who identify as neurodiverse; and those with lived experience of the issues we are trying to address.
Application Process
People Powered has a hiring committee of at least 3 people for each advertised job role and a 2-stage interview process, with a take-home assignment usually before the second stage interview. We provide a small stipend to compensate applicants for the time spent on home assignments. We ask for 2-3 references from shortlisted candidates. All interviews will be held online.
We value diversity and inclusion and are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments you may need to ensure a fair and equitable recruitment process. Please make sure to include these in your application.
AI Disclaimer
We can appreciate the use of AI in making the job hunt easier for everyone. To help aid your application for this role, here is what we consider acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in applying for this position, according to our own AI Policy.
Acceptable AI Use
- Enhancing written applications: AI can be used to improve the grammar, structure, and clarity of written content
- Refining language and structure: AI can help applicants structure their responses, find synonyms, and improve the overall flow of their application.
- Generating ideas and examples: AI can provide suggestions for structuring answers or finding examples to illustrate skills, but the content must be personalized with the applicant's own truthful and verifiable experiences.
Unacceptable AI Use
- Fabricating experiences or skills: Using AI to embellish or invent information or claim expertise in areas where the applicant has no experience is unethical and can lead to disqualification.
- Submitting AI-generated content without personalization: Applications that are entirely AI-generated and lack personal insights or examples will be automatically disqualified.
- Using AI during assessments or interviews: AI should not be used to provide answers during any stage of the selection process that involves assessments or interviews.
Deadline: September 4, 2026
For more information, visit peoplepowered.org
