Director of Partnerships

Duration: Permanent

Salary: Circa £105,000 per annum

Job Level: 1

Hours: 35 hours per week. Other flexible arrangements will be considered

Disclosure Level: Standard. This role involves indirect work with children

Reports to: Chief Marketing and Partnerships Officer

Location: Working from home and at 1 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1HZ

At the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), we work alongside partners and communities to help realise children’s rights and build a better world for every child. We are committed to an inclusive workplace where people feel valued, supported, and able to thrive – connected by shared values, a sense of purpose and a collective commitment to making childhood unstoppable.

Our work is guided by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which recognise the universality of children’s rights .

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Director of Partnerships leads the Corporate & Foundations teams and holds a wider leadership role on the organisation’s Strategic Leadership Group, working collaboratively with colleagues at the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams levels to represent UNICEF UK.

As we enter our new strategic period 2027-2029, the Partnerships teams have an ambition to raise more than £180 million through developing and renewing multi-year, multi-million-pound partnerships with UK-headquartered organisations.

What we will expect you to achieve

• Ensure that UNICEF UK’s annual income targets across Partnerships are achieved through a sustainable and successful multi-year income generation strategy, and personally engage key relationships externally as required.

• Provide strategic and systems leadership as part of the Strategic Leadership Group, taking an organisation-wide perspective and leading or sponsoring priorities beyond the Partnerships department where required.

• Provide fundraising and commercial acumen as well as legal negotiation expertise to deliver the growth aspirations of the department.

• Provide inspiring line management and leadership of the Partnerships department to align with the organisations strategic objectives and target operating model.

• Ability to manage risk effectively across individual partnerships and the wider partnership portfolio, including financial risk.

• Demonstrate and model a commitment to our shared values, behaviours and inclusive practices (known as Our Shared Commitment) in all aspects of your work.

BEHAVIOURS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

This section contains the essential behaviours, experience, knowledge and skills needed in order to be effective and successful in this role.All criteria in this section are essential.

Effective behaviours

Partner driven

• Develops effective relationships with target supporter groups enhancing their knowledge and involvement of UNICEF’s work.

• Uses in-depth knowledge of supporters, the market and the charity sector to predict future trends that impact upon supporters and their support.

• Considers partners’ needs and pressures, balancing their expectations with doing what’s right for children.

Results Focused

• Prioritises and sustains focus on work that will have the greatest impact on agreed aims.

• Reviews results and extracts learning to optimise future performance.

• Anticipates internal and external challenges that could impact UNICEF UK’s work and adapts approach accordingly.

Negotiating and Influencing

• Uses a range of approaches to gain commitment, tailoring information in terms of content and format.

• Maintains a win-win approach by balancing achievement of both UNICEF UK’s and our external partners’ objectives.

Leadership

• Promotes a results focused culture, engaging and guiding others to achieve ambitious goals.

• Creates and encourages a cross-organisational teamwork and collaboration, acting as a visible role model.

• Translates strategic direction into medium- and long-term plans and objectives for own team and department.

• Able to make and communicate unpopular decisions.

• Promotes confident discussion of failure and constructive challenge to enhance innovation/learning.

• Prioritises knowledge and skills over status to make the best use of talent and promote involvement at all levels.

• Monitors developing conflicts such as excessive demands on people and resources and proactively addresses them.

Decision Making

• Makes decisions within agreed parameters and is accountable for own actions.

• Sensitively decisive, taking time to consult with relevant stakeholders before making and communicating clear decisions and the reasons for them.

Relationship Building

• Nurtures professional relationships with colleagues at all levels and with external contacts and partners to support the achievement of objectives.

• Reflects on own thoughts, feelings and actions and is aware of own impact on relationships.

Relevant experience

• Demonstrable personal experience of developing and delivering multi-year corporate and foundation partnerships resulting in growth opportunities and organisational impact.

• Experience of leading and inspiring a high performing team.

• Driving a multi-functional team with different disciplines and skill levels. Leading experienced managers responsible for their own teams and building a positive atmosphere and a committed and collaborative approach to best deliver tangible results.

• Long-term strategic and operational planning and budgeting, managing income and expenditure budgets and delivering against personal and organisational objectives.

• Awareness of emerging fundraising modalities and market trends and existing knowledge of key issues within international development are all desirable.