UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

The Private Sector Fundraising and Partnerships (PSFP) section, part of the Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP), collaborates with fundraising markets structured as National Committees (NC) and UNICEF Country Offices (COs) to maximize income and drive growth. The PSFP Individual Giving (IG) team operates globally and strategically guides and supports fundraising markets in implementing global regional, and market-level strategies. Our 2022-25 Individual Giving strategy seeks to deliver a significant step change in our business model, with a particular focus on audience-centricity and digital acceleration and a shift to a marketing orientation.

The post holder will be a strategic leader, trusted advisor, and a catalyst for change, able to fully engage in all aspects of our global IG strategy in collaboration with colleagues.

For every child, a Champion

The Fundraising Specialist (Individual Giving) plays a vital role in the IG team, focusing on key European NC fundraising markets. The role holder is pivotal in steering their portfolio of markets towards achieving the IG goals and delivering the global strategy, increasing net revenues, and ensuring sustainable growth.

Acting as an IG country focal point, this role will support markets in their portfolio as they shift to audience-centric strategies and a digital fundraising model. Based in Europe, the role holder collaborates with markets, and headquarters functions, providing strategic leadership, market support and aligning the IG team of specialists dedicated to these markets behind the vision and strategic direction of travel.

How can you make a difference?

The role focuses on specific fundraising markets within Europe, providing direct market support and development. This involves coordination with colleagues across the IG teams in the markets, internal UNICEF stakeholders, and global consultants. Additionally, the role supports the coordination of other specialists in marketing, products (including legacy), and channels (especially digital).

The main tasks are as follows –

Place the assigned portfolio of markets in the strongest position to deliver ambitious growth in long term income, especially in digital, with a focus on increasing the proportion of unrestricted income to support UNICEF’s work globally.

1. Focus the markets on achieving the 2022-2025 IG income goals and the next level of income growth required across the main IG income streams of regular giving, cash, and legacy.
2. Support markets in transitioning to a digitally enabled fundraising model, emphasizing diversification while safeguarding existing income streams.
3. Ensure an audience-centered marketing approach develops in markets and ensure that IG teams build long-lasting, high-quality donor relationships that maximize lifetime value, minimize churn, and maximize net returns.

4. Leverage emergency fundraising in markets as a growth driver and opportunity for further donor engagement.
5. Ensure markets build the pipeline for legacy giving to maximize lifetime giving and minimize missed income opportunities.

Act as the IG country focal point for your portfolio, working in partnership with markets and the IG team of specialists to guide markets and teams in delivering a strategic marketing approach to Individual Giving.

1. Collaborate with markets to establish a shared understanding of market performance, identify opportunities, highlight development areas, and define the necessary skills to achieve income growth targets.
2. Stimulate market demand for IG specialist support in areas where clear potential impact has been identified, including:
   • Communications and content, ensuring insight-led value propositions and resonant omnichannel experiences.
   • Maximizing product revenue, channel activation and delivery, developing Martech capabilities, digital tools and analytics, infrastructure, platforms, and expertise, including responsible use of AI.
   • Product innovation, improving donor servicing for an excellent supporter experience.

3. Serve as the bridge between markets and global teams, aligning demand and supply for PFP support.
4. Engage markets in initiating Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and developing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that drive business performance, taking a comprehensive cost perspective and contributing to the achievement of relevant fundraising KPIs.

Provide strategic leadership to markets, inspiring and aligning them with the global Individual Giving approach

1. Act as a catalyst, inspiring, enabling, and empowering IG fundraising teams to embrace key priorities and projects.
2. Provide crucial support for organizational shifts towards a strategic marketing approach.

3. Serve as a trusted advisor to fundraising leaders and their teams, offering guidance and strategic insights.
4. Coach IG specialists and markets to cultivate a growth mindset, leveraging existing knowledge to unlock new potential in their markets.
5. Drive agility and people development, upgrading skills to improve processes and results, and accelerate operational marketing capabilities.

6. Support markets in cultivating a culture of testing, learning, and systematic experimentation. Infuse teams with a spirit of fact-based optimization to enhance overall performance.
7. Ensure continuous access and information flow with the Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP) division.

8. Collaborate across PFP to create a clear understanding of PFP offerings, solutions, and expertise. Communicate this information effectively to the markets.

 DELIVERABLES:

 Market support

1. Analyze market needs against global IG OKRs and scope the best-fit tailored IG offer for joint implementation, enhancing market-level capabilities.
2. Communicate and refine partnerships on the IG offer with markets.
3. Conduct retrospectives and post-implementation reviews for thorough evaluation.
4. Structure market engagements to intensify IG support for sensemaking and strategic problem-solving.
5. Engage markets in regular strategy, planning, and results reviews.
6. Support markets in their IG investment approach and allocation from headquarters.
7. Guide markets on agency and partner relationships.
8. Create regional and global thought leadership touchpoints for IG strategic vision.
9. Build networking opportunities for markets to engage with other IG specialists and share knowledge.

IG assigned portfolio team coordination

1. Provide leadership to engage and align the IG team of specialists (non-direct reports).
2. Mobilize the team to deliver on IG objectives and key results.
3. Actively manage workflow balance (using Agile methodology and tools), for both sustaining established market operations and long-term impact.

Global IG team feedback loop

1. Keep stakeholders updated on market developments.
2. Collaborate with global IG managers to address delivery blockers.
3. Provide concise and insightful strategic market feedback to the global IG team.
4. Offer a diagnostic perspective on market challenges and opportunities.
5. Support markets and stakeholders through regular reporting and management processes.
6. Adhere to global standards and promptly escalate program risks.

Estimated Duration of the contract

• 364 days

Reporting To:

• The Fundraising Manager, based in Geneva.

Working Place:

• Geneva, Switzerland is the official duty station. (Flexible work arrangements may be applied if there is a need.)

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Education:

• An advanced university degree in fundraising, marketing, or business strategy is required.
• Alternatively, a first -level university degree combined with two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership and a proven track record of revenue generation experience in complex multinational nonprofit fundraising or commercial settings is required.
• Extensive experience in nonprofit or commercial business development and strategic marketing is required.
• In-depth knowledge of digital transformation in a commercial context, including digital tech, tools, and responsible AI use is an asset.
• Proven leadership in inspiring teams, driving organizational change, and fostering agility.
• Strong analytical skills for data-informed decision-making and strategic planning is an asset.
• Proven project management experience, ensuring timely delivery and meeting objectives. Experience in agile methodologies and use of digital planning tools is an asset.
• Strong networking and influencing skills to drive results is an asset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, conveying complex ideas concisely is an asset.
• UN/UNICEF experience is an asset.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1) are required.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.