Director, Public Funding and Partnerships

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Cape Town/Johannesburg, South Africa, or Nairobi, Kenya

CI is launching an initiative to strengthen the financial stability of Africa’s Keystone Protected Areas (KPAs). These KPAs are critical for biodiversity conservation and serve as the core of larger ecological systems in landscapes. This will be achieved through technical assistance facilities/ workstreams that will develop conservation finance capacity (at the global, national, and KPA level). CI will lead the strategy and management of the program, while working in partnership with co-management partners and local stakeholders to develop, execute, and mobilize conservation finance transactions, resulting in financial flows to targeted KPAs during the project period.

The Director, Public Funding and Partnerships will be responsible for developing and directing CI’s public fundraising and partnership portfolio for bilateral and multilateral donors for CI’s Africa’s Keystone Protected Areas (KPAs) initiative together with the Director, Development & Communications and members of the Resource Mobilization (RM) Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) team and in coordination with CI’s Global Public Partnership (GPP) team. This role will support and implement the Africa Fundraising Strategy, lead proposal development, and provide direct support to the RM TAF team. This position provides expert guidance to KPA Finance (KPAF) Initiative Managers and Co-Management Partners (CMPs) on fundraising processes and procedures while assisting in the development of influential and beneficial relations with existing bilateral and multilateral donors throughout the grant implementation phase.

The Director’s goal is to identify and develop public sector partnerships that mobilize and secure the funds needed to support KPAF initiative priorities. This position will lead the development process from outreach to proposal development to contracting, and collaborate with the Grants Management team at headquarters to ensure smooth and effective kick-offs for new grantees and efficient transfer of projects from prospective to active. The Director will collaborate with teams, including Nature Finance.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director, Public Funding and Partnerships, will lead the following responsibilities in close collaboration with GPP and internal stakeholders:

• Public Funding Opportunity Identification & Pipeline Management.
• Proactively identify, research, and map solicited and unsolicited bilateral and multilateral funding opportunities aligned with KPA Finance Initiative priorities.
• Monitor international and regional public donor priorities, policy developments, and conservation funding landscapes.
• Communicate relevant calls for proposals and donor intelligence to RM Managers, global programs, and regional teams.
• Maintain accurate fundraising pipelines and donor engagement records within institutional CRM systems.

Proposal Development & Grant Acquisition

• Lead the end-to-end development of large, complex public funding proposals, from concept through submission and contracting.
• Provide guidance, coordination, and technical support to RM TAF staff, CMPs, and government partners throughout proposal preparation, including timelines, partnership structures, risk analysis, resourcing, and donor terms and conditions.
• Draft and/or review proposal content, ensuring quality, coherence, donor compliance, and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Coordinate due diligence documentation and donor review processes as required.
• Collaborate with Finance, Project Delivery & Monitoring, and Grants Management teams to systematize proposal development processes and ensure effective handover from prospective to active grants.

Public partnership & fundraising strategy

• Implement the Africa Fundraising Strategy to grow and diversify flexible and project funding from bilateral and multilateral donors.
• Work with RM TAF, global programs, regional divisions, GPP, and donor leads to develop and execute donor specific engagement and fundraising strategies.
• Build and manage a diversified portfolio of public funding revenue in collaboration with RM Managers, CMPs, and partners.
• Coordinate with the FMU RM unit to leverage co-investment and blended finance opportunities and scale larger investments.
• Strengthen internal and external understanding of the role and value of global public donors within the KPA Finance Initiative.

Donor stewardship & partnership management

• Strategically position the KPA Finance Initiative with priority public partners, including bilateral and multilateral donors, UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, development finance institutions, and government entities.
• Act as RM TAF focal point for priority public donors, managing relationships in line with existing engagement strategies and in coordination with GPP.
• Cultivate long-term, high-impact partnerships by supporting dialogue, collaboration, and co-creation of funding opportunities with donors and partners.
• Represent CI and the KPA Finance Initiative in donor meetings, external stakeholder engagements, conferences, and relevant events, and backstop senior leadership as needed.
• Respond to donor inquiries and support ongoing stewardship throughout the funding lifecycle.

Additional Responsibilities

• Contribute to global policy initiatives around resource mobilization.
• Any other related tasks as may be assigned.

People and Resource Management Responsibilities

• This job does not have the authority to allocate resources or approve budget expenditures.
• This job may be required to manage staff or directing the work of others.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Hybrid office environment.
• Ability to work alternative hours to meet, consult, and advise staff in multiple time zones. Ability to work extended hours to meet deadlines.
• Ability to travel, domestically and internationally, as required, to achieve expected results.
• This is a fixed-term assignment, expected to last 2 years initially, with potential for extension, based on performance and funding.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree in international development, environmental conservation, or a similar field.
• 7 or more years of professional experience and excellent knowledge leading public funding and partnerships focused on international development, climate change, fisheries and marine conservation, and sustainable agriculture.
• Proven history of securing long-term public funds for programs in a non-governmental organization from discovery to award.
• Extensive experience and excellent track record in building networks and developing partnerships with a range of stakeholders and in managing communications with high-priority external partners.
• Demonstrated success working with governments, bilateral and multilateral institutions, and other relevant public funding agencies
• Strong understanding of global environment and development issues relevant to CI’s mission and programs.
• Experience with CRMs and other management software.
• Exceptional organizational skills to prioritize projects and initiate follow-through with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, use independent judgment, and produce a quality work product within tight time constraints.
• Prior experience in an international, cross-cultural work environment is essential
• Fluency in written and spoken English required; proficiency in other languages preferred but not required, for example, French, Portuguese.

Preferred

• Master's degree

To apply for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter.

Application Deadline: May 31, 2026 (11:49 PM EST)

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We believe in hiring based on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and inclusive hiring process for everyone.