Fundraising Leadership Role: Head of Development at GCHA
About the role
The Head of Development at the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) is a senior leadership role focused on building and leading the organization’s fundraising function. The role aims to significantly grow annual income from about USD 1.4 million to over USD 5 million in line with the 2026–2030 strategy.
Responsibilities
Building and managing a diversified donor pipeline across foundations, governments, multilaterals, and major individual donors
Conducting ongoing analysis of the global climate and health funding landscape
Identifying emerging funding opportunities and advising leadership on strategic positioning
Supporting annual budgeting with realistic revenue forecasts and risk analysis
Expanding revenue diversification, including general operating support and unrestricted funding
Donor Cultivation and Relationship Management
Stewarding existing donors through structured engagement and reporting
Leading cultivation of new funders through tailored outreach and engagement strategies
Cooking senior-level relationship engagement with the Executive Director and Board
Maintaining accurate donor records, pipelines, and compliance schedules using CRM systems
Sustaining an individual major donor programme
Proposal Development and Grant Management
Writing and coordinating high-quality grant proposals, concept notes, and reports
Allowing programme inputs into compelling, funder-specific narratives
Ensuring all proposals include appropriate indirect cost recovery (20–25%)
Developing reusable fundraising content such as organisational overviews and case studies
Managing full grant compliance, including budgets, deliverables, and reporting deadlines
Identifying and mitigating financial or delivery risks in collaboration with programme teams
Systems Building and Organisational Development
Designing and implementing a grants management and tracking system
Strengthening integration between monitoring, evaluation, and fundraising outputs
Developing core fundraising assets and organisational investment materials
Establishing funder intelligence systems to track trends and opportunities
Contributing to organisational strategy discussions and planning processes
Potentially supervising future development staff or consultants
Fundraising Environment and Challenges
Most major grants require renewal in the near term, requiring immediate attention to retention
The organisation currently lacks dedicated fundraising staff and systems
The existing donor base is concentrated among UK, European, and US foundations
Unrestricted funding is limited, requiring growth in flexible revenue streams
The organisation operates with a small, fully remote team and minimal administrative support
Requirements
At least 7 years of international NGO fundraising experience
Proven success securing grants of USD 250,000+ and managing multi-million-dollar portfolios
Experience in climate, global health, or related fields
Demonstrated ability to build new donor relationships from scratch
Advanced proposal writing and financial management skills
High-level organisational and pipeline management capability
Strong interpersonal and relationship intelligence with funders
Ability to work independently in a remote, fast-paced environment
Qualifications
Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., public policy, international development, environmental science)
Proven experience in fundraising and grant management
Strong understanding of climate and global health issues
Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
Experience with CRM systems and data management
Skills
Strategic thinking and problem-solving
Grant writing and proposal development
Financial management and budgeting
Donor relations and stewardship
Organizational development and systems design
Remote work and team management
Benefits
Full remote role with international travel (3–5 trips annually)
Salary range: USD 90,000–110,000 (+ benefits equivalent for consultancy arrangements outside the US)