Director of Fundraising North America Job at Ellen MacArthur Foundation in New Y

Director of Fundraising

North America

Hybrid

NYC

The nature of global challenges demands transformation of the economy rather than incremental change to business-as-usual approaches; transformation which is necessary at unprecedented scale and pace to deliver national and collective commitments notably with regards to material security, supply chain health, climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Our Director of Fundraising will lead the development and execution of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's North America fundraising strategy. This role will shape North America's revenue generation, build new partnerships and shepherd existing philanthropic relationships to drive EMFs visibility and programming in North America, and its three global mission areas of Critical Minerals, Plastics and Packaging and Retail (food, fashion and other consumables). This work will directly tie into the global EMF revenue generation strategy focused on fundraising, earned income and other revenue generation strategies.

You will be a strategic thinker, systems builder, and experienced relationship building fundraiser who can drive growth in an entrepreneurial, mission-focused environment.

Reporting to our North America Lead, your main responsibilities will be as follows:

Fundraising Strategy & Leadership:

• Develop and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy focused on major foundations, institutional funders across North America.
• Manage ambitious revenue targets (1-5MM in Year 1-2, 7-10MM+ in Year 3+)
• Provide strategic direction for funder acquisition, stewardship, retention, and elevation efforts.

Major Gifts & Donor Engagement:

• Build and manage a personal portfolio of high-net-worth individuals, family foundations, and philanthropists.
• Develop tailored cultivation plans, lead solicitation efforts, and oversee donor stewardship to deepen engagement and long-term support.
• Organise and attend high-level donor meetings, events, and briefings

Institutional & Corporate Giving:

• Lead proposal development and grant applications to major foundations, bilateral donors, and government agencies.
• Cultivate strategic partnerships with corporations aligned with the organisation's mission and values.

Development Operations:

• Ensure effective use of CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) to manage pipeline, track donor interactions, and analyse fundraising data.
• Collaborate with the comms team to align messaging and create high-impact campaigns and donor materials
• Collaborate with programme and finance teams to ensure accurate and compelling funding proposals and reports.

Your profile:

• A minimum of 10 years' experience in fundraising, revenue generation, and partnership growth in an entrepreneurial, start up or nonprofit environment.
• Demonstrated track record of revenue generation through self-owned fundraising strategy development and execution.
• Exposure to newer and creative fundraising mechanisms, including MRIs, PRIs, donor circles, and other vehicles that drive non-traditional revenue returns.
• Experience in developing and delivering fundraising strategies aligned with organizational goals.
• Strong experience creating and managing weighted pipelines, stewarding funder relationships, and writing compelling funding proposals or cases for support.
• Deep familiarity with the dynamic US funding environment, and an ability to sell systems change work
• An understanding of and passion for the circular economy mission, and an ability to speak equally compellingly about its nonpartisan, economic, environmental, and socio-economic benefits
• A capacity to work in a cross-disciplinary manner to extract the best of team members with different expertise and shape it into a compelling external narrative
• Proficiency with CRM systems and fundraising platforms (e.g. Salesforce).
• You must have the right to work in the USA without employer sponsorship.

Apply by clicking the green icon where you will be asked to upload a CV and covering letter.

Desired starting date: November 2025

Application deadline: 30th September 2025.

Salary package: The salary range for this role is expected to be between $150,000-$175,000. Actual pay will be determined by considering factors such as relevant skills and experience.

Benefits:

• Medical and Dental Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Travel Medical Insurance, outside US
• 401(k) Retirement Plan

Time Off:

• 11 US national holidays plus 3 days between Christmas and New year.
• 20 days of vacation and 10 days paid Sick Time
• Generous Paid Family Leave (where applicable)

Location: This position will be located in New York (Manhattan Office). Our NYC based employees come into the office a minimum of 2 days per week. We are unable to consider additional locales or other remote options for this role.

What we do:

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation develops and promotes the idea of a circular economy. We work with, and inspire, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilize systems solutions at scale, globally. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Our vision is a new economic system that delivers better outcomes for people and the environment. Business models, products, and materials are designed to increase use and reuse, replicating the balance of the natural world, where nothing becomes waste, and everything has value. A circular economy, increasingly built on renewable energy and materials, is distributed, diverse, and inclusive.

Our commitment to you:

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is committed to employing a diverse workforce and provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, status as a qualified individual with a disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, weight, height, status as a victim or domestic violence, arrest record or conviction record, immigration or citizenship status, employment status, credit history, caregiver status or any other characteristic protected by law.

It is important to us that our recruitment approach makes the opportunity as accessible as possible and ensures a diverse range of people are able to demonstrate their potential. We would be happy to provide any further support that you may require - please get in touch so that we can work together.

Employment at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is contingent upon-successful completion of all lawful pre-employment checks, which may include background check.

If you would like further information on our diversity and inclusion policy or any further assistance, please contact us at [email protected].