Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Officer

Job Posting Organization:
WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is one of the largest and most respected independent conservation organizations in the world, boasting over 5 million members and an active global network in more than 100 countries. Established with the mission to halt the degradation of the planet's environment and forge a future where humans live in harmony with nature, WWF focuses on conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring sustainable use of renewable natural resources, and promoting the reduction of pollution and overconsumption. WWF operates at multiple levels, including global, regional, national, and local, and has been active in Mesoamerica for four decades, successfully collaborating with various stakeholders such as government entities, the private sector, civil society, international cooperation, and its own WWF network. Currently, WWF Mesoamerica aims to expand and deepen partnerships with strategic actors to raise and mobilize resources and capacities that allow for innovation and collaboration to accelerate and scale conservation impact.

Job Overview:
The main function of the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Officer is to coordinate the design, development, implementation, and monitoring of the partnership strategy, fundraising, and mobilization of private, corporate, public, and institutional resources. This role involves collaboration with relevant internal and external stakeholders to advance, scale, and expedite WWF Mesoamerica's work and contribute to the fulfillment of its strategic plan. The officer's primary responsibility is to forge and consolidate collaborative partnerships to raise and mobilize resources with strategic actors from the public, private, corporate, non-governmental sectors, and international cooperation, generating synergies that increase and diversify available resources to optimize interventions and maximize conservation impact. The officer will work closely with their supervisor and leaders from Conservation, Communications, Operations, and Planning/Monitoring/Evaluation/Learning (PMEL) and Safeguards, playing a strategic and operational role in identifying, attracting, and cultivating allies, donors, and strategic opportunities. They will communicate convincingly about achievements, results, impacts, and possibilities for effective collaboration between WWF Mesoamerica and its allies. Based on data, analysis, and market knowledge, the officer will identify valuable opportunities and strategic allies, helping to develop relationships, strengthen agreements, and design projects, programs, channels, financial mechanisms, and fundraising campaigns.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Partnerships: Lead the design and implementation of the partnership strategy, including identifying and developing partnerships with key relevant actors that meet the required conditions, provide added value to WWF, and help mobilize resources to achieve WWF Mesoamerica's objectives. Partnerships may be direct or through the WWF network and could involve entities from the public sector, such as bi- and multilateral organizations, development agencies, government departments, local authorities, public-private partnerships, and intersectoral alliances. In the private sector, partnerships may include companies, corporations, and trade entities that can provide financial contributions, in-kind support, or public visibility for conservation efforts. Philanthropic donors, including individuals or foundations, civil society organizations, academia, religious entities, and local community groups, as well as emerging non-traditional actors, are also included. The officer will identify collaboration opportunities and establish and cultivate strategic alliances with key entities, organizations, and companies to expand WWF Mesoamerica's impact in line with its mission and values. They will conduct due diligence processes for potential allies according to WWF's policies, standards, and guidelines, coordinate and facilitate the negotiation and formalization of partnerships and agreements, ensuring clear objectives, scopes, commitments, contributions, responsibilities, and conditions of collaboration that respond to WWF's strategic priorities. The officer will also coordinate strategies to cultivate relationships with allies and donors to keep them informed, engaged, and connected with the impact achieved through their contributions. They will monitor partnerships under their responsibility, maintaining proactive relationships with allies and coordinating internal follow-up on commitments, opportunities, and risks that require attention during the partnership's duration. Periodic evaluations of the effectiveness and strategic value of partnerships will be conducted using systematic monitoring tools and mechanisms to measure compliance with commitments and their relevance to WWF, coordinating renewal, modification, or closure processes as necessary.
• Fundraising and Resource Mobilization: Constantly analyze and evaluate the context, trends, and market opportunities and approaches of target donors and allies to manage opportunities and partnerships that ensure and mobilize public and private resources (corporate, business, and individual) that contribute to the Strategic Plan. Proactively seek funding opportunities from public and private sources to finance WWF Mesoamerica's work, projects, and initiatives. Participate in preparing the annual investment budget that meets revenue objectives and diversifies sources aligned with the office's priorities and needs, in collaboration with Operations and PMEL. Identify, evaluate, and promote innovative and promising financial strategies, channels, vehicles, and mechanisms for income diversification and resource mobilization. Collaborate with Conservation, Communications, Operations, and PMEL teams to build a portfolio of concepts, proposals, and other instruments aimed at securing funds from multiple sources, channels, and allies in the public and private sectors to finance projects and initiatives that respond to WWF Mesoamerica's strategic framework.
• Communication and Outreach: Collaborate with the Communications team to develop marketing materials (such as presentations, one-pagers, infographics, fact sheets, digital and audiovisual content) aimed at strengthening relationships with current donors and communicating results, key stories, and learnings. Coordinate with the Communications team to create specific outreach products for donors detailing the needs, priorities, achievements, and progress of the Strategic Plan. Support the Communications team in identifying the most appropriate and effective communication channels to reach public and private donors.
• Coordination and Teamwork: Manage collaborative relationships with colleagues and multidisciplinary teams that do not report to this position, including management, conservation, communications, operations, PMEL, safeguards, and policies teams at WWF Mesoamerica, ensuring strategic coherence, effective participation, and optimal use of institutional capacities. Represent WWF Mesoamerica and generate synergies with working groups in LAC and the WWF Network relevant to partnerships and financing. Maintain and strengthen working relationships with bilateral and multilateral public donors, international cooperation agencies, philanthropic foundations, corporations, financial institutions, high-net-worth individuals, and other strategic partners. Maintain constant communication with their supervisor to ensure effective decision-making or key interventions.
• Data, Analysis, Risk Control, Information, and Reporting: Develop indicators (KPIs) for building partnerships and fundraising and resource mobilization. Keep the fundraising database (pipeline) up to date and prepare periodic, semi-annual, and annual reports as required, with the necessary quality and effectiveness based on evidence, to document and identify trends in revenue generation and financing according to various channels, strategies, and types of allies. Coordinate due diligence and risk assessment processes and identify risk management and control measures and safeguards for designed initiatives, in collaboration with Conservation, PMEL, Safeguards, Operations, and the management team. Ensure careful management of WWF's brand use according to established parameters. Provide the Management Team with evidence-based information for strategic decision-making and alignment with the strategic plan and Roadmap 203
• Establish monitoring and information mechanisms supported by improving current tools and systems or adopting new technologies and platforms. Ensure compliance with WWF's global standards and the protection of the institutional brand, paying special attention to partnerships with the private sector. Coordinate with Operations the management of the pipeline and its integration into financial monitoring systems to streamline the integration of this information into WWF Mesoamerica's financial analysis and pipeline reporting to the WWF network. Report periodically to the WWF network on fundraising and corporate partnership efforts, including preparing the Annual Corporate Report.
• Internal Labor Relations: Work closely with the Director of WWF Mesoamerica and multiple internal and external colleagues to build and consolidate partnerships and fundraising and resource mobilization efforts. Regularly interact and coordinate fundraising and resource mobilization efforts with relevant departments and colleagues at WWF Mesoamerica, including in the areas of Conservation, Policies, Communications, Operations, PMEL, and Safeguards.
• External Relations: Coordinate with LAC and the WWF network, including the PSP, PSE practice communities, and the corporate partnerships team, coordinating programmatic activities, goals, and strategies. Interact with government and intergovernmental agencies, national and international civil society organizations, private sector entities, grassroots groups, donors, international cooperation, and other external actors.

Required Qualifications:

• Education: A university degree in economics, international business, marketing, public relations, communications, sales, fundraising, or other related fields. A specialization or master's degree in related areas such as financing strategies or marketing for social and environmental programs is preferred.
• Experience: A minimum of 10 years of accumulated professional experience in the following areas: Development, management, and strengthening of strategic alliances with actors from the public, private, international cooperation, and philanthropic sectors. Mobilization and fundraising of significant amounts of resources and diversification of funding sources, including experience in developing and following up on proposals and funding opportunities aligned with the organization's objectives. Development of traditional and innovative financing mechanisms. Negotiation and management of inter-institutional relationships and/or business development with private donors, companies, multilateral cooperation agencies such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund, European or North American bilateral agencies, and other strategic actors.

Educational Background:
A university degree in relevant fields such as economics, international business, marketing, public relations, communications, sales, or fundraising is required. A specialization or master's degree in related areas, particularly in financing strategies or marketing for social and environmental programs, is highly desirable.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in areas related to the development, management, and strengthening of strategic alliances with public, private, international cooperation, and philanthropic actors. The candidate should have experience in mobilizing and fundraising significant amounts of resources and diversifying funding sources, including developing and following up on proposals and funding opportunities aligned with organizational objectives. Experience in developing traditional and innovative financing mechanisms is also essential, along with negotiation and management of inter-institutional relationships and business development with private donors, companies, and multilateral cooperation agencies.

Languages:
Fluency in Spanish is mandatory, and excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, in English are also required. The ability to communicate effectively in both languages is crucial for this position, as it involves interaction with diverse stakeholders and partners.

Additional Notes:
This position with WWF is full-time and based in Guatemala. The work schedule is hybrid according to WWF Mesoamerica's policies. The contract is indefinite and will be evaluated against performance. The role involves travel in the region of up to 35-40% of the time and occasionally international travel outside the region to participate in meetings and other work-related activities.