Head of Institutional Partnerships

The Head of Institutional Partnerships will help lead Tara’s next phase of growth by deepening and expanding institutional relationships that are key to the organisation’s long-term sustainability. The role will report to the Head of External Affairs and work closely with the CEO, leadership team, and colleagues across the foundation to:
1. Cultivate current institutional funders and seek partnerships with new funders,

2. Lead proposal development and grant reporting,

3. Manage funder relations and communications,

4. Partner with the finance and program teams to ensure timely, accurate donor reports and proper allocation of funds in accordance with donor requirements, enhancing accountability and stewardship.

5. Support and manage a small team while leading efforts to strengthen internal systems, processes, and capacity for effective relationship management, reporting, and fundraising workflows.

**Key responsibilities include the following**:
Cultivate and grow the funding base:

- Co-develop and co-own Tara’s fundraising strategy and donor portfolio, working closely with the CEO and ensuring it is shaped by strong stakeholder input and designed to meet funding targets while building long-term financial sustainability.
- Develop and execute an ambitious funder stewardship plan to meet the needs and expectations of a diverse and committed group of institutional funders.
- Establish fit-for-purpose systems and streamlined processes for the management of funder relationships and track progress towards fundraising goals.
- Collaborate across Tara teams to identify and expand the number of new high-value individual donors and philanthropic foundations, including Asian philanthropies interested in climate action.

Proposal development and grant reporting:

- Lead the development of funding concept notes, proposals, and grant reports in collaboration with Tara teams, ensuring they clearly reflect Tara’s strategy and impact.
- Maintain a central calendar of proposal and reporting deadlines, ensuring timely, coordinated, and high-quality submissions across the portfolio.

Funder relations and communications:

- Coordinate funder engagements, including meetings and field visits, and support internal teams through briefings and preparations ahead of engagements.

Debrief the CEO, Regional Program Director and other senior program members on funding opportunities when they arise
- Strengthen internal communication systems and processes to ensure timely program team updates and input into donor-facing materials.
- Develop tailored communication and stewardship materials, including PPT presentations, regular updates, annual reports, and other collateral.
- Ensure timely responses to funder queries and ad-hoc needs.

Donor Fund Management & Compliance:

- Oversee a diverse portfolio of 30+ institutional funders, driving effective renewal and reporting cycles, and working closely with the finance team on revenue forecasting and fund allocation.
- Develop systems to track progress towards fundraising targets, grant deliverables, and reporting deadlines using tools such as Microsoft List, CRM, Excel and others.
- People Management & operational responsibilities:

- Manage and mentor a small team, including external proposal writers and a Strategic Partnerships Officer, ensure efficient resource allocation and high-quality deliverables.
- Promote a culture of excellence, stakeholder responsiveness, high performance, and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrate Tara Values in every action.
- Abide by Tara’s policies, procedures and practices.

As and when required, other responsibilities and projects will be allocated by line management in consultation with the post holder