portal resources jobs companies e escalera foundation méxico, a.c. director of policy and development

Director Of Policy and Development


You’re a mover and a shaker who is hungry for scale and passionate about social impact. You’re fed up with the pace of social progress, and you can’t wait to speed things up. You believe that a little philanthropic capital together with a lot of rigorous measurement could solve a surprising number of social problems. You believe the third sector can improve public policy in a big way - and you have the acumen to do just that. You are a restless visionary and political savant. You are driven by data, and you are a bold fundraiser. You are our next Development and Policy Director. 

Responsibilities 

  • Lead fundraising efforts to support breakthrough interventions unlocking access to economic opportunity for marginalized youth in Chiapas through private and public donations, in-kind gifts and volunteering. 
  • Identify and engage with relevant stakeholders that could leverage Escalera’s work or policy influence, and perform as Escalera’s spokesperson in events and forums ensuring the organization’s visibility, thus opening opportunities to establish new partnerships. 
  • Serve as a cross-functional element to strengthen institutional capacities and attain programmatic goals. 

Targets 

  • Maintain and increase a diversified funding floor for Escalera’s core programs, measured by the increase in revenues streams or the establishment of innovative funding schemes with the public and private sector. 
  • Ensure that Escalera becomes a trusted partner for communities and school systems to understand needs and impact solutions, measured by the number of collaboration agreements prospected and established with new partners, as well as strengthened relations with existing ones. 
  • Develop relationships with individuals and institutions that can leverage Escalera’s policy influence so that we become a go-to organization regarding indigenous and rural education in Chiapas, measured by the number of Escalera’s publications or third-party mentions, touchpoints with decision makers, high level meetings and events attended by Escalera, or involvement in collective lobbying efforts.

Main functions 

  1. Develop and cultivate strategic relationships with civil society organizations, academia, and the public sector to finance and strengthen the organization’s efforts towards empowering indigenous youth in Chiapas. 
  2. Collaborate closely with the COO to identify key partnerships to strengthen program delivery and scalability.
  3. Provide effective oversight on all fundraising activities, including individual donor management and cultivation, grant writing, and a year-end campaign to citizen donors and family foundations. 
  4. Manage full cycles of grants and elaborate narrative and financial donor reporting.
  5. Coordinate individuals and groups interested in volunteering (school-building expeditions) with Escalera to efficiently manage these special projects, including logistics of travel and stay in Chiapas. 
  6. Periodically advise Escalera's board during strategic planning meetings on programs development and improvement. 
  7. Lead Escalera’s communications strategy including social media, monthly e-blasts, and specific campaigns.
  8. Coordinate awareness and fundraising campaigns on the urgency to support education in rural and indigenous contexts, engaging mainly with Mexican and U.S. audiences
  9. Supervise and ensure an effective performance of the Communications assistant working under your direct supervision. 

About you 

You have proven fundraising ability, leadership credentials and project management expertise. 

Proven fundraising ability 

  • At least two years of experience in raising funds and/or capital for social purpose organizations (for- profit or non-profit).
  • Experience working with CRM platforms is a plus. 

Leader with credentials 

  • Master’s Degree in relevant subject area, such as public administration, business administration, political science, education, economics, public policy, development, etc; or an equivalent of five years working in the development sector.  
  • Grounded knowledge of civil society’s strategies to influence policies processes. 
  • Solid understanding of the political climate in Mexico and Chiapas, particularly on the education agenda. 
  • Experience working directly with Boards of Directors and consultants in complex and changing contexts is a plus. 

Project management expertise 

  • Capacity to develop workflows in order to meet deadlines and project goals. 
  • Proven relationship management skills to develop and maintain positive, friendly and professional relationships with a range of stakeholders. 
  • Familiarity with G-Suite and task management tools is a plus.  

Terms and location

Starting as soon as possible, with some flexibility to facilitate a smooth transition. Location indefinite: we look for someone enthusiastic that would be up for having a short term immersion in Chiapas to fully understand and engage with the organization. After that we expect the candidate to travel regularly  to our offices in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. 

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