About Resilient Cities Network
The Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities) supports more than 100 cities across over 40 countries, helping them withstand, adapt to, and thrive amid the challenges of the 21st century.
Building on more than a decade of work initiated with The Rockefeller Foundation, R-Cities works with governments, communities, and funders to address acute shocks and chronic stresses. Its programmes strengthen climate resilience, equity, public health, and sustainability.
R-Cities operates through a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a Netherlands-based Stichting.
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About the Strategic Partnerships Team
The Strategic Partnerships Team leads R-Cities’ fundraising, business development, strategic partnerships, and donor cultivation.
The team works across the organization to connect R-Cities’ strategy, city priorities, and programme expertise with funding opportunities and long-term partnerships that advance the organization’s mission and financial sustainability.
About the Role
As Senior Manager – Strategic Partnerships, you will own R-Cities’ partnership pipeline and coordinate the development of high-quality funding opportunities from early prospect identification through proposal submission and award.
Job Title: Senior Manager – Strategic Partnerships
Job Location: Remote, Global — within GMT-5 to GMT+3
Organization: Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities)
Employment Type: Full-time
Contract: Long-term position; contract type and term depend on the employment arrangement
Working Hours: 40 hours per week
Closing Date: Monday, 24 August 2026, 10:00 CET
Application Review: Rolling basis
You will build the intelligence, systems, and internal coordination required to position R-Cities proactively with philanthropic organizations, corporations, multilateral institutions, and other strategic partners.
Working closely with the Co-Managing Directors, Portfolio Leads, communications colleagues, and finance teams, you will translate R-Cities’ strategy, city priorities, and programme ideas into compelling partner propositions.
The role combines external awareness and relationship-building with strong operational discipline. You will identify relevant opportunities, support timely decision-making, coordinate multiple contributors, and maintain a clear understanding of pipeline health, fundraising prospects, and organizational capacity.
Key Responsibilities
Partnership Development and Positioning – 30%
You will own:
- Developing a prioritized approach to identifying and cultivating prospective philanthropic, corporate, multilateral, and institutional partners aligned with R-Cities’ strategy.
- Conducting prospect research and partner intelligence, including analysis of funding priorities, decision-makers, relationship history, and potential engagement routes.
- Preparing briefings, background materials, and positioning recommendations for senior leadership engagement with priority partners.
- Managing ongoing stewardship and coordination for assigned strategic partner relationships.
- Ensuring clear follow-up and continuity across the organization.
You will also contribute to:
- Senior-level cultivation, negotiation, and relationship management led by the Co-Managing Directors and other organizational leaders.
- Thought pieces, presentations, and external materials that strengthen R-Cities’ positioning.
Proposal and Opportunity Development – 30%
You will own:
- End-to-end coordination of concept notes, expressions of interest, proposals, and other funding submissions.
- Developing clear workplans, responsibilities, deadlines, and quality-control processes for funding opportunities.
- Writing and editing compelling funder-facing narratives that translate technical ideas, city priorities, and organizational strategy into clear propositions.
- Managing submission processes and funder requirements to ensure materials are complete, consistent, and submitted on time.
You will contribute to:
- Programme design, results frameworks, budgets, delivery plans, and risk assessments led by Portfolio Leads, programme teams, and finance colleagues.
- Funding negotiations and due diligence following successful submissions.
Pipeline Management and Fundraising Performance – 25%
You will own:
- The partnership and proposal pipeline system, ensuring it remains a reliable source of information across prospecting, cultivation, submission, negotiation, award, and close-out.
- Regular pipeline reporting, analysis, and forecasting for leadership.
- Monitoring progress against fundraising targets, opportunity value, probability, timing, constraints, and next actions.
- Identifying and resolving process bottlenecks, information gaps, and coordination risks throughout the opportunity lifecycle.
You will contribute to:
- Organizational revenue planning and prioritization of fundraising efforts.
- Decisions regarding organizational capacity and investment.
- Grant handover and close-out processes that preserve relationship history and inform future opportunities.
External Intelligence and Organizational Learning – 15%
You will own:
- Monitoring and synthesizing developments across philanthropy, climate resilience, urban development, health, finance, and related partnership ecosystems.
- Maintaining accessible institutional records on partner engagement, proposals, feedback, outcomes, and lessons learned.
You will contribute to:
- Strategic discussions on emerging opportunities, donor interests, peer activity, and changes in the external environment.
- Cross-team learning that strengthens future positioning, programme development, and partnership practices.
Percentages are estimates.
What You Bring
This position is suited to a professional who can move comfortably between external intelligence, strategic judgment, persuasive writing, and detailed coordination.
You should be able to turn technical material into clear and persuasive propositions while keeping multiple contributors, deadlines, and dependencies organized.
The successful candidate will demonstrate sound judgment when assessing prospects and opportunities, work independently when priorities and processes are still developing, build trust across teams, and develop early conversations into lasting partnerships.
Essential Requirements
Candidates should have:
- At least five years of experience in strategic partnerships, business development, fundraising, resource mobilization, or programme development.
- Experience coordinating multi-contributor funding submissions, including proposals, concept notes, or expressions of interest, through to submission and deadlines.
- Direct experience working with philanthropic, institutional, corporate, or multilateral funders.
- Experience writing or editing funder-facing materials in English, including proposals, concept notes, or partner briefs.
- Experience conducting prospect research, opportunity assessments, or funding analysis to inform organizational decisions.
- Experience working across functions and with senior stakeholders in an international or distributed organization.
- Experience using a CRM or comparable partnership and pipeline management system.
Valued Experience
The following experience would be advantageous:
- Fundraising, partnership, or proposal development experience in urban development, climate adaptation, resilience, public policy, health, finance, or international development.
- Fundraising or partnership experience with city governments or city networks.
- Fundraising or partnership experience within membership-based organizations.
- Experience leading a funding submission developed across multiple organizations, either for your organization’s contribution or the submission as a whole.
- Experience contributing to proposal budgets.
- Experience designing results frameworks.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit:
- A CV outlining relevant experience.
- A cover letter explaining their interest in the Senior Manager – Strategic Partnerships position.
- Details demonstrating how their experience aligns with the role and R-Cities’ mission.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to apply early.
The application deadline is Monday, 24 August 2026, at 10:00 CET.
Shortlisted candidates can expect a multi-stage selection process, which may include interviews with members of the leadership team, a practical exercise or case study, and reference checks.
For questions about the position, candidates can contact Lenny de Jong, Senior Manager – Global Operations, at careers@resilientcitiesnetwork.org.
Equal Opportunity Employer
R-Cities is committed to equitable and inclusive recruitment practices. The organization welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds and lived experiences and strives to provide a fair and respectful selection process.
R-Cities provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.
Apply Before 24 August 2026
If you have experience in strategic partnerships, fundraising, business development, resource mobilization, or international programme development, this remote global opportunity with the Resilient Cities Network offers the chance to help build partnerships that advance climate resilience, equity, public health, and sustainability across cities worldwide.
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