Director or Managing Director, Partnerships

Director or Managing Director, Partnerships

This range is provided by Namati. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$115,000.00 / yr - $147,500.00 / yr

About the Position

Namati is entering a critical new phase. As we navigate a changing funding landscape and increasing risks to democracy worldwide, we seek a visionary, strategic, and collaborative

Director or Managing Director, Partnerships

to lead our global resource mobilization (RM) efforts and help ensure Namati’s long‑term sustainability and impact.

This is a senior leadership role charged with leading the execution and evolution of Namati’s fundraising strategy, managing a high‑performing team, and owning a portfolio of high‑stakes relationships with philanthropic foundations, bilateral institutions, and individual donors. The Director or Managing Director will work closely with executive leadership, program leads, and external partners to sustain and grow Namati’s $10M+ annual budget.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic leadership and planning

Lead the execution of Namati’s current multi‑year fundraising strategy, ensuring consistent progress on goals and data‑informed decision‑making.

In close collaboration with leadership and the RM team, drive the long‑term evolution of the fundraising strategy by analyzing internal data, monitoring external trends, and incorporating team learning from across the organization.

Partner closely with Namati’s finance team to set clear revenue targets, forecast future resource needs and revenue scenarios, and help ensure that Namati is positioned for long‑term financial health.

While maintaining primary focus on Namati’s core fundraising strategy, contribute to long‑term sustainability efforts through strategic experimentation. This might include expanding our grassroots donor base through digital fundraising, and serving as the internal counterpart to Namati’s earned revenue consultant.

Contribute to overall organizational strategy and planning as a member of the senior leadership team.

Team management

Supervise, develop, and manage a growing team of five fundraisers and two fundraising operations specialists, providing clear direction, support, and accountability.

Provide ongoing and regular mentorship, coaching, and performance feedback to build a collaborative, goal‑oriented, and resilient team.

Oversee RM team operations, ensuring strong coordination and adherence to the team’s operating principles, processes, and systems.

Ensure new opportunities and renewals are moved timely and strategically by monitoring key pipeline health metrics and assigning relationship owners to optimize fundraising outcomes.

Promote a culture of learning, accountability, and joy both within the RM team and across teams.

Partner with relationship owners, program leads, and finance to ensure both proposals for new funding and reporting on existing grants are timely and of the highest quality.

Donor cultivation and stewardship

Act as a principle relationship lead for 10‑15 key funder relationships, stewarding them through the fundraising lifecycle from identification to reporting to renewal.

Engage funders with confidence, clarity, and heart to represent Namati’s vision and strategy in multi‑program and organization‑wide fundraising efforts.

Develop and iterate thematic fundraising roadmaps, and advise relationship owners and program leads based on those roadmaps, to drive revenue growth across Namati’s priority themes (democracy, land / environmental / climate justice, and the Grassroots Justice Network Academy).

Thought leadership and external representation

Serve as a senior spokesperson and thought leader for Namati’s mission : shape sector conversations, elevate the organization’s visibility, and strategically position Namati with current and prospective funders through compelling writing, speaking engagements, and relationship‑building.

Coach program leads to strengthen their external presence and donor engagement, including preparing for funder‑facing events.

Collaborate with the Strategic Engagement team to ensure consistent, creative, and compelling donor‑facing communications.

About You

Must‑Haves

Minimum 10 years of experience in non‑profit fundraising, including at least 5 years in a leadership or senior management role with significant fundraising and staff management responsibilities.

Proven track record of securing 7‑ or 8‑figure gifts from institutional funders and / or individual donors.

Strong people management skills and experience overseeing high‑performing teams with humility and empathy.

Ability to pair big‑picture strategy with strong execution, both through your own work and by enabling excellence in your team.

Exceptional relationship‑building and communication skills that allow you to write and speak with clarity, humanness, and moral force.

Cross‑cultural competency and experience working across diverse teams, themes, and geographies.

Nice‑to‑Haves

Experience driving capital campaigns or building social enterprise is a significant asset.

Prior experience in legal empowerment, human rights, or international development.

Experience living in or fundraising for organizations in Africa, Asia, and / or Latin America.

Experience leading teams through periods of change and / or growth.

Location and Travel

We’re looking for a successful candidate to be based in the Washington, D.C. metro area. We will also consider applicants from CT, MA, MD, NJ, NY, or VA. Please note that candidates must already be legally eligible to work in the United States to be considered for the role; Namati cannot sponsor visas.

If the successful candidate is based in / near Washington D.C., they will follow Namati’s hybrid office policy, which calls for staff to report to the office two days per week between Tuesday and Thursday.

The role typically requires 15‑20% travel, including internationally. Travel requirements may change over time based on evolving priorities. The successful candidate will be expected to work non‑standard hours occasionally to accommodate the various time zones of Namati’s teams.

Compensation and Benefits

We base our compensation on the markets where our staff operate and the responsibility, scope, and complexity of the role. Namati's staff position bands range from 1 (entry level / assistant) to 9 (Managing Director). This position will either be at band 8 (Director) or at band 9 (Managing Director), based on the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Namati offers a broad range of benefits, including :

Health insurance :

we pay 80% of the base plan premium for individuals, and 50% for dependents.

Paid time off :

new staff have 12 sick days and 3 personal days, and accrue 15 days of paid vacation (increasing to 20 after two years). Namati closes its offices organization‑wide for “winter break” from December 25 to January 1. Additionally, we provide six weeks of paid parental leave.

401(k) retirement planning :

Namati contributes 5% of your salary plus matches your contribution up to an additional 5%.

Professional development :

we value – and set aside a professional development fund toward – staff having access to external professional development opportunities.

How to Apply

Please apply by completing our online application form. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and the position will be open until filled.

No phone calls, please. Namati is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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