Senior Donor Manager, Europe

Position title: Senior Donor Manager, Europe
Contract type / duration: 5-year fixed-term contract
Location: Geneva
Department: Resource Mobilisation & Growth
Team: Global Donor Relations Advocacy and Fundraising
Reports To: Head, Donor Relations & Campaigns – Europe & Canada
N° of positions supervised (if applicable): 0
Career Step: 4

1. About the Role
The Senior Donor Manager is a key member of the Resource Mobilisation & Growth (RMG) Department, supporting Gavi’s strategy to secure sustainable and diversified funding for its programmes. Reporting to the Head, Donor Relations & Campaigns – Europe & Canada, this role is responsible for developing, leading, and implementing resource mobilisation strategies, building strong relationships with sovereign donors and related stakeholders to support ambitious immunisation programmes, and ensuring the long-term sustainability and growth of Gavi’s funding base.

Main stakeholders include government officials, parliamentarians, civil society, key influencers, Gavi Secretariat,
Board and Alliance partners, and other development agencies.

The core mission of the role is to secure and manage strategic donor relationships and partnerships, contributing directly to Gavi’s ability to achieve its programme targets and global health goals for 2026–2030 and beyond.

2. Key Responsibilities
Special focus on resource mobilisation in Europe, including leveraging innovative financing mechanisms:

• Develop and implement resource mobilisation strategies for assigned markets, leveraging innovative financing and expanding outreach to new and existing donors, in collaboration with the Head;
• Build and maintain strong relationships with government officials, parliamentarians, civil society, and key influencers to advance support for Gavi’s immunisation programmes;
• Initiate, manage, and report on donor agreements (governments, foundations, corporations), ensuring compliance with renewal and reporting requirements, as well as other regular and contractual donor requests;
• Provide timely, accurate information and collateral (e.g., briefings, legislative analysis, speeches, preparation for market visits) to internal and external stakeholders to support relationship management, fundraising and advocacy efforts;
• Lead strategic assessments and engagement planning, identifying opportunities, risks, and key stakeholders in collaboration with colleagues, and shaping market-specific outreach;
• Coordinate donor engagement and visibility campaigns, ensuring involvement of senior leadership, alignment with cross-functional teams, and effective advocacy in target markets.

Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs.

3. Your Experience and Skills

• Typically, 8-12 years of relevant experience in resource mobilisation, donor relations, and partnership management, ideally in international development, public health, or government sectors. In addition, required experience engaging with public (sovereign donors, government agencies) partners and/or EU institutions;

• Direct experience working with donor governments, parliamentarians and civil society advocates in Europe;
• Familiarity with political, economic, cultural, and funding landscapes specific to Europe. Experience with innovative finance mechanisms is desirable.

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, International Affairs, or relevant professional experience.

• Resource Mobilisation Strategy: Advanced ability to develop and implement strategies to secure significant financial and business resources from diverse sources (sovereign, private sector, development finance);
• Stakeholder Engagement: Demonstrated experience cultivating high-level relationships with governments, private sector, civil society, and key influencers in global health and sustainable development settings;
• Donor and Grant Management: Ability to initiate, manage, and report on complex donor agreements; experience preparing legislative analysis, talking points, and technical collateral;
• Analytical and Strategic Thinking: Excellent analytical skills, ability to synthesise complex policy and market information to inform funding strategy and donor engagement;
• Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication in English; proven ability to draft persuasive, audience-appropriate materials and communicate Gavi’s positions to varied audiences;
• Project Management: Strong organisational and project management skills, able to manage multiple initiatives and adapt to evolving priorities and tight deadlines.

• Excellent command of English (written and spoken) is required;
• Advanced command of French and/or other European languages desirable.

• Entrepreneurial, solution-oriented, and results-driven; thrives in complex, fast-paced, and multicultural environments;
• Collaborative, able to build strong internal and external relationships and foster teamwork;
• Demonstrates initiative, flexibility, and sound judgement under pressure; able to operate independently and escalate issues appropriately;
• Committed to Gavi’s mission, with high integrity and cultural sensitivity in all professional interactions;
• Excellent at navigating ambiguity and adapting to changing contexts or priorities.