Director of Fundraising and Communications

Background

Climate Catalyst is a non-profit dedicated to galvanizing the collective power of business, investors, and civil society to influence and accelerate policy change in Asia and Europe. Our vision is a just, prosperous world in which global warming is limited to 1.5°C.

Climate Catalyst works to strengthen collaboration and mobilise new actors on pivotal climate challenges in heavy emitting industries. We build power and compel political leaders to act at the speed and scale needed to tackle the climate crisis. We do this by:

Working behind the scenes with stakeholders in Europe and Asia to identify critical climate issues where action to date has been limited, and the potential for collaboration is high.
Bringing together renowned experts and new entrants to share ideas, and design and deliver creative campaigns that secure decisive changes in national and regional policy to deliver sectoral tipping points and secure significant emissions reductions.
Advising on strategy, offering grants and bringing creative communications, advocacy and business expertise to build power across the climate community and catalyse action.

To date, we’ve used this model successfully to mobilise the business community in support of the EU Nature Restoration Law, the first legislation for peatlands protection across Europe, and spark collective action in India that led to a commitment from the Ministry of Steel to develop a green steel roadmap.

Our fundraising progress

Climate Catalyst has built a strong network of trusts and foundations that recognise the value of our work and the potential of our model. Our annual income and expenditure was approximately $3.5M in 2025. It will be approximately $6M in 2026. We are well on the way to securing this and will shift our focus to 2027 in Q2 and Q3 of this year.

We have a three-year core grant from our long-term anchor funder which provides around 30% of our income. We are making good progress in building our reserves to reduce our risk.

Our funding to date has been almost wholly secured from charitable grants gifted by trusts, foundations and major donors. We have a three-year budget covering the period of our current strategic plan (2026 -28) and aim to increase our income in this period. It will be important to diversify our income sources to help us to achieve this. and expenditure in 2027-28. We have legal entities in the US and UK.

Purpose of role

We are seeking a Director of Fundraising and Communications to design, lead and oversee implementation of our fundraising and communications strategies. The successful candidate will be a highly skilled and strategic leader. They will work with our strong Leadership Team to further build our income and reputation and enable us to further scale our work and impact via implementation of our 2026-28 strategic plan and beyond.

The Director of Fundraising and Communications is a member of our Leadership Team, reporting to the Chief Executive.

The overall remit of this role is to:

Lead the design and implementation of our fundraising strategy, enabling us to grow, diversify and sustain our income and financial stability.
Oversee implementation of our communications strategy to strengthen our reputation as a successful catalyst for action on climate among our target audiences.
Lead, manage and support our Fundraising and Communications Team.
Develop and oversee strong and lasting relationships with our current funders and build a strong pipeline of future funders.
Secure 6 and 7-figure multi-year gifts that match our budget and programme development requirements.
Ensure the organisation’s narrative and high-quality communications materials consistently amplify our impact story and the impact of our programme partners, as well as contributing to our influencing objectives.

Primary responsibilities

Fundraising leadership (70%)

Lead our organisation in securing a $6M - $9M USD annual budget.
Build on our existing fundraising strategy – and adapt as needed – drawing on input and engagement from the Chief Executive, Leadership Team, board, and other staff.
Oversee the development of both high-level strategy and implementation plans, and manage the contributions of staff as needed, especially programmes and Leadership Team members.
Represent Climate Catalyst to current and potential funders and proactively manage those relationships.
Manage our fundraising team (currently Fundraising and Governance Manager and Fundraising Coordinator), fundraising consultants and new staff that may be appointed as needed.
Create and maintain tools and systems that support fundraising efforts across pipelines, clear tracking systems, and impact measurement for reporting requirements.
Work closely with our partners and allies on fundraising strategy and donor outreach, where appropriate.
Work closely with the Director of People and Operations, and the Finance Manager on ensuring our cash flow and financial forecasts are in line with the fundraising pipeline and realities.
Liaise with the Board of Directors as needed, and present regular updates on our strategy and progress.

Communications leadership (30%)

Oversee the development and implementation of our communications strategy, focused on enhancing our reputation and amplifying the impact and expertise of our partners and allies.
Manage the Communications Team (currently Senior Head of Communications and Senior Digital Manager).
Oversee the creation of high-quality, targeted communications materials (e.g., policy briefs, strategic reports, impact stories) to build the organisation’s reputation as a trusted thought leader and catalyst for climate action amongst our priority audience groups (funders, policymakers, key programme stakeholders and climate leaders).
Oversee the organisation’s brand reputation and narrative, ensuring all external communications reflect our core values of courage, collaboration, diversity, and learning.
Establish systems for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of communication efforts in advancing the organisation’s reputation and objectives.

What you will bring

A passion for turning organisational vision into long-term financial stability and sustainability.
Proven ability to build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with high-level funders and partners.
10+ years of extensive experience in developing, executing, and adapting sophisticated foundation and private philanthropy fundraising strategies and plans.
Demonstrated success in securing significant multi-year gifts, including a track record of securing $1M+ contributions from foundations and individual philanthropists.
A thorough, current understanding of the climate philanthropy landscape in key geographies (the US, Europe, and Asia).
Proven ability to lead and support an effective communications strategy focused on reputation building among elite audiences.
Strong people-management skills, including self-awareness and the ability to delegate.
Demonstrated experience working with and across teams and time zones.

How you will work

Objective focused and result oriented.
Eager to collaborate and solve challenges.
A team champion, who thrives in collaborative environments, is low ego and focused on delivering the best results for the team and partners.
Strategic thinker who can actively listen, synthesise complex information, and contribute to elevating the overall thinking and strategy of the team.
Committed to our values of courage, collaboration, diversity and learning.

Additional information

Currently, our main working language is English. Fluency in another language is highly valued.
This position requires international travel to cultivate and maintain funder relationships, and to represent Climate Catalyst in key meetings.
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment tasks or otherwise participating in the interview process, please inform us of that in the relevant application section.

For more information about working with us at Climate Catalyst, visit our website athttps://climatecatalyst.org/get-involved/work-with-us/.

Diversity at Climate Catalyst

Climate Catalyst aims to design inclusive strategies to meet our objectives. We recognise that the only way to deliver on this is to build a diverse team composed of individuals with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We encourage applicants from historically marginalised and currently underrepresented groups in the climate movement to apply.

Equal employment opportunities:

Climate Catalyst is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable employment opportunity laws prohibiting discrimination. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

To apply for the post

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV/resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how you fulfil the requirements set out in the job announcement. Please ensure you send your CV and Cover letter in the following format: full name CV org name and role and full name and role CL.

If you have any questions about the role or organisation and would like an informal chat ahead of submitting a formal application, please reach out to Ruth Gardner at ruth@upsallinternational.com. To note: in order to keep your application safe and ensure your data is GDPR compliant, applications will not be accepted via email.

The deadline for applications is Monday 13^th April, 9:00 am CET

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Upsall International actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. In recruiting candidates, we seek candidates with the proven skills required, irrespective of race, gender, religion or belief, age, disability, or sexual orientation.