Director, Principal Giving

Overview 

In 2025, the Global Energy Alliance (GEA) launched a dedicated Partnerships and Philanthropy Division to expand and diversify our funding base. We are establishing new fundraising revenue streams, engaging nontraditional funders, and building deep, trust-based partnerships to mobilize resources and drive systemic impact. 

Position Summary

As the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet's first Director of Principal Giving, you will play a defining role in shaping the next chapter of philanthropy at the organization and building its principal giving function from the ground up. Joining at a pivotal moment in the organization's evolution, you will help shape and scale a newly established Partnerships and Philanthropy Division designed to expand the Global Energy Alliance's funding base, engage new philanthropic audiences, and mobilize the resources needed to accelerate lasting change across global energy systems.

You will lead the development of the Global Energy Alliance's principal giving strategy, cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals, philanthropic families, and giving collectives who share the organization's ambition to advance a more equitable and sustainable energy future. Working closely with senior leadership and the Board, you will create new pathways for philanthropic partnership, align donor interests with high-impact opportunities, and help unlock catalytic funding capable of driving change at scale.

This is a unique opportunity to shape strategy, establish new approaches to donor engagement, and position philanthropy as a powerful force for transforming energy systems and expanding economic opportunity around the world.

Key Responsibilities 

Major Giving and High-Net-Worth Philanthropy 

• Design and execute GEA's global major giving strategy, with a focus on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals and family foundations aligned with GEA's mission and catalytic approach. 

• Build and manage a high-value donor pipeline and global HNWI networks, with the aim of securing gifts of six figures and above. 

• Develop and implement tailored engagement strategies for each donor, ensuring alignment with their interests and values, offering co-creation opportunities and visibility and recognition plans. 

• Leverage intermediary channels, such as donor-advised funds (DAFs), philanthropic advisory firms, and private banks, to expand access to new HNWI audiences and philanthropic advisors. 

• Coordinate high-touch stewardship and cultivation events, including regional convenings, site visits, thought leadership roundtables, and global philanthropic forums. 

Board Engagement 

• Build relationships with board members with the aim of identifying and developing warm pathways into priority prospects, supporting the Chief Partnerships and Philanthropy Officer in activating board relationships for cultivation and solicitation. 

• Support board engagement strategies and track outcomes from touchpoints with funders. 

• Manage the cadence and quality of board-facing communications from the fundraising team, ensuring consistency in messaging, data accuracy, and strategic framing. 

• Prepare briefing packages for board members ahead of key external moments (e.g., COP31, the Bellagio convening, UN General Assembly), equipping them to serve as ambassadors and door-openers with prospective institutional partners. 

Strategic Leadership 

• Serve as a senior leader within the Partnerships and Philanthropy Division, helping to shape vision, goals, and team growth. 

• Champion data-driven decision-making, contributing to the development of dashboards, CRM tools, and donor journey tracking systems to improve performance and engagement. 

• Support internal capacity building, mentoring colleagues on HNWI engagement, narrative development, and donor stewardship best practices. 

• Represent GEA externally, including speaking engagements, strategic donor briefings, and roundtables with key partners and networks. 

Requirements 

Skills and Experience 

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Business, Nonprofit Management, Environment, Energy, Climate, or a related field preferred. 

• 10+ years of experience raising major and principal gifts. 

• Demonstrated success managing a multi-million-dollar fundraising portfolio and building principal giving partnerships, particularly in the environment, climate, or clean energy space. 

• Strong working knowledge of individual giving trends. 

• Exceptional relationship management, negotiation, and communication skills, with a strong track record in major giving, including with family offices, HNWIs, giving circles, and philanthropic coalitions. 

• Ability to synthesize complex ideas and translate them into clear, compelling value propositions for both internal stakeholders and external partners. 

• Experience working in or with global organizations focused on clean energy, climate, or international development is highly desirable. 

• High digital fluency, including CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce) and performance analytics tools. 

Behavioural Competencies 

• Partnership and Relationship Building: Strong professional presence, established networks; has intercultural knowledge and appreciation; and possesses strong strategic partnership building skills. 

• Communication: Excellent interpersonal abilities including strong listening, writing, and verbal skills; demonstrates effectiveness in presenting ideas to a variety of internal and external audiences. 

• Decision-Making: Ability to evaluate risks and opportunities; uses analytical and problem-solving skills; takes initiative and drives for results; can prioritize their own work and the work of others, and understands how their work fits into the overall mission, strategy, and objectives of the alliance. 

• Execution: Commendable project management skills; manages their own time well and provides the necessary guidance and direction to others that allows them to successfully meet deadlines; has a sense of urgency and takes responsibility for their work. 

• Integration: Accesses functional and substantive expertise organizationally and accomplishes their work with inclusiveness and collaboration. 

• Leadership: Thinks innovatively and creatively about their work; has strong negotiation skills which enable them to work effectively and efficiently across a large range of work, people, and internal and external constituencies; demonstrates accountability for their work. 

• Strategic Ability: Anticipates future opportunities and consequences, demonstrates an innovative and flexible approach to work, and can weave together myriad strands into a coherent plan and implement. 

• Cross-Team Management: Superior skill at collaborating within and across teams. 

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Committed to the mission of the alliance, and to inclusion, equity, and diversity in every aspect of their work, and to challenging conventional wisdom through evidence, reason, and amplifying dissenting, unconventional, and marginalized voices.
  
  
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Thrives in evolving and fast-paced environments and demonstrates flexibility, initiative, and resourcefulness. Comfortable building and refining systems, testing new approaches, and supporting the growth of a developing fundraising and partnerships function.

Compensation & Benefits 

This is a full-time, exempt position with an annualized starting salary of £120,000-£140,000, commensurate with experience. The Global Energy Alliance provides a comprehensive benefits package including a robust paid time off plan of 28 days annual leave in addition to org-wide end-of-year-office closure, pension plan with 10% employer contribution and $1,000 annually for work-from-home expenses. The Global Energy Alliance prides itself on being a flexible employer and employees typically operate on a hybrid schedule that typically includes 2 days in office per week.

This position could be based in our London, NYC or DC offices, please note we only have one opening available for this role. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this position. 

 Applications for this role will close on July 15 2026, we do not ask for a cover letter at this stage however shortlisted candidates will be sent targeted questions post selection. Thank you for your time, we look forward to reviewing your application!