Head of Strategic Partnerships

Position title: Head of Strategic Partnerships

Department: Governance & Executive Engagement

Reporting to: Director of the Executive Office

Location: London - Please note that if your right to work in one of the listed locations is not confirmed at the time of applying, C40 will be unable to proceed with your application.

Salary: (Grade 2) UK GBP £77,795 gross per annum - Due to its commitment to maintain equity and fairness, C40 operates on a spot salary model. This means that our employees are paid the same salary according to their grade and location.

Term: Indefinite

Background

C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities, who are working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis, and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Through a Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to go further and faster than ever before.

Our international staff work with the C40 network under the leadership of city governments to deliver this mission. Using a data-driven approach, our team identifies and promotes the exchange of proven programmes and policies developed by cities; provides world-class research, technical expertise and access to key partners to deliver new programmes and policies with cities; and communicates cities’ individual achievements and collective leadership.

Diversity Statement

C40 is committed to supporting and promoting equity and diversity and creating an inclusive working environment for everyone. We believe that when people with different life experiences are involved in decision-making, we deliver better.

We believe having a diverse workforce ensures we connect better with all the different communities and people affected by the climate crisis. This enables us to make better decisions which lead to better outcomes in the work we do through increased creativity, productivity, greater global impact alongside a broader perspective and approach to our work.

We welcome applicants that are diverse in terms of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity and perspective. Our goal is for C40 to be an environment where everyone, from any background, can flourish and can be themselves whilst contributing to our mission. If you identify as a person with a disability, we work to provide reasonable appropriate measures and any additional support needed to provide an equitable working experience. If you are living with a disability, chronic illness or neurodiversity please inform us, to provide you with the proper assistance in the application process.

C40 promotes a work culture where staff can input to improve equity, diversity and inclusion through staff-led groups and formal forums. We know that creating our ideal working environment is a learning process and we are committed to the ongoing effort.

Department description:

The Fundraising team coordinates the delivery of C40’s fundraising strategy, including ensuing the highest level of stewardship standards for our funders, identifying new funding opportunities, connecting and following up with prospective funders, assessing funding needs across the organisation and ensuring that C40’s internal processes for screening for incoming grants are met. The team is situated at the heart of the organisation, within the Executive Office, and leads direct fundraising efforts while also working across the organisation supporting all departments to understand their fundraising needs and assist them in attracting funders. A key priority of the team is working closely with our leadership including the Executive Director (ED), the wider Management Team members, Mayors and Boards, enabling them to engage in fundraising activities as efficiently as possible.

The Fundraising team focuses primarily on partnerships with private funders and works in lockstep with the Government Programmes & Partnerships function at C40, who focus on partnerships with philanthropic and private sector funders.

Position description

The Head of Strategic Partnerships reports to the Director of the Executive Office, working as a close advisor to her and the senior leadership in designing C40’s Fundraising strategy. They are responsible for operationalising and overseeing the Fundraising team’s activities, upholding high standards of relationship management internally and externally.

Successful applicants will enjoy networking with our partners as much as following up and operationalising a small team coordinating a broad organisation. They will be a good team player who enjoys elevating others.

The Head of Strategic Partnerships must be flexible and adaptable to the evolving needs of the organisation, while also helping to identify those needs. They should be able to think strategically and help drive the fundraising narrative both internally and externally. Previous experience in fundraising is essential, preferably in a global, fast-paced environment. They should possess excellent interpersonal skills, as well as technical capacity and the ability to balance multiple and oftentimes competing priorities and deadlines.

The Head of Strategic Partnerships works closely with C40’s Director of the Executive Office in stewarding and cultivating key funding partnerships, both existing and prospective.

Responsibilities

• Support the design of C40’s overarching fundraising strategy, both in the short term and long term.
• Oversee the delivery of the strategy across the organisation with the Director of the Executive Office.
• Oversee the annual and monthly work plan of the fundraising team, ensuring clarity of deliverables, deadlines, roles and responsibilities within the team and to the rest of the organisation.
• Development of strategy and delivery plan for event sponsorships
• Review and co-deliver the infrastructure of collaboration between the fundraising team with the Government Programmes & Partnerships team.
• Join regular programmatic calls to cultivate an in-depth knowledge of resourcing needs across the organisation and of ongoing discussions with prospective partners. Connecting and aligning partners internally and externally.
• Join internal Boards and working groups to help identify priorities and escalate them to ensure fundraising resources are allocated according to the needs of the organisation.
• Lead fundraising efforts on priorities approved by the Management Team within the Fundraising strategy and through strategic projects, in partnership with relevant programme teams.
• Develop and maintain strong and positive relationships with existing and prospective funders.
• Attend events locally and globally as requested to further existing or prospective relationships.
• Strengthen and maintain the C40 funder database/customer relationship management (CRM) system (Salesforce).
• Support internal communications efforts around fundraising, building a culture of philanthropy across C40 teams.
• Line Management of 1-2 team members.
• And any other duties appropriate for the grade.

Person specification:

• Fundraising experience required.
• Work experience in a global context.
• Experience developing funding and sponsorship packages and materials.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills (English).
• Experience using and managing a CRM database.
• Experience conducting robust due diligence around prospective funders.
• Experience managing programme and work plans including solid analytical, organisational and planning skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• Strong technical and problem-solving capabilities coupled with a delivery-oriented approach.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills, particularly experience working with senior executives.
• Proven track record in working collaboratively and effectively with a large team of internal and external stakeholders.
• Line management experience is essential.
• Experience working in climate, the environment or sustainability preferred.

Other Requirements:

Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role.

We seek to recruit individuals who not only have the appropriate skills and experience for the role, but are committed to carrying out their roles in line with our organisational values.

C40 offers a comprehensive benefits package to support employee well-being and work-life balance:

• Paid Time Off: Full-time employees receive 35 days of paid time off annually, which includes all national holidays.
• Company Shutdowns: In addition to the standard paid time off, C40 provides two non-contractual, non-statutory shutdown weeks each year (mid-year and end-of-year) for a full break.
• Parental Leave: All employees are eligible for up to 52 weeks of parenting leave. The first 16 weeks are paid at 100% of the employee's current salary. Weeks 17 through 52 are unpaid by C40, unless payment is required by national law.
• Flexible Working: C40 supports flexible working arrangements to enhance work-life balance, provided they align with business requirements.
• Time off in Lieu (TOIL): Employees can take TOIL to recover following periods of excessive hours or travel.
• Sick Leave: Entitlement to sick leave increases upon the successful completion of the employee's probation period.
• Employee Training: Training and development opportunities are available to all staff (excluding temporary staff and interns) after they have completed and passed their probation period.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Confidential services, such as counselling, are accessible for short-term support.
• Pension scheme: C40 offers a pension scheme to employees in eligible locations. Availability is determined by the country of employment.
• Private Health Insurance: This is provided in countries where publicly funded healthcare is not available.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and cover letter. The closing date for receipt of applications is Tuesday, 7th July 2026 at 5pm BST.C40 reserves the right to close this job opening before the closing date for applications so please do submit applications early.

To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit www.c40.org, follow us on Twitter @c40cities and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/C40Cities.

For any queries about the role, please contact careers@C40.org. Kindly note that this email address is for recruitment related queries only. We are unable to accept CVs and cover letters sent to this inbox. We can only accept and process applications that are submitted via our website.

C40 is an equal opportunities employer.