Strategic Partnerships Officer

Tara Climate Foundation is a philanthropic climate foundation dedicated to fostering a future where Asia’s unwavering commitment to climate action paves the way for just, thriving and resilient societies. Tara operates in East, Southeast, and South Asia, excluding India and China.

Our mission is to support a diverse group of partners in accelerating Asia’s energy transformation and championing climate action. Tara plays three main roles in the region:

• Grantmaker: Tara works closely with mission-aligned foundations and philanthropists to pool resources and grant funds to organisations working to accelerate Asia’s energy transition and climate action (excluding China and India).
• Convenor: Tara cultivates networks that facilitate the exchange of ideas between business, civil society, and government throughout and beyond Asia.
• Local and regional expert: With strong networks spanning civil society, businesses and government, Tara funds thorough research and analysis to address knowledge gaps, stay abreast of emerging trends, and craft evidence-based strategies to advance our mission.

Since establishing its headquarters in Singapore in 2021, the foundation has provided grants to more than 300 organisations across 13 countries and jurisdictions. Our team of over 50 experts is spread across the Asia-Pacific region, working to combat climate change in this decisive decade.

Over the last two years Tara has experienced significant growth, expanding our funding base to include more than twenty philanthropic foundations contributing more than US$60 million annually.

About this role:

This role is a unique opportunity to shape and strengthen practices and operations within Tara’s Strategic Partnerships team and contribute to growing Tara’s funding base. The Strategic Partnerships Officer will be responsible for administering all aspects of Tara’s funding relationships. They will have the opportunity to build experience writing a variety of donor and stakeholder communications materials; learn about the philanthropic sectors in the US, UK, and EU; gain exposure to the most high-profile climate funders in the world including in Asia; and interact with a diverse and supportive group of international colleagues who are driving energy transformation across Asia.

The Strategic Partnerships Officer will report into the Head of Institutional Partnerships until such time as a Director of Strategic Partnerships and External Communications is appointed.

Key responsibilities include:

• Facilitate the hands-on process of proposal development, budgeting, and financial reporting, coordinating with colleagues and donors across multiple countries.
• Compile information, conduct research, and support cross-departmental coordination to source content for proposals and reports.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records on funder contact information, grants, and organisational documentation, including income projections.
• Utilising our grants management system Fluxx, allocate grants issued by Tara to our sources of income; report accurately to Tara funders about how their funding was allocated.
• Manage Donor Deadline Calendar by ensuring funder deliverables are communicated, tracked, and completed on time.
• Organise key funder meetings (online and in-person), including preparation of materials and pre-reads and attending some meetings as note-taker.
• Prepare briefing memos on funders for upcoming meetings, including compiling donor research and collecting organisational updates.
• Process incoming grants, including reviewing grant agreements, coordinating signatures, ensuring proper coding and allocation of funds, and tracking payments.
• Craft compelling presentations in PPT for funders and prospective funders
• Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to identify learnings and trends to share with funders and in written materials.
• Organise funder events and receptions in Singapore and other parts of the region, coordinating the full life cycle from invitations to registration to logistics and follow up.

Excited by the prospect of working for a dynamic and fast-growing international organisation, the ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of experience in a communications-oriented and/or project management role across any industry and the following:

Skills & Experience:

• Extremely organized with strong attention to detail
• Effective communicator in written and spoken English
• Experienced developing compelling visuals for slides and written materials
• Able to manage multiple projects and competing priorities
• Adept at preparing budgets in Excel and reviewing / presenting financial information
• Professional with excellent interpersonal skills to work with stakeholders from diverse nationalities and backgrounds
• Experience with philanthropic foundations or international non-governmental organisations is highly desired
• Experience working with grant management software (e.g., Fluxx) and/or CRM software (e.g., Salesforce) is highly desired

Additional attributes:

• Track record of working in environments requiring professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality
• Solve problems resourcefully, efficiently, and independently with a proactive, ‘can-do’ attitude towards challenges and changes
• Used to working flexibly at a fast pace in remote settings with multi-cultural teams across multiple time-zones
• Willingness to travel nationally and internationally as required
• Embraces Tara’s mission and identifies with and is committed to living the Tara Values

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant experience in project management, proposal writing, PowerPoint presentations, systems and budget administration

What Tara offers:

• The unique opportunity to work as part of a highly dynamic, international team who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for career develop and challenge yourself
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• A collaborative, fun and thriving team, driven by our mission and live our values

To Apply:

Please submit an A4 covering letter outlining your skills and achievements against the role responsibilities, why you would like to join us and your salary expectations, along with your up-to-date CV at [email protected]. Please use the job title: Strategic Partnerships Officer as the subject in your email. Applications without a cover letter will not be assessed.

Tara is committed to building leadership capacity within Asia. This position is based in Singapore. Applicants must have the right to work in the country.

We appreciate everyone's application, but only have the resources to respond to shortlisted applicants. If you have not heard from us within 3 weeks of the closing date, please assume you are unsuccessful for this role. If this is you, we appreciate your support and consideration and hope you will continue to consider roles with Tara in the future!