Fundraising Programme Officer (Friends of EMBL)

About the team/job

EMBL is Europe’s life sciences laboratory – an intergovernmental organisation with more than 110 independent research groups and service teams covering the spectrum of molecular biology. It operates across six sites in Heidelberg (headquarters), Barcelona, Cambridge, Grenoble, Hamburg and Rome. Our mission is to perform basic research in molecular biology; train scientists, students and visitors at all levels; offer vital services to scientists in the public and private sectors within the member states; develop new instruments and methods; and engage actively in technology transfer.

The Office of Resource Development creates and nurtures partnerships and raises funds from individual philanthropists, Foundations and companies to advance EMBL’s mission. We are implementing a growth strategy to widen our network of current and prospective supporters in order to significantly increase the support generated for strategic EMBL projects.

The growth and the internationalisation of the Friends of EMBL programme is part of this strategy, and this will be driven by the Fundraising Programme Officer (Friends of EMBL). 

Your role

The Fundraising Programme Officer (Friends of EMBL) will be responsible for implementing a strategy to grow the number of members and the net donations generated by the programme, as well as to geographically widen the supporter base. Providing excellent stewardship resulting in high retention rates and ever-deepening engagement from Friends will be another priority.

In addition, the postholder will work closely with other members of the team to maximise the value of Friends of EMBL events and communications for major donor cultivation and stewardship.

Moreover, the postholder will also be responsible for other mid-value fundraising initiatives and stewardship of mid-value supporters (generally for donations in the range between 1,000 and 10,000 Euros).

The postholder reports to the Head of Resource Development and works closely with all members of the Resource Development Team.

Main duties and responsibilities include:

• Further development and implementation of Friends of EMBL growth and internationalisation strategy
• Conceptualisation and delivery of Friends of EMBL events in cooperation with the Resource Development Events Coordinator
• Communication with the Friends of EMBL, via various communication channels and in person
• Devising and updating Friends of EMBL communication materials
• Stewardship of Friends of EMBL, engaging in EMBL life and demonstrating the impact of their donations
• Identification, cultivation and solicitation of prospect Friends of EMBL
• Stewardship of all other mid-value donors to EMBL
• Leading on other mid-value collective fundraising appeals and individual approaches (as appropriate)
• Cooperation with the Development Coordinator on maintaining EMBL’s fundraising database
• Representation of EMBL and presentation of the Friends of EMBL Programme to external groups at and outside of EMBL
• Supporting, where appropriate, other Office of Resource Development activities, such as the Benefit Gala and other events and communications 

You have

Qualifications and Experience;

• Ideally, min. 3 years of professional experience in a relevant context (such as fundraising, stakeholder engagement, business development, communications)
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
• Excellent command of both written and spoken German (native speaker competence) and English
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information professionally
• Ability to work independently
• Strong team worker
• Relevant university degree 

You might also have

• Fundraising experience would be desirable
• Training in a life science discipline is not required, but beneficial
• Project/and or event management experience is desirable

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

EMBL offers attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation with a very collegial and family-friendly working environment. Competitive salary and social security benefits, financial support for relocation, a relaxed culture, professional development, an on-site nursery, canteen and other staff facilities make EMBL a great place to work.

** Don’t meet every single requirement? We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply nevertheless. 

What else you need to know

Attendance at weekend or evening events might be required; as well as travel to other EMBL sites or to meet current and prospective supporters.

We are Europe’s research laboratory for the life sciences – an intergovernmental organisation performing scientific research in disciplines including molecular biology, physics, chemistry and computer science. We are an international, innovative and interdisciplinary laboratory with more than 1900 employees from many nations, operating across six sites, in Heidelberg (HQ), Barcelona, Hinxton near Cambridge, Hamburg, Grenoble and Rome.

Our mission is to offer vital services in training scientists, students and visitors at all levels; to develop new instruments and methods in the life sciences and actively engage in technology transfer activities, and to integrate European life science research. The working language of the institute is English.

Please note that appointments on fixed term contracts can be renewed up to 9 years in total, depending on circumstances at the time of the review.

EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we implement best practices in research assessment in our recruitment processes here.