Role purpose

To support this mission, HIVOS is strengthening and expanding its external engagement and is seeking a new Head of External Engagement (HEE) as a member of the Hivos Core Leadership Team (CLT) and reporting directly to the CEO.

The role will provide strategic leadership to strengthen and enhance Hivos’ visibility, advocacy impact, and public engagement by developing coherent communication, branding, and fundraising strategies.

The role strengthens the alignment between project and corporate communications, safeguards brand consistency and digital content quality, and drives individual giving campaigns. It also elevates Hivos’ presence through effective media relations, storytelling, and engagement across digital channels, while developing tailored pitches for private donors—including corporate and philanthropic foundations—to expand Hivos’ financial base and influence.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Formulate and implement high-impact and innovative offline and online strategies to acquire and develop committed donors/supporters globally, and to maximize income.
• Analyze donation patterns and use data to underpin decisions about global fundraising strategies and tactics.
• Deliver income targets and expenditure budgets for External Engagement and be responsible for monitoring progress and setting the budget on an annual basis.
• Oversee the management of the supporter and donation process to deliver a quality donor journey to maximize the retention rate of individual donors.
• Managing relationships with key external service providers and agencies, including negotiating contracts.
• Develop and implement the Corporate Communication strategy and plan. Assuring visibility of Hivos in general, for our stakeholders and in particular donors and private supporters in particular.

• Ensure the inclusion of programs into a wide Hivos-wide narrative. Guide program managers on communication strategy and actions.
• Translate corporate strategy and identity into Hivos corporate branding. Promote, expose and reinforce Hivos’ visibility and enable consistency and correct usage of branding by all employees.
• Combine advocacy efforts, campaign initiatives and modern storytelling techniques into a consistent Hivos narrative.
• Translate program work (e.g., research, surveys, media and reports) into products used by the External Engagement team to position Hivos.
• Deliver effective management to the External Engagement team, ensuring excellent communication and service delivery to meet KPIs and deliver ROI.
• Lead efforts to build and nurture Hivos’ constituency of supporters, partners, and allies—strengthening engagement, trust, and long-term commitment to Hivos’ mission and values.
• Develop compelling products, narratives, and evidence-based propositions that connect fundraising, business development, and program design — fostering a learning loop that enables continuous improvement and repeat partnerships.
• Identify and expand new communication, fundraising, and engagement channels—reaching new target audiences and markets to broaden Hivos’ visibility and supporter base.
• Lead, motivate, and develop staff, ensuring teamwork and professional growth.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, donor requirements, and external regulations.

Profile

• Strategic leadership experience in fundraising, communications, and external engagement within complex, mission-driven organizations.
• More than 10 years of progressive experience in individual giving and/or mass marketing campaigns.
• Strong expertise in individual giving, donor acquisition and retention, donor journey management (preferably in multi-market), and developing tailored pitches for corporate and philanthropic donors.
• Solid understanding of corporate communications, brand management, media relations, digital engagement, and safeguarding brand consistency across all channels.
• Ability to integrate program outputs (research, surveys, stories, evidence) into compelling narratives, campaigns, and fundraising or visibility products.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills, including interpreting donor data, audience insights, and market trends.
• Excellent storytelling, editorial, and messaging skills with the ability to craft a coherent organizational narrative that aligns advocacy, programs, and fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally and ensure alignment between project-level and corporate communications.
• Proven team leadership experience with globally dispersed and multi-cultural teams, setting KPIs, monitoring performance, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• Experience managing external agencies, suppliers, and media partners, including procurement and contract negotiation.
• Strong project management, planning, and prioritization skills, with the ability to deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Knowledge of donor CRM systems, digital communication tools, and analytics platforms.
• Commitment to Hivos’ mission, values, equity principles, and locally led development.

Terms of Appointment

This is a full-time position.

Role Location

The Netherlands or Global

Hivos is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting a work environment where diversity and inclusion is valued, and people are treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnicity/race, national or social origin, disability, religion, political affiliation, age, family size, marital status, or any other form of personal identity. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, please ensure you complete the Application Form provided below by 20 February 2026 (23:59 hrs, GMT +2). It is essential that you submit your CV in English, specifically in Microsoft Word format (.doc/.docx), not exceeding 10MB.

Applications in other languages or formats will not be considered.

Rest assured, all information will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.

SRI Executive is exclusively retained by Hivos to undertake this assignment.