Job Title: Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Location: Remote, with preference for candidates in the San Francisco Bay Area  

Supervisor: CEO & President, Energy Foundation China

SUMMARY

The Vice President, Strategic Partnerships designs and leads EF China’s fundraising and partnership strategies to grow and diversify resources from philanthropic and other sources worldwide. This position plays a central role in cultivating and stewarding strategic alliances that advance EF China’s mission and amplify its influence in the global climate and energy ecosystem.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in fundraising and strategic philanthropy worldwide, combined with a passion for systems-level, policy-oriented climate and energy work. They will demonstrate exceptional relationship-building, stakeholder engagement, as well as storytelling and people management.

In addition to leading fundraising, the Vice President, Strategic Partnerships will serve as a member of the organization’s senior management team, supporting the CEO and President in board engagement, donor stewardship, and external representation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundrasing, Prospecting, and Stewardship

• Develop and implement a multi-year fundraising and partnership strategy aligned with EF China’s mission and priorities.
• Identify, prioritize, and pursue high-potential funding and partnership opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective donors through engagement, briefings, and tailored events.
• Expand EF China’s donor networks and deploy appropriate engagement tactics.
• Lead proposal/concept note development processes, ensuring alignment with both donor priorities and EF China’s strategies.
• Oversee preparation of high-quality funder reports and ensure timely, accurate communication with donors.
• Provide regular updates to donors to translate program results into compelling partnership narratives.
• Maintain organizational revenue forecasts, informing budgeting and spending planning.
• Foster a partnership mindset within EF China by training staff on funder relationship communication and management, proposal design, report writing, etc.

Leadership, Strategy, and Organizational Contribution

• Serve as a member of EF China’s senior management team, contributing to overall organizational strategy and direction.
• Advise the senior management team on emerging trends, risks, and opportunities in climate philanthropy and strategic alliances.
• Lead development of systems and infrastructure to support effective fundraising and cross-functional collaboration.
• Collaborate with the Corporate Communications team to craft compelling stories and messaging that engage donors and mitigate reputational risks.
• Support colleagues across the organization as needed, promoting a culture of teamwork and shared accountability.

Board Engagement

• Support the CEO and President in preparing for and engaging with EF China’s board.
• Anticipate and address board information needs related to EF China’s fundraising strategy and external partnerships, ensure fundraising and partnership insights are effectively communicated to the board to inform decision-making.

Risk Awareness and Mitigation

• Assess potential geopolitical and reputational risks related to partnerships and fundraising activities.
• Keep senior leadership, the board, and relevant stakeholders informed as needed.
• This job description reflects the assignment of essential functions, it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Education:Master’s degree or above, preferably in an environment, energy, climate change, or economics-related field.
• Working Experience:at least 15 years of related work experience, ideally in developing and implementing partnerships, fundraising, and/or strategic outreach to support a multi-million dollar, multi-location organization, including over 5 years of managerial experience. Experience across NGO, philanthropy, government, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or some combination thereof is necessary. Energy, environment, climate change, economics and finance related experience are strongly preferred.
• Language Level: native-level English skills required; while Mandarin language skills and an understanding of Chinese culture are strongly preferred but not required, experience in cross-cultural contexts is essential.
• Networking: the ability to develop new alliances and formal networks, mobilize external resources, and foster relationships with key stakeholders to achieve long-term mutual interests.
• Communication and Coordination Skills: being ningble and inclusive, strong negotiation and diplomacy skills, excellent verbal, written, and storytelling communication skills are essential attributes for the role
• Team Leadership: able to define direction and develop shared purpose, build a team with strong coaching skills, provide timely constructive feedback to team members, and support them for long-term career development.
• Strategic Thinking: an independent thinker with integrated view, able to understand different areas of climate/energy, development-related issues, and the field landscape. Able to anticipate future scenarios with big-picture thinking, and able to maintain balance and an awareness of the status of all programs.
• Problem Solving: able to define and prioritize key issues, make analyses with logical reasoning, utilize and synergize various resources to summarize and find solutions, and use a holistic approach to determine the best solution.

SUCCESS FACTORS

• Ethical Behavior/Integrity – Demonstrates principled performance and sound ethics, showing consistency among principles, values, and behaviors to build trust and credibility internally and externally.
• Broader Views for Systematic Solution – Proactively link program strategy and goals with the ones of the whole organization and other related programs, as appropriate, for cooperation and organization-wide capacity enhancement.
• Mission-driven/Initiative – Inspired by the organization's vision and mission, and takes actions with ownership, a can-do attitude, and a proactive mindset.
• Team Spirit – Collaboratively works toward solutions that benefit all involved parties; willingly cooperates with others to accomplish team/organization objectives.

Please email a cover letter and resume, with subject line “Application for VPSP” to efchina-vp@goodcitizen.com.