Advancement Director

XPRIZE is a global future-positive movement of over 1M people and rising, delivering truly radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. For over 25 years, XPRIZE has used competitions as the most efficient way to leverage philanthropic investment for impact and an exponential return, in some cases multiplying prize purses 10x – 50x. The first-ever XPRIZE competition, the $10 Million Ansari XPRIZE for sub-orbital spaceflight, captured the world’s imagination and catalyzed a multi-billion-dollar commercial private space industry. XPRIZE most recently made headlines by launching the largest incentive prize in history, $100 Million XPRIZE Carbon Removal funded by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation on Earth Day 2021, with a goal to rebalance Earth’s carbon cycle. In total, XPRIZE has launched 25 competitions with more than $293 Million in prize purses. Join XPRIZE to help create a better future for everyone, everywhere.

Position Description:
XPRIZE Foundation is seeking an experienced Director within the XPRIZE Advancement organization to lead the efforts in identifying and securing sponsorships for our prizes/challenges, alliances and events, from foundations and corporate partners. Reporting to the SVP of Advancement & Alliances Sponsorships, the successful candidate will lead a small team of specialists who will develop advancement strategies for new initiatives, perform outreach and sponsor pitches, negotiate and finalize sponsorship terms, and maintain sponsor relationships going forward.

Responsibilities will also include identifying and cultivating strategic partners and individuals who can assist with XPRIZE fundraising efforts and bring new sponsors to the XPRIZE ecosystem.

The appropriate candidate should be comfortable and have a proven track record in closing sponsorship (or other) deals with large corporations, engaging with senior level (CxO) counterparts, with program sizes from $5-$30+M. The Advancement Director will have the opportunity to leverage the extensive XPRIZE network and ecosystem to identify and engage new sponsor candidates, but also develop strategies to increase our reach and bring new sponsors into the XPRIZE Family.

Internally, the Advancement Director will work closely with our thought leaders, prize designers, operations staff, business affairs and finance to align value propositions, sponsor motivations, prize budget and sponsorship agreements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of program advancement / sponsorship strategies in collaboration with SVP alliances and Sponsorships
• Understand and represent prizes/programs/”Alliances” externally in support of fundraising activities.
• Develop and execute on mechanisms to leverage the XPRIZE network and ecosystem to facilitate Prize/”Alliance/event” funding.
• Manage the sponsorship pipeline to predefined targets and report fundraising status to executive management on regular intervals
• Manage and develop team of advancement specialists.
• Represent the motivations and drivers of each sponsor internally and manage sponsor expectations.
• Develop creative mechanisms for ensuring fundraising success.
• Work with XPRIZE Partnerships teams to identify critical partnerships for fundraising success.
• As needed, represent XPRIZE externally at industry events
• Engage XPRIZE prize designers early on in the development of new prize concepts to address fundraising needs and challenges.
• Maintain relationships with key foundations / corporate partners both in the context of prizes / programs and beyond.
• As needed, support the fundraising and sponsorship of additional XPRIZE programs as they are developed

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of relevant professional experience, ideally in a senior role of fundraising and/or complex (or consultative) sales with foundations and/or corporate partners.
• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s preferred. May substitute significant experience on a year-for-year basis
• Experience with non-profit organizations is ideal, but not required.
• Relevant experience in the domains of Climate, Energy, Health, Space and/or Deep Tech are a plus.
• Existing relationships with prospective corporate partners and/or industry leaders is a plus.
• Ability to lead senior-level meetings, webinars, workshops, etc. up to CxO level
• Experience closing deals up to $30M preferred
• Demonstrated experience managing a team to a sales/sponsorship quota
• Experienced people manager and influencer
• Proven skill in interacting with professionals at all levels of authority within major corporations, government agencies, and research institutions.
• Strong business writing and professional verbal communication skills.
• Ability to thrive and think creatively and calmly in highly fluid situations and under intense schedules and deadlines.
• Experience negotiating contracts for complex deal structures with aggressive timelines

Competencies required for this role:

• Highly collaborative individual who can work well with and lead others within a matrixed organization
• Creativity in developing partner relationships / structures
• Ability to represent Prize value propositions and impact in our domains
• Ability to manage a team toward a vision, purpose and quota
• Action Oriented
• Manages Ambiguity
• Collaborates internally and externally
• Communicates Effectively and professionally
• Manages Complexity
• Directs Work
• Global Perspective
• Nimble Learning
• Plans and Aligns
• Drives Results
• Situational Adaptability
• Builds Effective Teams
• Drives Vision and Purpose

To apply please fill out the following form: https://airtable.com/shrTzgJXzpTzlXTSU

The XPRIZE FOUNDATION is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate in employment. Equal access to employment, services, and programs is available to all persons. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the organization.

Please note: Though submitting a resume to the XPRIZE FOUNDATION implies that you are interested in a position(s), it does not imply that you are an applicant. You are not considered an applicant until you have been contacted directly by a Talent Acquisitions representative requesting that you begin the designated application process, which may involve phone and/or in-person interview(s), job-related testing, and background checks.