Grants and Funding Manager

SEI is looking for a Grants and Funding Manager to strengthen institutional and research fundraising across our global centres. Based in Stockholm, you will help teams engage funders earlier, develop competitive proposals and build fundraising capacity across the institute.”

The role

The successful candidate will play an integral part in our fundraising efforts. Together with the Business Development and Strategic Partnership Manager, you will drive implementation of SEI’s fundraising strategy, working closely with SEI’s leaders, centres and teams. Your primary focus will be institutional and research funding, complementing your colleague’s focus on philanthropic funding and strategic partnerships.

This is a strategic and operational role. You will help centres and teams develop fundraising strategies, understand funder priorities and engage earlier with funders and partners, and you will support them in preparing competitive proposals and pitches. You will also monitor the funding landscape, coordinate engagement with institutional funders and bring colleagues together where combining SEI’s expertise makes us more competitive.

You will analyse SEI’s funding pipeline and fundraising results to inform planning and reporting to management and the Board. Working with the Director of Finance and Operations, finance colleagues and line managers, you will help ensure that proposal processes and funding decisions take account of funder requirements, resource needs and cost recovery. With the Business Development and Strategic Partnership Manager, you will also lead internal training and capacity development in proposal writing and fundraising.

We expect you to shape this position over time by working with colleagues across SEI to identify fundraising needs, prioritize support and suggest new ways of working. Building trusted relationships within SEI will be key to your success.

SEI’s fundraising remains centre-led. As part of a two-person Global Fundraising Team, you will provide guidance, coordination and practical support, with more hands-on involvement in selected strategic opportunities. Centres and teams retain responsibility for their proposals, funder relationships and project delivery.

You will report to the Director of Finance and Operations.

Key responsibilities

Fundraising strategy and coordination

• Together with the Business Development and Strategic Partnership Manager, drive implementation of SEI’s fundraising strategy, setting priorities and reviewing progress with SEI’s leaders.
• Guide and support centres and teams in developing fundraising strategies and plans aligned with SEI’s priorities and relevant funding opportunities.
• Coordinate fundraising across SEI where shared funder relationships or opportunities require a common approach, including engagement with strategic institutional funders.

Funder intelligence and opportunity development

• Monitor institutional funding priorities and opportunities, alongside selected research funding calls relevant to SEI.
• Support early positioning with institutional funders and potential consortium partners, working with relevant centres and teams.
• Organize briefings and kick-off meetings for priority institutional and research funding calls, helping teams assess fit, identify opportunities for collaboration and agree next steps.
• Support centres in developing opportunities with existing funders for continued or expanded funding.

Proposal and pipeline support

• Develop and improve proportionate processes for identifying, assessing and coordinating funding opportunities and preparing proposals.
• Support Project Leaders in selected strategic funding opportunities through advice on funder engagement, alignment with funder priorities and coordination across centres and with partners.
• Analyse SEI’s funding pipeline and prepare forecasting reports for management and the Board.
• Work with centres to strengthen pipeline information and forecasting, identify funding gaps and risks to inform fundraising priorities.
• Contribute to assessments of how SEI should prioritize its own co-funding across projects in the funding pipeline.
• Lead HQ proposal coordination and develop cross-centre proposal coordination in collaboration with SEI’s global leadership.
• Conduct win–loss analyses and After Action Reviews to improve fundraising processes and inform priorities.

Fundraising capability and knowledge sharing

• Lead initiatives to build capacity and competence in fundraising and proposal writing across SEI’s global centres.
• Collaborate with Centre Directors and the Global Management Committee to design training programmes and update guidance materials on the intranet.
• Develop practical tools, templates and shared proposal resources that help teams respond to different funder requirements.
• Promote consistent sharing of funder contacts, engagement records and intelligence through SEI’s fundraising systems and in line with established instructions.

Who you are

• A strategic and operational fundraiser: You can translate organizational priorities and funder intelligence into fundraising plans, engagement approaches and competitive proposals. You are comfortable both advising colleagues and providing hands-on support.
• A collaborative relationship builder: You excel at cultivating trust and building shared approaches to fundraising across diverse, global teams.
• A capacity builder: You are passionate about training, mentoring and equipping researchers with the skills needed to write compelling, high-quality funding proposals and engage effectively with funders.
• Proactive and solution-oriented: You thrive on identifying bottlenecks, proposing practical ways of working and driving continuous improvement in fundraising.
• An analytical thinker: You can interpret pipeline data and funding results, explain their implications clearly and use them to guide priorities.

Required experience and qualifications

Education and background

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, International Development, Environmental Science, Public Administration or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Minimum of 6–8 years of relevant experience in institutional fundraising, proposal development and funding strategy, ideally within an international research institute, non-profit, university or multilateral organization.

Fundraising and funding expertise

• Demonstrated experience developing funding opportunities, engaging with funders and partners and supporting successful competitive proposals.
• In-depth familiarity with major research funders, bilateral donors and international agencies. Experience of the research funding landscape is an advantage.
• Experience supporting fundraising plans, early positioning and collaboration across teams or organisations.
• Experience using funding pipeline data and contact or project management systems to support fundraising analysis, forecasting and reporting.
• Strong understanding of grant finances, with experience in project budgeting, overhead recovery models, resource forecasting and co-financing rules.

Leadership and soft skills

• Demonstrated success in designing and facilitating workshops or training modules on proposal writing, fundraising and funder engagement.
• Experience developing tools and ways of working that improve proposal quality, coordination and the use of funder intelligence.
• Exceptional interpersonal and diplomacy skills, with a track record of building trust and collaborating across diverse, multicultural teams globally.
• Ability to prepare clear pitches, guidance and reports for researchers, funders, senior management and the Board.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English and Swedish.

What we offer

You will take on a central role in an internationally renowned research institute working at the forefront of climate and sustainability policy. We offer a supportive, flexible and activity-based working environment in central Stockholm, and you will be part of a global team of experts spanning research quality, strategic learning, knowledge management and operations.

An employment with SEI HQ includes:

• Collective Agreement occupational pension and many other collectively agreed benefits
• An annual healthcare contribution and additional benefits connected to promoting our employees’ wellbeing such as yearly health check-ups
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Flexible working hours, 37.5-hour workweek and a generous amount of vacation days
• Once employed, you must live in Sweden, preferably in the Stockholm area. It is not possible to work from another country.

Questions?

• Inquiries about the position can be directed to Simon Persson, Director of Finance and Operations: [email protected].
• Inquiries about the recruitment process can be directed to My Persson, Recruitment and Competence Specialist: [email protected].

About SEI

Stockholm Environment Institute is an international non-profit research institute that tackles environment and sustainable development challenges.

We empower partners to meet these challenges through cutting-edge research, knowledge, tools and capacity building. Scientific quality and integrity are foundations of our work. Partnership is at the heart of our approach, leading to change that lasts.

Our work connects science to policy and practice, aiming to drive tangible impacts. It spans climate change, natural resources, water, air, and health, and addresses questions of governance, innovation, finance, poverty, gender equality and social equity.

We are committed to transparency and full disclosure of our funding. The Government of Sweden is our largest funder, and we also receive funds from a range of public research funders, philanthropic foundations, bilateral and multilateral development agencies, governments, NGOs and other partners.

Through SEI’s HQ and seven centres around the world, we engage with policy, practice and development action for a sustainable, prosperous future for all.