Officer, Prospect Research & Management

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Background / Overview:

The External Relations (ER) department includes private fundraising, marketing & communications and advocacy. ER’s goal is to mobilize external audiences to raise funding to meet core organization needs deliver programs that support our clients to recover and gain control of their lives; influence policy changes to improve outcomes for our clients; and build and grow our global brand.

The Officer, Prospect Research & Management, sits within External Relations’ Prospect Research & Management team, supporting the IRC’s sustainability by finding opportunities for funding, focusing our resources, and protecting our reputation through due diligence. This is a 12-month fixed-term position. They are responsible for rigorously synthesizing data and information sources, providing senior staff and frontline fundraisers with high-quality research and actionable insights on US-based donors, as well as strategic feedback for board meetings, donor meetings, and events. They manage portfolio relationships with Officer-level fundraisers, delivering to agreed strategies and influencing decision-making through research-derived insights. The right candidate will be comfortable producing core prospect research products, and will build positive relationships across internal teams and external vendors, while delivering superior research and reporting services that ultimately increase philanthropic support for our clients.

Major Responsibilities:

• Deliver high-quality confidential biographical, financial, and due diligence research profiles on US-based HNWI donors and prospects within agreed deadlines and parameters, drawing on a range of online and electronic sources;
• Build robust pipelines for fundraisers focused on US market by identifying, rating, and qualifying HNWI donors capable of significant financial support;
• Manage portfolio relationships with Officer-level frontline fundraising colleagues in the US, delivering to agreed strategies and developing business-oriented recommendations for donors and prospects, with the broader goal to increase support for the IRC’s clients;
• Translate research into actionable insights, integrating data-driven and qualitative analyses and broader trends into tactics and strategies for prospect/donor management, opportunity development, and maximized revenue;
• Contribute ideas to improve tools and methods that support comprehensive prospect research and portfolio management, including relationship mapping, analytics, and other appropriate metrics;
• Manage a suite of resources (e.g. CRM, subscription databases, media tools) to understand and respond to specific opportunities;
• Contribute to special projects (e.g. vendor screenings, data mining, ad hoc reports, etc.) and conduct proactive research projects in partnership with colleagues across the organization, identifying new opportunities that align with stakeholder teams’ strategies;
• Collaborate with prospect research-adjacent teams (Philanthropy account managers, Program Services team) to ensure a smooth and efficient overall service to IRC’s high value fundraising teams, actively seeking and incorporating stakeholder feedback;
• Follow team best practice and process guidance, and produce documentation to support team protocols;
• Work with line manager to prioritize a varied workload (research profiles, reports, ad hoc analysis), adapting to changing stakeholder priorities while meeting established timelines

Essential Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred
• 3–5 years’ experience applying quantitative and qualitative analysis and business intelligence in support of non-profit fundraising, with familiarity with US markets;
• High proficiency in internet search engines and sophisticated search techniques, fundraising software, data retrieval services (e.g. LexisNexis, iWave, Foundation Directory, etc.), MS Office (Word, Outlook and Excel, in particular).
• Experience working with a relational database is essential, preferably Salesforce

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Research/database management (Salesforce);
• Analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing data, and translating findings into actionable recommendations;
• Ability to apply and contribute to proactive prospecting methodologies that support organizational goals, including data mining and sophisticated constituent database queries;
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex research clearly, concisely, and in an actionable way

Desired Qualifications:

• Keen understanding of philanthropic trends, in particular the impacts on humanitarian aid sector
• Knowledge and curiosity about emerging concepts and practices in the field of strategic philanthropy, corporate social responsibility, Public Private Partnerships, and impact investing, particularly as it relates to U.S. entities;
• Strong interpersonal and time-management skills; confirmed ability to prioritize and deliver on time;
• Ability to act with sensitivity and discretion while working with highly confidential information;
• Prior experience working at an international organization outside the US.

Working Environment:

This role may require working remotely full- or part-time (i.e., telecommuting). Applicants must have a home or alternate workspace they can effectively complete their work from during regularly scheduled hours.

At the IRC, we seek to build a welcoming, inclusive environment not only for our refugee clients, but for all of our employees. As an equal opportunity employer, we value the strength found in the diversity of voices, experiences, and backgrounds who join us in our work. Fostering an inclusive culture with equitable practices is everyone's responsibility, and we regularly offer trainings and opportunities to learn more and find ways to do better. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, socioeconomic status, or disability status. We are dedicated to ensuring that disabled individuals are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. In your application, please feel free to indicate your preferred pronouns.

We recognize that few applicants may "check all the boxes," but that each person has their own unique strengths that they would bring to the table. In our commitment to building a diverse and authentic work culture, we invite you to apply anyway. You belong here.

Compensation: ($72,040 - $81,000/annually). Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget.  Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

Cookies: https://careers.rescue.org/us/en/cookiesettings

Benefits: IRC offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package. Highlights include 10 paid sick leave, 10 U.S. holidays, 20-25 generous paid time off based on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $163/month, dental starting at $6.50/month, and vision starting at $5/month, flexible spending accounts (healthcare, dependent care, and commuter), a 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match (immediate vesting) along with a non-elective employer contribution based on age and years of service (3-year vesting), disability and life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering confidential counseling and support services for employees and their families.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

#LI-1