US Representative

Start-date: As soon as possible

Location: New York City, or other major media or fundraising hubs in the United States, as agreed with management

Hours: Full-time (80% also acceptable)

The New Humanitarian is seeking its first ever US Representative to raise its profile in the United States.

The New Humanitarian is an independent, non-profit newsroom that believes in journalism as a force for good. We produce fact-based journalism from the heart of conflicts and disasters to build understanding of how to improve the lives of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world. Our on-the-ground reporting and expert analysis and commentary inform policy-makers and practitioners, amplify the voices of those at the heart of crises, and act as a watchdog to hold the humanitarian aid sector accountable.

After spinning off from the United Nations in 2015, we have spent recent years rebuilding an organisation from scratch: we raised millions of dollars in funding, recruited world-class journalists, rebranded from “IRIN News”, built a robust governance structure, and brought our award-winning journalism to new audiences and platforms.

We are now establishing a 501c3 charity in the United States to enable The New Humanitarian to access new sources of funding, bring our journalism to more consumers, and increase our impact.

The successful candidate will enter into an organisation with many assets: a compelling mission, a strong reputation – built over nearly 30 years – for journalistic integrity and credibility; a team deeply committed to its work; and a track record of impact.

You will join our small, passionate team working at the nexus of some of the world’s most interesting challenges: a sustainable business model for quality journalism and better outcomes for the world’s most vulnerable people.

Help us achieve our vision of providing the world’s best journalism about the world’s toughest crises; and setting the agenda in the interest of those most affected.

The Role

The US representative will be the face of The New Humanitarian in the United States.

You will raise funds from US-based institutional and individual donors; build the organisation’s visibility and brand, including through partnerships and events; and run our new US fundraising and outreach vehicle, The New Humanitarian US.

Reporting to the Switzerland-based CEO, you will coordinate your activities with – and get support from –the global fundraising lead, and the nascent board of directors of the US entity; and liaise with the globally dispersed management, finance and editorial teams.

You will not have any direct reports to start, but this is likely to change over time as the US presence expands, in line with the organisation’s recent growth trajectory.

You excel at external representation, are able to work independently, and can be both strategic and operational.

You are ambitious and entrepreneurial; with the resourcefulness to succeed without all the support systems of bigger organisations and the resilience to push through the growing pains of a new role in a growing organisation.

We especially welcome candidates who reflect the diverse communities our journalism serves and who are excited by the challenge of building a progressive, forward-looking organisation that models new forms of decolonised journalism (read more about our strategy here).

Experience & Background:

• Extensive professional experience in fundraising / development, media management and/or non-profit strategy
• Experience with fundraising analytics, proposal writing, donor reporting and communicating impact
• Experience in partnerships, events, relationship management and/or public engagement
• Knowledge of the journalism sector

Desirables:

• Experience working internationally
• Understanding of humanitarian crises
• Experience in start-ups
• Strong networks within philanthropy

Core competencies:

• Relationship-building: You are a people-person. You get your energy from engaging with others.
• Drive: You are intrinsically motivated.
• Communication: You are a natural communicator and are able to get your message across effortlessly. You have excellent writing skills.
• Building buy-in: You are able to win people over with your ideas.
• Organisation: You track information in detail; you are meticulous in your follow-up.
• Agility: You recognise the world is changing fast and are able to thrive amid uncertainty. You are flexible enough to adapt to evolving demands of the job and try different approaches.
• Agency: You are proactive in seeking solutions to challenges. You take ownership of solving problems that arise.
• Grit: You have the resilience to push through difficulty. You don’t give up easily.
• Remote work: You are able to work independently as part of a decentralised organisation, while maintaining strong communication and a collaborative approach with colleagues.
  

We have described the qualities we are seeking in this position, but we recognise that there will be strong candidates who do not meet all the requirements listed here but have other important qualities. Thus, we encourage all interested candidates to apply.

Responsibilities

Outreach and Representation:

• Represent TNH in meetings with prospective/existing donors, partners and clients
• Represent TNH at external speaking engagements and events
• Develop opportunities for TNH to engage with prospective donors or audiences
• Strike partnerships that help further TNH’s goals

Fundraising:

• In coordination with the rest of the fundraising team, develop a tailored fundraising strategy, prospect list, and engagement plan for US-based institutions and individuals that are aligned with The New Humanitarian’s work
• Research and identify new prospects
• Pursue new and further existing relationships with both institutional and individual donors in the US
• Manage relations with donors through regular communication, online or in-person meetings and other forms of outreach
• In coordination with the CEO and global fundraising lead, draft proposals and follow-up materials for donors
• Advise on and coordinate, as relevant, fundraising campaigns (capital campaigns, crowdfunding campaigns)
• In coordination with the rest of the fundraising team, prepare donor reports by liaising with editorial and finance teams, matching performance with deliverables, and following-up with donors as needed
• Safeguard institutional memory with consistent recording of relationship development, key documents and stakeholder contacts; and update the organisational prospect list accordingly

Governance

• Assist as needed with the establishment of TNH’s 501c3 charity in the US, including the identification of potential board members
• Administratively manage the new entity, including through oversight of reporting to tax and regulatory authorities
• Engage the 501c3 charity in relevant US-based networks and membership fora (eg. Institute for Non-Profit News)
• Update the Board of Directors (of both US and global entities) as relevant

About The New Humanitarian

We were founded in 1995 by the United Nations as “IRIN News”, as a result of the humanitarian information gap exposed by the Rwandan genocide, After 19 years as part of the United Nations, we spun off in 2015 to become an independent non-profit media organisation, now headquartered in Switzerland. We have since sharpened our editorial voice under the leadership of an Executive Editor from the New York Times; launched an investigations unit, a podcast, a membership programme, and a paid newsletter.

Some 210,000 government officials, UN and NGO representatives, journalists, academics and wider audiences interested in understanding crises visit our website every month; nearly 70,000 people in nearly every country of the world subscribe to our email newsletter; thousands have downloaded our podcast and viewed our videos; and millions more access our work through social media and syndication by mainstream media, from the BBC, the Associated Press and the New York Times to regional media in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Our journalism has prompted investigations into misconduct, changes in UN policy, and new aid programmes; it has inspired public petitions, donations, and charity telethons; and it has been used as evidence before the International Criminal Court and the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee.

While the COVID-19 pandemic posed an existential threat to many newsrooms, The New Humanitarian emerged from it stronger – thanks to our diversified funding, our decentralised staff structure, and an increased recognition of the importance of reliable information about crises.

Amid an unprecedented number of simultaneous crises around the world and a media industry in financial crisis, our informed and independent lens is more needed than ever. Our reporting tackles many of the key issues of our time, from migration to climate change, from the invasion of Ukraine to COVID-19, from a multi-billion-dollar aid industry in the midst of soul-searching to emerging forms of solidarity.

Our value proposition has become even stronger amid the European migration ‘crisis’, the increasing impacts of climate change, the long-term legacy of coronavirus and most recently Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We believe readers will increasingly seek out the kind of content we produce. This is a unique opportunity to work for one of the few non-profit media covering international affairs that have thrived, as we build a viable model for public interest international journalism.

Our budget ($4 million USD in 2023) is funded by governments, foundations, individuals and readers (see our list of donors here). Our team of 25 people is distributed around the world, though we onboard new staff in person and gather the whole team for an annual staff retreat.

We are registered in the canton of Geneva as a non-profit association under Swiss law.

Find our latest annual report here.

How to apply

Please include a cover letter as part of your application outlining your interest in working with TNH; why your past experience is relevant for this role in a small entrepreneurial, non-profit newsroom; and your initial thoughts on the opportunities you see for The New Humanitarian in the United States.