Director - Institutional Partnerships

Job Description – Associate Director/ Director – Institutional Partnerships

About Organization

Magic Bus India Foundation is one of the leading NGOs in education and skilling in India. Over the past 26 years, the organisation has established a strong presence across 22 states and union territories, impacting the lives of young people from underserved communities between the ages of 12 to 25 years. Through its two distinct programmes - the Adolescent Programme and Livelihood Programme, Magic Bus equips young people with essential life and employability skills to help them move out of poverty and lead sustainable lives. The Adolescent Programme empowers adolescents (12-18 years) with life skills education and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN). To support this, Magic Bus has established an impressive network of 30,000 schools, 343 Community Learning Centres (CLCs) and has MOU’s with 10 state governments and NITI Aayog. Notably, 52% of the participants are girls, reflecting the programme’s strong focus on gender inclusion. The Livelihood Programme prepares youth (18–25 years) for sustainable careers by imparting transferable life and employability skills. Magic Bus has set up 133 Livelihood Centres, built 1,130+ college partnerships, and established Entrepreneurship Incubation Centres to nurture aspiring entrepreneurs from underserved communities. 60% of the programme’s participants are young women, highlighting a strong emphasis on empowering women through skilling. In addition to its urban skilling initiatives, Magic Bus has also expanded into the Peri-Urban and Rural Livelihood Programme, focusing on empowering women in peri-urban and rural areas. This programme equips women with leadership and business skills, enabling them to establish and sustain enterprises and move towards financial independence. Through its sustained efforts, Magic Bus has empowered over 35 lakh adolescents and 5 lakh youth, enabling their transition from childhood to livelihood. For more information, visit: https://www.magicbus.org/

Location: Noida/Navi Mumbai

The Associate Director / Director – Institutional Partnerships will be responsible for expanding Magic Bus’s institutional fundraising portfolio by acquiring new donors, scaling existing partnerships, and developing multi-year, high-value institutional projects.

The role demands a proven track record of raising large grants, building strategic donor relationships, and aligning organizational priorities with the evolving focus areas of leading institutions and foundations.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Donor Acquisition

• Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy to grow institutional partnerships and increase revenue.

• Identify, cultivate, and secure new long-term partnerships with leading foundations.

• Lead the development of compelling proposals, concept notes, and pitches aligned to donor priorities.

• Build a strong fundraising pipeline to meet annual and long-term revenue targets.

Donor Stewardship & Portfolio Growth

• Strengthen and grow relationships with existing institutional partners, ensuring renewals, scale ups, and multi-year commitments.

• Anticipate donor focus areas and position Magic Bus programmes accordingly.

• Ensure timely submission of high-quality reports, utilization certificates, and outcome dashboards.

• Build a strong case for programme impact to secure repeat and expanded funding.

Strategic Engagement & Representation

• Represent Magic Bus in donor meetings, global and national forums, and sectoral platforms.

• Build thought leadership by contributing to sector dialogues, policy discussions, and collaborative initiatives.

• Create opportunities for strategic alliances and consortium-based proposals.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Mentor and guide the Institutional Partnerships team, building capacity in fundraising and donor management.

• Collaborate with internal teams (Impact, Programmes, Finance, Communications) to deliver donor commitments.

• Contribute to the overall organisational fundraising strategy and long-term sustainability planning.

Requirements:

• Proven ability to secure large-scale institutional grants and manage high-value partnerships.

• Strong understanding of the philanthropic ecosystem, multilaterals, and foundation funding priorities.

• Excellent proposal writing, negotiation, and relationship management skills.

• Ability to design and position large, multi-stakeholder programmes to appeal to institutional donors.

• Strong financial skills for budgeting, grant compliance, and donor reporting.

• Excellent communication and influencing skills with senior donor representatives.

• Postgraduate in Social Work, Development Studies, Public Policy, or related field.

• 18+ years of experience, with substantial experience in institutional fundraising and donor management.

• Proven track record in closing multi-crore, multi-year institutional partnerships.

• Experience engaging with international foundations, bilaterals, and multilaterals preferred.

• Open to frequent travel for donor engagement, partnership development, and project visits