Institutional Relations Manager

ZOA, as an international NGO, supports people who have lost everything due to armed conflict or natural disaster. Together, we can come to their aid in emergencies and remain faithful to communities as they recover – providing new opportunities for them to help themselves again. The work of ZOA is coordinated from our office in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. We are active in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Ukraine. We work with approximately 900 employees worldwide and with (local) partners.

Do you have a proven track record with institutional donors and are you ready to make a significant impact by joining our mission? We invite you to join our team of committed colleagues as our new

Institutional Relations Manager

(Apeldoorn, 32 hours)

The Role: Are you passionate about our mission and experienced in working with institutional donors? We invite you to join our dedicated team as Institutional Relations Manager.

Team and Position: The Institutional Relations (IR) team is crucial to ZOA’s mission, as around 70% of our funding comes from institutional donors such as ECHO, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, INTPA, and UN agencies. It is essential for ZOA to nurture and enhance positive relationships with these donors. Our focus is on consistently submitting strategic proposals that highlight ZOA’s expertise and unique approach in each country and context, which is vital for sustaining and expanding our global impact.

In these challenging times, with humanitarian and development aid budgets under pressure, we seek an experienced colleague who excels in proposal development, coordinating complex processes, and donor relations management. In collaboration with the other IR managers, you will hold a strategic position within the organization, responsible for supporting ZOA’s country offices in developing strong funding proposals, identifying and creating funding opportunities and further developing ZOA’s Institutional Relations strategy. Collaboration with colleagues in country and HQ (programmatic, finance, and communications) is key, as is coordinating the proposal development process.

Responsibilities:

• Initiate and Foster Donor Relationships:  Manage relations with a group of institutional donors, ensuring frequent communication on behalf of ZOA HQ and/or country teams. Expand our donor portfolio through research, networking, and presenting ZOA to potential and existing donors. Serve as a sparring partner and internal info desk for colleagues worldwide.
• Ensure Strong and Compelling Donor proposals. Coordinate complex proposal processes. Support and empower country teams in designing and writing  strong and compelling proposals for donors.  Provide strategic advice to improve proposal development processes, and to use AI efficiently and in ethically responsible ways.
• Support countries. Actively share information about donors, opportunities, network contacts with the ZOA countries. Support the development of country specific donor strategies. Train colleagues in countries in initiating and fostering donor relations, in representing ZOA, enhance ZOA's visibility and credibility. Facilitate learning and coaching initiatives to strengthen institutional fundraising capacities.
• Ensure Donor Compliance: Contribute to ensuring donor compliance of proposals and reporting. Assist in the internal system of quality control and improvement related to donor requirements and procedures.
• Strategic development of IR. Contribute to the continuous development and implementation of ZOA’s Institutional Relations strategy in an increasingly complex funding environment.

Your Profile: To be successful as our new Institutional Relations Manager, you should:

• Fully support the vision, mission, and Christian identity of ZOA;
• Be intrinsically motivated and driven to serve our target groups;
• Be a strategic and conceptual thinker, results-oriented, and able to prioritize and follow through;
• Take initiative, demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, and proactively engage with stakeholders, fostering sustainable relationships;
• Have strong communication and presentation skills, resulting in effective external representation and strong internal collaboration;
• Possess strong written communication skills, including editing and reviewing proposals and creating track records;
• Be able and willing to travel internationally several times per year;
• Have excellent command of English; Dutch (working level) is a plus, as well as French and/or Arabic;
• Hold a Master’s degree and have a minimum of 5 years of experience working with institutional donors and working in the humanitarian/international development sector;
• Preferably, have a strong network with European NGOs and donors;
• Have permission to work in the EU (mandatory).

We Offer: Working with ZOA as an Institutional Relations Manager means:

• A challenging position with the opportunity to impact our work globally;
• The chance to work with colleagues from all over the world and visit our programmes to witness first-hand the impact of our work;
• An international work environment with a continuous focus on improvement and innovation;;
• A hybrid working arrangement (max 50% remote, min 50% at the office) with flexible working hours;
• A one-year contract with the intention to continue the collaboration thereafter;
• An attractive salary of €3,974 to €5,667 (gross, based on full-time, 40 hours) and good benefits, including a 13th month, 29 leave days, and a good pension plan.

Interested and you want to apply? 

If you are interested in this position, please apply directly via the link below "Apply Now", at the latest by the 18th of October 2026. Questions about the vacancy can be directed to Elly Urban, e.urban@zoa.ngo. A valid EU work permit is mandatory as well as English speaking.

 Please note that, as part of its recruitment process, ZOA carries out background and reference checks (including COTER: check your name on counter-terrorism lists) for all candidates. As ZOA participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a written questionnaire: the “Statement of Conduct”, which will be sent to past employers regarding Misconduct (such as sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment). During the procedure you can be asked to provide at least 3 references related to your previous employment listed in the application. References of previous positions held should not be older than five years.