At Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), recruiting a donor is only the beginning of the relationship.

Long-term donor support enables MSF to respond rapidly and independently to humanitarian emergencies around the world. Building meaningful and lasting relationships with our supporters is therefore essential to achieving our mission.

We're looking for a highly organised, analytical and proactive Donor Lifecycle Officer to own the continuous development and optimisation of MSF Portugal's mass donor lifecycle programme, placing donors at the centre of every decision and interaction.

Reporting to the Mass Donations Manager, you will be responsible for designing, managing and optimising donor journeys, retention campaigns and donor development initiatives across multiple communication channels.

Working within the strategic direction defined by the Mass Donations Manager, you will take ownership of programme planning, campaign development, performance optimisation and operational delivery, proactively identifying opportunities to improve donor retention, engagement, lifetime value and sustainable income.

This role combines campaign management, customer journey design, data analysis and supplier management. Working closely with Communications, Fundraising Systems & Analytics, Finance and external partners, you will help deliver an outstanding donor experience while ensuring the programme continues to evolve and improve.

Previous fundraising experience is welcome but is not essential. Many of the skills required for this role are directly transferable from CRM, customer loyalty, customer lifecycle, retention marketing, customer experience and subscription-based businesses.

HOW WE WORK

Fundraising at MSF is a professional, fast-paced and highly data-driven environment. Although our purpose is humanitarian, we operate with the same level of professionalism, accountability and performance focus found in high-performing commercial organisations.

We make decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions. We continuously monitor results, analyse donor behaviour, test new approaches and use evidence to improve performance.

Success in this role comes from curiosity, ownership, analytical thinking and a genuine desire to continuously improve outcomes. Every improvement you make strengthens the relationship between MSF and our supporters, ultimately enabling us to provide medical assistance to more people in crisis.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES  

Programme Management

• Champion a donor-centric approach across all lifecycle activities, ensuring supporter needs, behaviours and preferences inform campaign design, journey development and programme optimisation.
• Own the continuous development and optimisation of MSF Portugal's mass donor lifecycle programme.
• Translate strategic priorities into annual campaign plans, donor journeys and operational activities.
• Design, manage and continuously optimise donor journeys throughout the supporter lifecycle.
• Ensure all programme activities are delivered on time, within budget and to agreed quality standards.
• Maintain a holistic view of programme performance, ensuring all activities contribute to donor retention, engagement and long-term value.

Campaign Development & Management

• Design, develop, manage and continuously optimise donor lifecycle initiatives from concept through implementation and evaluation, ensuring a donor-centric approach to campaign design, donor journeys and programme delivery.
• Develop retention, stewardship, upgrade, cross-sell and reactivation campaigns that strengthen donor relationships and maximise lifetime value.
• Define objectives, target audiences, propositions, timelines and operational requirements.
• Lead initiatives implementation by coordinating internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Document outcomes, recommendations and learnings to support continuous programme development.

Performance Analysis & Optimisation

• Own the ongoing monitoring of programme performance through dashboards and KPIs.
• Analyse donor retention, fulfilment, attrition, upgrades, reactivations, average gift, lifetime value and other key performance indicators.
• Interpret campaign results, identify root causes behind performance trends and proactively recommend improvements.
• Develop segmentation and targeting proposals that improve campaign relevance and effectiveness.
• Design, implement and evaluate tests and other optimisation initiatives.
• Present performance insights and evidence-based recommendations to support programme development.

Content Development & Donor Communications

• Develop donor-centred communication propositions that strengthen long-term relationships with supporters.
• Translate MSF's operational work into compelling fundraising messages and stewardship communications.
• Coordinate the development of donor communications and campaign materials.
• Review fundraising copy and ensure all communications reflect MSF's brand, tone of voice and fundraising principles.

Supplier & Stakeholder Coordination

• Manage day-to-day relationships with suppliers supporting the donor lifecycle programme.
• Develop campaign briefs and operational requirements.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed objectives and KPIs.
• Lead regular campaign review meetings focused on continuous improvement.
• Collaborate closely with Fundraising Systems & Analytics, Communications, Finance, other internal stakeholders to ensure effective programme delivery.
• Actively contribute to MSF's international fundraising platforms, working groups and communities of practice, sharing knowledge and best practices.

Continuous Improvement

• Regularly evaluate donor journeys and programme performance to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Recommend new campaigns, communication approaches, donor journeys and testing opportunities.
• Research emerging fundraising, customer loyalty and lifecycle marketing practices and assess their relevance for MSF Portugal.
• Document learnings and contribute to the continuous evolution of the donor lifecycle programme.
• Promote a culture of innovation, learning and evidence-based decision making.

WHAT WE´RE LOOKING FOR

• We're looking for someone who enjoys taking ownership, solving problems and continuously improving results.
• You are naturally curious, highly organised and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• You enjoy designing campaigns, analysing performance, understanding donor behaviour and translating insights into actions that strengthen long-term relationships and improve programme performance.
• You're confident making recommendations, challenging assumptions and using evidence to influence decisions.
• Above all, you're motivated by applying your professional skills in a high-performing fundraising team where continuous learning, accountability and humanitarian impact go hand in hand.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's or master’s degree in marketing, Business, Management or another relevant discipline.
• Experience managing loyalty, retention, customer lifecycle, customer engagement, CRM or marketing programmes and campaigns.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience interpreting campaign performance data and translating insights into actions.
• Experience developing customer segmentation and targeting strategies.
• Excellent project management and organisational skills.
• Experience managing external suppliers or agencies.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
• Experience using CRM platforms such as Salesforce or similar.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Native Portuguese and professional working proficiency in English.

Experience that would be an advantage

We recognise that excellent candidates may come from many different backgrounds.

Experience in any of the following would be considered an advantage:

• Fundraising or Individual Giving.
• Customer Loyalty.
• Customer Lifecycle Marketing.
• CRM Campaign Management.
• Marketing Automation.
• Telecommunications.
• Banking or Financial Services.
• Retail or E-commerce.
• Subscription or membership businesses.
• Business Intelligence tools (e.g. Power BI).

Competences

• Commitment to MSF’s Principles
• Results and Quality Orientation
• Planning and Organizing
• Team Work and Cooperation

CONDITIONS

• Position based in Lisbon, Portugal.
• Contract: Permanent Position (Candidates must meet legal conditions to be immediately hired in Portugal).
• Full time job. 40 hours per week+ Hybrid Teleworking Policy.
• Annual gross salary (Level 8): € 29,832.50€ + secondary benefits based on MSF Portugal Reward Policy.
• Starting: November 2026

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, please follow the link below and submit your CV and cover letter.
• The deadline for applications is September 20, 2026. 23:59 GMT.

INFORMATION ABOUT RECRUITMENT PROCESS STEPS 

• After the application deadline, the recruitment process usually takes between 6 and 8 weeks.  
• All candidates will be informed once the process is closed. Due to the high number of applications, individual feedback cannot usually be provided.  
• If you have not heard from us, it means the process is still ongoing and additional candidates may be contacted.  
• A reference check will be requested in the final stages of the process. Candidates will be required to provide references from former employers using professional or corporate email addresses (personal email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, etc. will not be accepted). 

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. MSF provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. MSF does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination.