Active development manager jobs

Are you an experienced fundraising leader ready to drive major gift growth at one of the world’s most significant museums? Join the University of Oxford and lead fundraising for the Ashmolean Museum, securing significant philanthropic support that advances its global cultural and academic mission.

• Location: Oxford (with hybrid working options)
• Salary: £65,336 – £75,439 per annum (with possible extension to £82,225 including an Oxford University Weighting of £1,730 per year (pro rata).
• Contract: Full-time, Permanent

About Us

The Ashmolean Museum- Britain’s first public museum has been open since 1683, and is the University of Oxford’s world-class museum of art and archaeology. Situated in the heart of the city we are an iconic cultural destination welcoming over 1million visitors a year. Entering a new phase of ambitious fundraising as part of the Oxford Excellence Campaign, the Ashmolean seeks to deliver planned major projects to transform access to, engagement with and understanding of our collections. Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE) drives philanthropic support across the University, enabling impact at a global scale.

Spanning the historic streets of the “city of dreaming spires”, the University of Oxford has been ranked the world’s leading university for ten consecutive years. A place where centuries of tradition meet world-changing innovation, we offer you the chance to shape the future while working in an inspiring environment that promotes excellence. Here, you’ll contribute to an organisation which delivers ground-breaking research that tackles global challenges - from advancing sustainability to pioneering healthcare solutions - and join a diverse, inclusive community that champions your wellbeing, development, and aspirations. Apply now to become part of our extraordinary legacy.

What We Offer

Working at the University of Oxford offers several exclusive benefits, such as:

• 38 days of annual leave (inclusive of public holidays) to support your wellbeing, with the option to purchase up to 10 extra days and additional leave after long service.
• One of the most generous family leave schemes in UK higher education, offering up to 26 weeks of full-pay maternity and adoption leave, plus 12 weeks of full-pay paternity/partner leave.
• A commitment to hybrid and flexible working to suit your lifestyle.
• An excellent contributory pension scheme.
• Affordable and sustainable commuting options, including a cycle loan scheme, discounted bus travel, and season ticket loans.
• Access to a vibrant community through our social, cultural, and sports clubs.

About the Role

This is a senior leadership opportunity with significant influence and visibility.

You will lead the Ashmolean’s fundraising strategy, driving major gift activity that supports the Museum’s priorities. You will shape and deliver a compelling case for support, building a strong pipeline of donors.

You will personally manage a portfolio of high-value donors, cultivating long-term relationships and securing six- and seven-figure gifts. Working closely with the Museum Director, Board of Visitors, and senior academic colleagues, you will connect donors with opportunities that align their interests with the Ashmolean’s mission and global impact.

Alongside your external focus, you will lead and develop a high-performing team, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture. You will also contribute to the wider DAE strategy, working across Oxford’s collegiate and departmental network to maximise philanthropic success.

About You

• Proven track record of securing major gifts (six- and seven-figure) and building strong donor relationships
• Experience developing and delivering fundraising strategies in complex organisations
• Strong leadership skills, with experience managing and supporting teams
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders
• Ability to think strategically while taking initiative and driving results

Sponsorship and Right to Work

This role meets the criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa. The University will meet the cost of the Skilled Worker visa and NHS surcharge for applicants that require a visa. Please let us know in your application if you require sponsorship.

Application Process

To apply, please upload:

• A covering letter/supporting statement
• Your CV
• The details of two referees

The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Thursday 28 May 2026.

Interviews will take place on Friday 12 June 2026, and will be held face-to-face in Oxford.

Buttle UK is seeking an exceptional HR Manager to work closely with the new, incoming Chief Executive and the whole of the Senior Management Team (SMT) to lead on all operational HR matters such as recruitment, onboarding, employee relations including embedding an organisational culture that makes Buttle UK a great place to work.

As our HR Manager, you will play a crucial role in nurturing our most valuable asset – our people – by fostering a positive workplace that empowers every team member to contribute to our mission. Your expertise will directly impact our ability to attract, develop, and retain the dedicated professionals who make our life-changing work possible.

Thank you for considering being part of our journey. We're ready to meet the challenges ahead—head-on, and together.

Please note: any applications received without a supporting statement of how you meet the requirements of this role will not be considered.

Contract: Permanent,

 Full Time (37.5 hours per week)

Location: London

Salary: £40,512 - £47,377 per annum

Closing Date: Wednesday 20th May

Interviews will be held w/c Monday 25th May

Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, is looking for Sleep Out Manager to join our Mass Participation & Events team based in London.

About us

We help vulnerable young people by giving them the practical and emotional support they need to find a job and live independently. Centrepoint provides homeless young people with accommodation, health support and life skills in order to get them back into education, training and employment. We want to end youth homelessness by 2037.

Together with our partners, we support over 16,000 young people each year.

The Sleep Out Manager plays a vital role in managing our flagship fundraising event, Sleep Out. Increased investment from our headline event sponsor, Nationwide Building Society, has enabled the development of a new visual identity and refreshed messaging, so it is an exciting time to join the team and maximise the opportunity.

About you

• Ambitious, highly motivated individual with strong project management skills, and experience of organising fundraising events.
• An excellent communicator, confident in engaging a wide range of stakeholders at all levels and building effective relationships internally and externally.
• Able decision maker with a can-do attitude.
• Flexible, always adapting to changing needs.
• Committed to self-development by engaging with training and continuous learning.
• Proactive, always looking for creative ways of working.

What you’ll be doing

• Responsibility for the successful delivery and growth of the Sleep Out portfolio; comprising a London corporate event, public events in London and Manchester and our ‘Host Your Own Sleep Out’ programme.
• Responsibility for annual planning and budgeting for the Sleep Out portfolio, including financial management, quarterly reforecasting, and delivery against financial targets.
• Leading a cross-departmental working group to deliver the corporate event. Responsibility for the logistics and strategy of the event
• Heading up a team of three, you’ll create a positive and inspiring culture, which empowers team members to achieve their best

Why join Centrepoint?

In return for your efforts you’ll receive a competitive salary, excellent training and development, and a host of staff benefits including:

• 25 days of annual leave per year, rising by one day per year to a maximum of 27 days
• Healthcare cash plan (Cover the costs of a wide range of medical treatment including Dental, Optical, Complementary and Alternative therapies).
• Private Medical insurance
• Income protection
• Employer pension contributions of 5%
• Access to Cycle 2 Work loan scheme
• An interest-free travel loan

We operate a hybrid working model, with a minimum of 50% office attendance (typically 2–3 days per week).

At Centrepoint we challenge the discrimination within society that contributes to youth homelessness, and we are just as committed to fairness and equality within Centrepoint itself. We are passionate about ensuring all of our colleagues are made to feel included in the work we do and that we value the rich diversity within the organization.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications regardless of sex, gender, race, age, belief in any religion and none, gender identity, ethnic origin, class, sexuality, nationality, appearance, unrelated criminal activities, disability, responsibility for dependents, part time or shift workers, being HIV positive or living with AIDS, lived experience of homelessness or using young people’s services and any other matter which causes a person to be treated with injustice.

Centrepoint’s policy is to recruit, employ and promote people on the basis of their suitability for the work to be performed, and to this end, our aim is to ensure that all applicants, employees and volunteers receive equal treatment.

Our approach to applications

We recognise that candidates may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support their applications. While this is absolutely fine, all examples and statements included must be truthful, accurate and based on your own experience.

We’re keen to understand your individual skills, experience and motivations, so please ensure your application reflects your own voice.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to join our team as a Sleep Out Manager, click ‘Apply’ now!

Title: Active Recovery Practitioner
Place of work: The Southmead Project, BS10 6AS and various locations around Bristol and Somerset
Interview date: Tuesday 9th June

The Southmead Project:

The Southmead Project is an equal opportunities employer providing free specialist trauma counselling and support for adult survivors of abuse across Bristol and surrounding areas. Our recruitment is done in line with safer recruitment practices. We welcome people of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, ability, language, religion and cultural background. We value the differences between people and affirming each person as an individual.

We value our team very highly and pride ourselves on being a supportive employer. We provide the following benefits to encourage every staff member to have a supported, well-rounded and enriched working experience:

● Paid supervision for 1.5 hours per month, with an external clinical supervisor
● Line management for 1 hour per month
● Training budget of £500 per year to spend on relevant training of that person’s choice
● Employer pension contribution of 5%
● Generous annual leave allowance and paid sick leave
● Cycle to work scheme
● Optional private counselling for up to 12 sessions per year with an external counsellor of that person’s choice

We also support employees with reasonable adjustments through the Access to Work scheme.

The Active Recovery Project gives adult survivors of abuse the opportunity to take part in community-based activities. It provides a safe and supportive space for clients to participate in a variety of group activities with others who share or understand their experience and develop peer relationships, resulting in increasing confidence and reduced isolation.

The activities are based on ideas from our members and include water-based activities (such as rowing, canoeing, sailing and kayaking), surfing, trips to community spaces and creative sessions (such as arts and crafts). Activities take place every week. Each activity will last approximately 2.5 hours each. Members can attend the group sessions for up to 18 months.

The current Practitioner has said:

“The decision to leave this role has been so difficult, the team are so lovely, caring and supportive. In the role I have got to go surfing, walk alpacas and make a bowl on a pottery wheel. Sometimes I honestly can’t believe it’s my job. I have learnt so much and got to work with some of the most wonderful and inspiring people. There are countless moments at groups that I will never ever forget - some of my most amazing moments in life have come at work and that doesn’t happen very often!”

Job Purpose:

The Practitioner role requires working as part of a small team and they will help prepare and deliver two Active Recovery sessions per week, in Bristol and Somerset. The Somerset group runs on a Tuesday and the Bristol group runs on a Wednesday. During the sessions, the Practitioner will be responsible for using a trauma-informed approach to support clients who become dysregulated or need emotional support.

Principal Tasks:

1. Together with the rest of the Active Recovery team, to provide initial trauma-informed assessment phone calls and/or meetings with potential members as part of the registration process for Active Recovery. This includes assessing need, risk and suitability for the service using a trauma-informed approach.
2. To support the Active Recovery Lead in creating safety plans and tailoring activity sessions where appropriate. These will be informed through relationships with members and the initial assessment phone calls.
3. Support the Active Recovery Lead in planning trauma-informed sessions for members.
4. Support the setting up, delivering and debriefing about activity sessions with members and volunteers. Ensuring members are clear on each session's ground rules and safeguarding processes, using the Member’s Agreement.
5. Provide trauma-informed face-to-face support to members at sessions who may become overwhelmed or require help dealing with flashbacks and dissociation.
6. To support volunteers with safeguarding queries and ensure safeguarding procedures are followed, including being the Safeguarding Lead at activity sessions if the Active Recovery Lead is not there and escalating any onward safeguarding referrals and queries to the Southmead Project Designated Safeguarding Lead.
7. Support the Active Recovery Lead with management of volunteers for the project.
8. Develop and maintain an Active Recovery community through email, phone calls, texts and in person.
9. Be the key person in ensuring that members have all the information and resources needed to get to the sessions - building a relationship of trust with members, using Spond, email, texts and calls, creating Canvas, figuring out transport logistics.
10. Support the project’s aim to have the members’ voices at the heart of the project.
11. Contribute to the development of outcome processes in line with the Southmead Project and its funders’ requirements.
12. Maintain positive relationships with partnership organisations for the project.
13. The Practitioner will not have budget responsibility but will ensure that their own personal expenses (mileage/parking) is within the budget for the project, keeping accurate records.
14. Record data accurately and in a timely manner on Oasis.
15. Attend monthly one-to-one line management meetings with the Head of Active Recovery.
16. To attend monthly one-to-one clinical supervision with a Supervisor who is approved by the Southmead Project. Supervision is a requirement of this charity as an organisational member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
17. To work within the framework, spirit and ethos of the Southmead Project’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and actively engage in promoting the policy within the charity and in all dealings with clients and other agencies.
18. Follow the Southmead Project policies, procedures and professional code of conduct as outlined in the Staff Handbook.
19. All members of staff, paid and unpaid, are required to undergo the enhanced level of Disclosure and Barring Service check

Please see documents for full job description and person specification.

The Operations and Development Manager is a senior leadership role at AALT, responsible for ensuring the organisation’s operational effectiveness, financial stability, and long-term sustainability.

They will join at a pivotal and exciting moment for the organisation, as AALT prepares to open the Anti-Apartheid Legacy Centre (AALC) at Penton Street and transition into a newly restored and developed building, establishing operations and embedding a resilient and ambitious model for the future.

Working in close collaboration with the Director, the postholder will have strategic oversight of finance, HR, governance, fundraising, and day-to-day operations, while also taking direct responsibility for delivering key operational, financial, and income-generating activity.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring both strategic oversight and active delivery. The postholder will lead on financial and operational management, co-develop and drive fundraising activity, and ensure that the organisation’s systems, processes, and resources are robust, effective, and fit for purpose.

The role will also take responsibility for venue management during the early stages of the AALC opening, before transitioning to line management of dedicated venue staff as the organisation grows.

The role offers the chance to work across multiple sectors including arts, heritage, education, health, sport and community organisations, helping clients to develop fundraising strategies, secure funding and build sustainable income streams.

Alongside client work, you will play an active role within the wider Cause4 Development Team, contributing to research, organisational planning, training delivery and business development activity.

Unlike many in-house fundraising roles, this position offers broad exposure across a wide range of organisations, fundraising disciplines and consultancy projects, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to broaden their experience and develop their career within the charity or consultancy sectors.

This role could particularly suit:
An ambitious individual looking to build consultancy, fundraising and strategic development experience across a broad range of organisations.
Someone looking to step into their first consultancy or Development Manager role.
A fundraiser wanting broader experience across multiple organisations and income streams.
Someone currently working in the charity, arts, education or cultural sectors looking to transition into consultancy.
An existing manager looking to build their consultancy skills to fast track into more senior positions in the sector.

Team & Organisational Development
Contributing to Cause4's business development and growth activity.
Sharing knowledge, expertise and fundraising insight across the team.
Supporting the wider strategic and operational needs of the organisation.

Fundraising & Client Support
Supporting a portfolio of clients with fundraising strategy development and delivery.
Writing compelling funding applications, Cases for Support and donor-facing materials.
Supporting funding approaches to Trusts & Foundations, statutory funders, corporates and individual donors.
Conducting research into prospective funders, partners and opportunities.
Supporting the development and delivery of fundraising events and engagement activities.
Building positive relationships with clients, funders and wider stakeholders.
Supporting the delivery of fundraising training and wider Cause4 programmes.

Research & Consultancy
Producing high-quality research, reports and briefing papers.
Supporting the development of programme ideas, evaluation frameworks and measurable outcomes.
Contributing strategic thinking to fundraising campaigns and organisational development projects.
Supporting wider consultancy and innovation work across the organisation.

We are particularly interested in candidates who are ambitious, adaptable and keen to grow within a consultancy environment.

We are looking for:
Experience within a charity, fundraising, arts, education or consultancy environment.
Strong written communication skills and the ability to produce high-quality written material.
An interest in fundraising, philanthropy and organisational development.
Strong research and analytical skills with excellent attention to detail.
The ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.
Confidence working with a range of stakeholders and building professional relationships.
Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
Strong organisational and coordination skills.
Experience using Zoom or Teams.
Experience across fundraising or income generation is desirable, but we are equally interested in candidates with strong transferable skills and the ambition to develop into a client-facing consultancy role.

Hybrid Role - operating across the East of England (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire).

We are seeking an experienced and values driven business development manager to lead and drive our income generation and partnership development activity.

Reporting to the Chief Executive and sitting on the senior management team, you will lead a team of development officers and manage external bid writing consultants to identify, develop and secure funding and growth opportunities that are rooted in strong partnerships and responsive to community need.

This is a strategic and outward facing role, requiring excellent relationship building skills, an understanding of place-based working, and the ability to bring partners together around shared outcomes for communities across the East of England.

Key responsibilities

- Strategic Business Development & Partnerships
- Income Generation
- Resource Management
- Quality Assurance

Wider responsibilities

- Play an active role as a member of the trust’s senior management team.
- Contribute to annual business planning and the overall leadership and management of the trust.
- Ensure compliance with trust policies, statutory requirements and health and safety obligations.
- Act as a positive ambassador for groundwork east, promoting our partnership led and community focused approach.
- Work collaboratively with other Groundwork trusts and Groundwork UK to develop shared learning and joint opportunities.

Groundwork East is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

A great opportunity to join our Sussex focussed charity as we embark upon a new 4 year strategy.

This is a senior, high-impact post. You will lead on business development and income generation — writing bids, building partnerships and developing strategy — working closely with the Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team.

A key part of the role is dedicated to securing funding for our Lost Woods Project, a multi-agency community development initiative running until November 2027.

Key responsibilities include:

• Designing and driving an organisational Business Development Strategy
• Writing and submitting high-quality grant applications and competitive tender bids (including £150k+ bids)
• Maintaining a strong pipeline of funding and contract opportunities
• Building and sustaining strategic partnerships across the public, voluntary and private sectors
• Leading on AirS communications, marketing and profile-raising
• Supporting smooth handover of awarded contracts into delivery

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• Proven track record of securing grant funding and winning contracts, including large bids of £150,000+
• Experience of collaborative bidding and partnership development
• Management experience in a similar organisation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of CRM systems
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
• Knowledge of the national and local funding landscape and public sector commissioning
• Educated to degree level or equivalent

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the voluntary and community sector in Sussex
• Experience of Social Value and Theory of Change impact evaluation
• Formal fundraising or project management qualification
• Knowledge of community asset development, rural housing or nature-based solutions

Personal attributes: You are self-motivated, highly organised, calm under pressure, and a genuine completer-finisher. You can write compelling bids, build trusted relationships, and present confidently to a range of audiences.

Accountable to: Head of Finance and Operations Staff responsibilities: None initially (line management potential)

Salary: £45,000 (pro rata) Hours: 35 hours per week (part-time considered at 28 hours) Contract: Permanent Location: Lewes, Sussex — hybrid working.

AirS is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.

About the Mercury

The Mercury creates and shares stories that are exhilarating, revelatory and relevant. Through the reinvention of classic texts and the creation of bold, new writing, we believe that the transformative power of theatre can enrich the lives of our community.

The Mercury is a significant regional developer of new talent, working with a range of partners across the arts, education and creative industries to deliver a studio programme and a learning, participation and professional development programme aimed at nurturing the next generation of theatre makers.

Everything we do is driven by our values of quality, innovation, diversity, and connection.

About your new role

Are you passionate about data and how it can inform decision-making? We’re looking for an Audience and Insights Manager, who loves connecting people with a range of shows and activities that will enrich their lives.

This new role will be instrumental in ensuring our audiences are placed at the centre of our planning, by using their information effectively to share with them the Mercury’s vision, communicate our work, and promote our organisational values. 

You will help develop a 3-year audience development strategy; create, manage and deliver audience engagement campaigns; analyse data and recommend segmentation and audience profiles; help the team interpreting post-show data to inform future campaigns; help in the creation of a community ambassadors scheme, and much more.

If you are creative in your approach to build, engage and retain audiences, we want to hear from you!

To find out more, download the candidate pack.

Applications close at 10:00am on Tuesday 19 May 2026. Interviews will take place on Tuesday 2 June 2026.

About Spear

We launched the award-winning Spear Programme over 20 years ago, and there are now 18 Spear Centres across the country, equipping unemployed 16–24-year-olds facing barriers to employment with the skills and mindset they need to secure work and thrive in the workplace.

Spear operates a joint venture model with churches across the UK to run our Spear Centres. Some Centres operate in collaboration with independent charitable trusts, while others are run directly with the local church (both referred to below as ‘Spear Church Partners’ or ‘Church Partners’).

About the role

We’re looking for a new Church Partnerships Manager to join us for this northern based role, with travel across the region.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in driving national growth by developing and nurturing partnerships with churches across the North of England. You will be at the forefront of developing new relationships with potential early-stage partners, inspiring churches to engage with our mission, and supporting them through the pipeline, and helping to establish a diverse and thriving network of church partnerships.

We are looking for a confident relationship-builder who can engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders, particularly church leaders, and who is comfortable working in a dynamic and evolving environment.

Key information:

• Salary: £37,000
• Location: Remote with once a month travel to London for team meetings and regular travel in the North of England
• Full-time, 12-14month Fixed Term Contract, with the possibility of extension
• Closing date: We interview on a rolling basis and will close the role early if we find the right candidate

For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with Us Pack.

If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Person Specification

• A practising Christian, passionate about personally representing the values and beliefs of Spear, and our mission to equip and support young people facing barriers to employment
• Strong leadership ability with the confidence to make effective decisions
• Outstanding people skills and emotional intelligence, capable of quickly winning trust and confidence, as well as network, influence and negotiate with church leaders and a range of audiences, internally and externally
• An understanding of the needs and workings of churches and their leaders, and the ability to innovate, build our growth strategy and generate new partnerships
• An excellent communicator (both written and verbal)
• Excellent initiative and a self-starter, with the ability to operate flexibly in a changing and dynamic environment and in response to the support needs of each partner
• Strong organisational skills including the ability to establish appropriate processes and structures and to manage multiple priorities to meet targets and deadlines
• Strong quantitative skills including ability to work with and interpret impact data, fundraising pipelines and basic financial information
• Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint competent and experience of/ability to use databases

Sight Scotland is Scotland’s leading charity providing specialist care, education and research for people with vision impairment. The charity has been in existence for over 230 years, and offer a variety of services in the community as well as education, transcription into alternative formats and residential care for adults and children. Their vision is of an inclusive Scotland where people of all visual abilities have the opportunity to thrive. To achieve their mission and as part of the new fundraising strategy the Fundraising and Audience Development team recognises that there are efficiencies within fundraising operations that need to be identified and implemented – this role will be critical to delivering that. 

Within the Fundraising and Audience Development team the post holder will work closely with peer managers on areas such as supporter journey planning, developing CRM integration with platforms such as MailChimp for integrated marketing opportunities, providing accurate and useful reporting and CRM dashboards, and processes for prospect research and pipeline management. This role has line management responsibility for the Fundraising and Engagement Administrator.

This role would suit someone who has experience of fundraising operations, supporter care or database functions within a fundraising team. The successful candidate will want to work in a role where they can use their experience to really shape and improve fundraising operations and have both immediate and long-term positive impact on income generation.

Application notes 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.

To progress your application, please contact THINK recruitment to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date.

If you need assistance with downloading the pack, please contact THINK Recruitment and our team will support you.

Closing date for applications: Midnight Tuesday 2nd June 2026 

Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday 11th June 2026 

Are you passionate about children’s literacy? Do you want to use your skills and experience to enable opportunity for children living with little or no access to books and reading? Can you help create a home environment where reading for pleasure is part of the fabric of family life? If so, read on - we may have just the job for you here at Doorstep Library!

We are now looking for a second Service Deilvery Manager to share the delivery of our reading projects across London to ensure that all of our projects are delivered to schedule and our families and children are supported. You will directly manage half of our small team of amazing delivery staff, who work part-time during term time, supporting them to deliver our volunteer-led reading sessions and creating a positive culture of inclusion, development, and above all – fun!

This is an excellent opportunity for a service-focussed, poeple manager to apply and develop their skills in the non-profit sector and help us to help more children read for pleasure and see where words will take them. 

For more than 140 years, the Forces Employment Charity has proudly supported Service leavers, veterans, and their families in building successful civilian careers. We provide veterans with life-long, life-changing support, jobs, and training opportunities, regardless of circumstances, rank, length of service, or reason for leaving.​

​By working for FEC, you will become part of a vibrant team living the charity’s values: Expert, Supportive, Passionate, Open and Honest, Resilient, and Collaborative.​

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Brief role description​

The Business Development Manager will play a pivotal role, driving the acquisition of high-value, multi‑year corporate partnerships that deliver meaningful shared value for the organisation and its partners. They are responsible for developing and securing six‑ and seven‑figure strategic partnerships, ensuring each relationship aligns with organisational priorities and delivers clear, measurable impact.

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Who we are looking for​

We are looking for an experienced business development professional with a strong track record of winning long‑term corporate partnerships and securing multiple‑figure sums to deliver income targets.​

You will bring experience in prospect research and networking, with the ability to secure high‑value partnerships and deliver income targets. You will have excellent communication skills, including presentation, negotiation and influencing, and experience using CRM systems to support your work.​

You will demonstrate a highly self‑motivated and entrepreneurial approach, comfortable working to ambitious targets. You will be dynamic, organised and solutions‑focused, bringing a collaborative approach to your work. You will also be flexible and happy to attend events and meetings across the UK to secure funding partnerships.​

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Interested? Want to know more about the Charity? Check out our website​.

Eager to know more about the role? Have a look at the Job Description attached below​.

What’s in it for you? Check out our Benefits attached below​.

Have we convinced you to apply? If so, submit your CV and Covering Letter by Monday, 25 May 2026.​

Got questions about the role? Get in touch with the People Team at Forces Employment Charity​.

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Please note: Applications will be reviewed and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert; therefore, we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as possible.​

If you are an internal applicant, please ensure you have made The People Team aware before applying.​

We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff by fostering an inclusive, supportive environment where everyone, including those with disabilities, can thrive, develop, and achieve their full potential. We actively encourage applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds and ensure reasonable adjustments are made to support candidates with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.​

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process.​

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#LI-DNI​

The Sutton Trust is the UK’s leading social mobility charity. We believe every young person should have a fair chance in life, regardless of their family’s income, the school they go to or where they grow up. But today in Britain, the opportunity to succeed is heavily shaped by socio-economic background. Our mission is to change this. Our programmes empower young people to access life-changing opportunities, and our research influences national change to deliver a fairer future.

Each year, together with our university and employer partners, we support over 14,000 young people to reach their potential through our university, apprenticeship and career access programmes. And our support doesn’t stop there. We engage our thriving alumni community to help them to succeed in their professions and to act as advocates for social mobility.

Our rigorous and extensive research shines a light on barriers to opportunity from the early years to the workplace, and we strive to influence national policy change with evidence-based solutions to tackle educational and workplace inequality. Using insights from our programmes and research, we also test and scale new ideas in education and employment practice.

As an independent charity, our work is entirely reliant on the generous support of our community of donors. The need to support our work to tackle Britain’s low social mobility has never been greater.

Fundraising at the Sutton Trust

We are seeking a dynamic and confident fundraiser to be our Corporate Partnerships & Events Manager. The Sutton Trust is at an exciting point in our organisational journey, with a new Chairperson and ambitions to significantly grow our impact and fundraising as part of our 2030 strategy.

Over the past five years the impact of the Sutton Trust has increased, especially with our programmes which have gone from supporting 11,000 young people a year to 14,000 in the 24/25 programme year. We have secured a relatively stable income of c.£6m over several years, and in the last two years this has grown to £7m+. Our organisational strategy, which takes us to 2030/31, will continue this fundraising trajectory with a need to increase annual income on a sustained basis to £12m. With corporate income accounting for nearly half our fundraised income, there is considerable enthusiasm and opportunity in the corporate world for building strategic partnerships with The Sutton Trust.

Our fundraising approach will continue to focus on major gifts and strategic multi-year partnerships, leveraging a range of drivers to secure corporate support. Our highly engaged Chairperson has a commercial background and is keen to leverage contacts in the corporate world, giving a network of prospective contacts to explore.

The role and team

As Corporate Partnerships & Events Manager, you will be an experienced partnership manager and fundraiser, confident in securing new business through active prospecting and networking along with experience in securing and stewarding strategic partnerships with corporates and their associated corporate foundations. You will have an entrepreneurial mindset for income generation, able to confidently manage competing demands to balance securing new partnerships and delivering high quality account management to your portfolio of current and prospective supporters.

The role will lead a portfolio of corporate partnerships, focused on delivering shared strategic goals to increase social mobility in the workplace and supporting a more socio-economically diverse workforce for the future. The role will be the point-person within the Development Team for organisational events, working closely with key colleagues in our marketing & events and programme functions to support delivery of high-quality events. They will also take responsibility for delivering successful stewardship events, including programme visits. It will be crucial to work closely with a range of stakeholders, especially colleagues, to deliver successful stewardship events that showcase the varied work of the Sutton Trust and engage supporters with our work. This will include working closely with existing staff who lead on organisational, advocacy and programme events to ensure donors and prospects are able to attend and engage with the work.

Corporate partnerships are delivered by a talented and growing team, all with their own portfolios based on partnership level and complexity. Team members work on both new business and account management, with ambitious individual income targets.

Main duties
New Business

• Personally scope, develop and secure new five-figure+ corporate partnerships, aiming for a diverse and robust portfolio of partners with multi-year commitments, working with the Head of Corporate Partnerships, other senior staff, and senior volunteers appropriately to secure and steward.

• Proactively approach new business development within the corporate sector, cultivating relationships and networks to grow awareness of The Sutton Trust and secure major gifts.

• Support the Head of Corporate Partnerships in their work with senior volunteers to develop a strong prospect pipeline for major corporate gifts, including support for network mapping to leverage connections and cultivate prospective funders.

Events, Account Management and Development

• Manage and grow the Trust’s leadership and partner level corporate partnerships in your portfolio, including leveraging existing relationships to maximise financial income and partnership longevity.

• Appropriately leverage senior staff and volunteers to secure multi-lateral relationships with corporate partners and prospects, with the aim of retaining partnerships and uplifting income.

• Working closely with key colleagues to be the first point of contact for the Development team to support organisational events, and working with Development leadership to deliver diverse and engaging stewardship events.

• Working closely with key colleagues, support delivery of key donor messaging through Campaign Monitor or other platforms as appropriate, to align with the stewardship events goals of further engaging donors and prospects with the work of the Sutton Trust.

• Be accountable for achieving agreed corporate income targets, looking for opportunities to grow funding and diversify corporate income.

Fundraising, Finance and Reporting

• Act as an ambassador for the Trust with external audiences in the corporate space, representing the Trust with gravitas and confidence to secure major gifts and develop relationships.

• Work with colleagues across Development and Finance to ensure accurate forecasting, income tracking and reporting for your portfolio of corporate partnerships.

• Working closely with colleagues, provide corporate fundraising expertise to increase awareness of viable funding opportunities and develop organisational understanding of best practice for working with corporate partners and funders.

• Ensure you appropriately follow policies and procedures on due diligence, Salesforce and data management, account management, stewardship, and reporting.

• Stay up to date with corporate fundraising best practice, learning from senior members of the team, and keep abreast of developments and opportunities within the wider fundraising space.

• Other duties as necessary from time to time.

Person Specification

We welcome applications from individuals who have experience in:

• Experience in successfully securing, managing, and developing corporate partnerships at five-figures-plus level, from initial prospect research to contracting and ongoing stewardship.

• Experience successfully securing and/or managing corporate-charity partnerships, including engaging senior leadership on both sides to deliver strategic goals and mutual benefit.

• Experience network mapping and networking to build and manage relationships that lead to corporate donations to non-profits, particularly with senior non-profit volunteers.

• Experience planning and delivering events that provide high-quality stewardship to donors and prospects, engaging them with the work of a non-profit and promoting strong relationships.

• Experience managing events with an organised and clear project management approach, including influencing and working with a variety of stakeholders internally and externally.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including networking at C-suite and senior management level and strong presentation skills, with the ability to prepare and deliver engaging and persuasive cases for support.

• First-class interpersonal skills - a natural ambassador able to represent the Sutton Trust with gravitas and confidence in a range of settings, especially the corporate world and with senior leaders.

• Knowledge and experience of the education and/or not-for-profit sector.

• Knowledge of the UK fundraising environment, including corporate fundraising trends and regulations that affect corporate partnerships.

• Experienced at using Salesforce or other fundraising CRM software to accurately record funding relationships.

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and our mission to increase social mobility.

• High degree of initiative and the ability to take responsibility for corporate fundraising activity.

• Dynamic and entrepreneurial fundraiser, with a passion for personally engaging supporters.

• Able to think strategically about the bigger picture and manage hands-on fundraising.

• Proven ability to influence stakeholders at all levels and encourage giving.

• Excellent attention to detail with strong analytical skills.

• Able to work independently and as part of a team

• Is eligible to work in the UK (see here for information about right to work)

Terms of Appointment

• Contract: Full time, Permanent

• Salary: £42,025-£46,000

• Working location: Minimum of two office days per week. Our home working policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 60% of the time, with approval from their line manager.

• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP.

• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. This role is likely to also be required to attend events / meetings outside of normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends, in line with organisational policies.

Interviews

Applications should reach us by 10am, Monday 25th May, with first round interviews held on Tuesday, 4th June, and second round interviews held on Wednesday, 10th June. Both rounds will be held in our London office.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

Contextual recruitment

The Trust is committed to ensuring equality of opportunity and that all applicants receive equal consideration for employment. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including those underrepresented at present at the Trust, to apply for this role. As such we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. We are committed to being an inclusive and welcoming place to work and know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for the young people we support.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates throughout our recruitment process and during employment.

We also operate contextual recruitment at the Sutton Trust. Our application process gives you the option to include information about your background, such as whether you were eligible for free school meals, whether your parents went to university, or whether you attended a state school. For more examples and information on contextual recruitment, please see our website.