Job title: Head of Marketing and Fundraising
Responsible to: Chief Executive Officer
Hours of work: 37.5 per week
Salary: £45,0000 (subject to skills and experience)
Location: Stowmarket, Suffolk
Contract term: Permanent (with a probationary review at 3 months)
Job purpose:
To provide experienced and effective strategic leadership, and operational delivery, of the fundraising and marketing initiatives of The Mix and its trading subsidiary, 127 Trading Ltd, to generate a diverse and sustainable stream of income to enable The Mix to deliver its charitable activities in the years ahead.
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic fundraising and marketing professional to develop and execute an ambitious commercial strategy to enable us to provide even greater support to young people in Suffolk.
Background
The Mix Stowmarket Ltd. is an established youth charity working with young people aged 9–25 across Mid Suffolk. With a committed team, a flagship youth centre, and a trading arm, 127 Trading Ltd, operating two cafés, we’re rooted in community impact and innovation.
We exist to inspire, empower, and support young people to build resilience, thrive, and unlock their full potential. Working from our centre in Stowmarket and a second base in Needham Market, we deliver a diverse range of programmes including youth mentoring, alternative education, school-based support, and open-access youth sessions. Our work is shaped by strong values, a solution-focused’ approach, and a deep belief in the potential of every young person.
Alongside our charitable work, we operate a social enterprise trading arm, 127 Trading Ltd, which runs two cafés that provide training and employment opportunities for young people, whilst generating vital income for our work. With a committed team of staff and volunteers and a passion for partnership, The Mix is a trusted and innovative force for positive youth development in Suffolk.
We have recently appointed our new Chief Executive Officer who takes up post in October 2025. We now seek a strategic and operationally savvy Head of Fundraising and Marketing to support the senior team as they lead The Mix into its next chapter, with prime responsibility to generate a diverse and sustainable stream of income to enable The Mix to deliver its charitable activities in the years ahead.
Overview of the role
As the organisation’s Head of Fundraising and Marketing, you will be an experienced, ambitious, enthusiastic, and dynamic professional, who is passionate about fundraising and maximising income generation.
Working closely with our new CEO and committed trustees and staff, you will develop and implement fundraising and marketing strategies that align to our vision and drive the expansion of our crucial support to young people in Suffolk.
You will have a thorough understanding of planning, organising, and delivering successful fundraising campaigns, initiatives, and events with a strong attention-to-detail. You will be comfortable working at a leadership and strategic level but also unafraid to roll up your sleeves and create bids, funding proposals, and marketing materials.
You will be a natural ambassador, working with the CEO to build partnerships at the local and regional level, and your ambassadorial skills will help raise our profile and leverage our networks and connections.
The Head of Fundraising and Marketing is responsible for the day-to-day marketing and management oversight of The Mix and 127 Trading Ltd and the management of its marketing staff and budgets.
Critical to your success will be a genuine passion and enthusiasm for transforming the lives of young people.
You may come from the youth, charity, health, education, or social enterprise sectors. We welcome candidates who can bring the vision, leadership, and heart to shape the future of fundraising and marketing at The Mix.
Main Responsibilities
1. Strategic leadership
· Develop and lead the multi-channel fundraising and marketing strategy to meet agreed income targets and support
long-term sustainability for both The Mix and 127 Trading Ltd.
· Work closely with the CEO and Trustees, to align fundraising efforts with the strategic goals of the charity and bring insight into income generation and stakeholder engagement.
· Actively contribute to the senior leadership team, shaping organisational policies and strategic direction, ensuring the integration of fundraising, marketing and operational activities.
2. Fundraising and income generation
· Drive the development of diverse income streams, including major donor fundraising, corporate partnerships, individual giving, legacies, lotteries, community fundraising and events.
· Proactively seek new opportunities to secure long-term, multi-year funding through well-targeted funding applications and corporate proposals.
· Build strong partner relationships with a focus on stewardship, retention, and growth.
· Monitor performance, analyse data, and drive continuous improvement.
· Chair the Fundraising sub-committee and contribute to the Data, Impact and Evidence Action Group
· Responsible for completion of all bids, grants and funding applications and ensuring that funders receive appropriate ongoing feedback.
3. Marketing and communications
· Develop marketing materials and campaigns that effectively communicate the charity’s mission, vision and achievements to various audiences for both The Mix and 127 Trading Ltd.
· Lead the management of digital platforms, ensuring consistent and inspiring content across all channels, including the website, social media, email and printed materials.
· Ensure that brand messaging is consistent, clear and aligned across The Mix and 127 Trading Ltd to enhance public recognition and reputation.
· Grow awareness of the charity at a local and regional level, monitoring success through market research.
· Develop compelling narratives and stories of the charity’s impact to engage partners and encourage continued support.
4. Team leadership and development
· Lead and develop the Fundraising & Marketing team, fostering a collaborative and positive culture.
· Mentor and support team members in achieving their professional development goals, ensuring they attain business objectives.
· Regularly monitor and review team performance to meet income generation and communication objectives.
5. Operational excellence
· Ensure compliance with data protection laws, fundraising regulations and ethical guidelines across all fundraising and marketing activities.
· Review and improve the use of the website and develop systems to track donor engagement, monitor income and ensure data integrity and transparency.
· Work closely with finance and operations teams to oversee the management and monitoring of fundraising targets.
·Work closely with the Youth Work team to provide insight to funding opportunities available and marketing and fundraising activities occurring.
Please also refer to the job description for further details.
The Mix Stowmarket Ltd. is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Any job offers are subject to the completion of satisfactory pre-employment checks and role-specific DBS (criminal records) checks
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all recruitment decisions are based on merit. We do not discriminate against individuals based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race (ethnicity) including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you a social media whizz with a passion for telling powerful stories? Keen to progress in your career in public relations and digital communications while making a real impact in the charity sector? Join Dravet Syndrome UK as a Marketing and Communications Manager (home based,16 hours/week) and bring your creativity and energy to a role where you’ll help shape our online presence, generate meaningful media coverage, and connect communities through engaging content.
Reporting to the Head of Marketing and Communications and working with the Marketing, Communications and Fundraising Manager in this varied position, you’ll drive DSUK’s social media activity, creating and scheduling posts across our social media channels. Alongside engaging online audiences, you’ll be instrumental in our proactive PR work—writing press releases, pitching stories to key media, responding to journalist enquiries, and helping develop compelling family case studies for campaigns. As part of a passionate and supportive team, you’ll collaborate to measure the impact of our communications and marketing work.
If you’re ready to grow your career in communications and want to make a difference for families affected by Dravet syndrome, we want to hear from you.
As part of DSUK’s commitment to safeguarding, the postholder is expected to undertake an enhanced DBS check.
About Dravet Syndrome UK
Dravet Syndrome UK (DSUK) is a small independent UK charity dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by Dravet Syndrome. Dravet Syndrome is a rare neurological condition that affects around one in every 15,000 people in the UK. As well as experiencing severe, difficult-to-control seizures, children and adults with Dravet Syndrome have varying degrees of intellectual disability and a spectrum of associated conditions (known as ‘comorbidities’), which may include autism, ADHD, behaviours that challenge and difficulties with speech, mobility, eating and sleep.
The charity was founded in October 2008 by a small group of 30 families. Today, DSUK is a registered charity helping over 550 families with support, education, and research programmes, underpinned by a world-class Medical Advisory Board.
What you will bring
Essential
· Demonstrable experience in planning and delivering engaging and targeted social media content to build community, raise awareness and drive engagement.
· Hands-on experience managing websites (using WordPress), delivering e-marketing campaigns (e.g. Mailchimp or similar), and applying SEO principles and other techniques to optimise digital communications and online visibility.
· Demonstrable experience in media relations, including writing press releases, working with case studies and successfully pitching and responding to a range of media (online, press, radio, broadcast)
· Demonstrable experience of working in charity, patient advocacy or healthcare sectors
· Ability to deal with people at all levels with empathy, tact and credibility
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to distil large amounts of information and present it in engaging and innovative ways for a variety of audiences
· Demonstrable design skills and knowledge of desktop publishing software e.g. using Canva to create in-house designs for social media and our website
· Act as a brand guardian, ensuring external designers and agencies understand and apply our brand, visual identity, and corporate communications guidelines effectively
· Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritise
· Be a self-starter and team player with experience of remote working, and able to work effectively with colleagues using remote technology (e.g. Zoom, Google meets, etc)
Desirable
· Membership of a professional body such as Chartered Institute of Public Relations and/or a commitment to continuous professional development
Why join Dravet Syndrome UK?
Join our dynamic and growing charity, where you'll thrive in an exciting and engaging environment. We are proud to be a family-oriented charity experiencing growth and fuelled by an ambitious plan for expansion. Our dedicated team is deeply connected to our core audience, and their motivation stems from witnessing our impact on people's lives. Join us today and contribute to making a lasting difference in the lives of those we support.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 24 September 2025, with shortlisting interviews taking place in early October with job to commence November 2025.
Our commitment to diversity
As part of our ambitions to improve equality and diversity, we welcome applications for this role from those who identify under any of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include race, age, disability, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.