Deputy country director jobs

Whitley Fund for Nature - Deputy Director (14 months FTC Maternity Cover)
London | 3 days per week in the office | Full Time or Part-Time 4 days (pro-rata)
£58,000-£60,000
Closing date: Friday 26th March, 12pm

Charity People is delighted to be working in partnership with Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) who are seeking an experienced, values-driven senior leader to join as Deputy Director (Maternity Cover) - a key leadership role focused on maintaining momentum, safeguarding key relationships, and continuing to generate income from a warm, well-cultivated portfolio.

WFN is an incredible nature conservation charity, generously supported for more than 20 years by our Patron HRH The Princess Royal and WFN Ambassador and former Trustee Sir David Attenborough. Established in 1993, it has channelled £26 million to 220 conservation leaders in 80 countries across the Global South, benefitting wildlife, landscapes, and people.

WFN offer long term, laddered support to courageous changemakers leading local solutions to the global biodiversity and climate crises; they are acting on the latest science and igniting projects with passion. Through these award winners we support work rooted in communities that creates lasting benefits for wildlife, landscapes and people.

With a clear, established strategy and a strong pipeline of committed major donors, this is a rare opportunity to step into a pivotal senior role and help steer an organisation with genuine global impact.

The Role
As Deputy Director, you will act as a key strategic partner to the Director and a senior figure across the charity, ensuring continuity during the maternity leave period. You will:

• Line manage two Heads of department (Head of Partnerships and Head of Communications), offering supportive, calm and confident leadership.
• Play a hands-on role in major giving, stewarding key supporters including HNWIs, family foundations and trusts.
• Support the delivery of WFN's income ambitions for this financial year
• Represent WFN at donor meetings, pitches, and engagement events, drawing on your own network where appropriate.
• Work alongside colleagues on the prestigious Whitley Awards, supporting donor engagement and communications linked to the event.
• Oversee high‑quality proposals and reports, typically at the £5k-£100k+ level, and support renewals, revisits, and long‑term partnerships.
• Maintain oversight of communications and brand, ensuring alignment with WFN's mission and global conservation agenda.
• Play a key role in the 2026 WFN People for Planet Summit following the huge success of the 2025 event.

This is a brilliant position for a senior major gifts or partnerships specialist who enjoys balancing strategy with hands-on delivery, and who thrives in a collaborative, mission-led environment.

About You
We're looking for a confident, thoughtful and solutions-focused leader with:

• A strong track record in major donor fundraising (HNWIs, family foundations, trusts).
• Experience in securing and stewarding gifts, managing a portfolio where gifts often sit at the upper major-giving threshold.
• Senior leadership experience, ideally in a charity or environment-focused organisation.
• Willingness to represent WFN externally and maintain strong personal relationships with donors and partners.
• The ability to step into an already well-structured programme and ensure momentum continues smoothly.
• A collaborative, calm and people-centred leadership style.
• An understanding or background in wildlife conservation would be welcomed

Working at WFN
WFN is a warm, committed and mission-driven team, supported by a highly engaged Trustee Board and a clear strategic direction. Income is derived primarily from major donors, making this an ideal environment for someone who enjoys relationship-led fundraising and partnering closely with supporters.

How to Apply
Please contact Kevin Croasdale from our recruitment partners, Charity People, with your CV and to request a full job pack.

Deadline: 12pm, Friday 26th March

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.

Greenpeace is a movement of people who are passionate about defending the natural world from destruction. Our vision is a world where everyone has equal access to clean air, water, and energy; where the nature we love is protected, precious habitats are restored and communities are united by ambitious climate action. Our mission is to halve emissions and restore biodiversity by the end of this decade in a fair and equitable way. 

The Key Relationships programme sits at the heart of Greenpeace UK’s fundraising, securing the philanthropic investment that powers its campaigning work. The team raises around £15–16 million annually from major donors, trusts and foundations and legacies, contributing significantly to the organisation’s wider fundraising income of approximately £37 million.

We are now seeking an outstanding Deputy Fundraising Director, Key Relationships to provide strategic leadership for this vital programme. Reporting to the Fundraising Director and managing a team of 15 (with five direct reports), the role combines high-level leadership with hands-on engagement with major donors and senior stakeholders.

This is a pivotal moment for Greenpeace UK’s Key Relationships programme. Following a period of organisational change and restructuring, the successful candidate will help strengthen the major donor and philanthropic pipeline while shaping the future direction of the programme. The role will also play a central part in Greenpeace’s ambitious global capital campaign to fund a new ship and the campaigning work it will support, with Greenpeace UK contributing £20 million towards a €100 million international target by 2028.

As Deputy Fundraising Director, Key Relationships, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership for Greenpeace UK’s Key Relationships programme, overseeing fundraising from major donors, trusts and foundations and legacies
• Lead and develop a high-performing team of 15, ensuring the programme delivers and grows significant philanthropic income
• Maintain and develop senior relationships with major donors, funders and strategic external stakeholders
• Play a key leadership role in Greenpeace’s global capital campaign to fund a new ship and global campaigning programme
• Work closely with colleagues across fundraising, campaigns and programmes to develop compelling funding opportunities aligned with Greenpeace’s priorities
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the organisation as a member of the Fundraising Leadership Team
• Lead and shape Greenpeace UK’s key influencer strategy, owning a 3-year programme that connects our campaigns and fundraising ambitions to the people who can amplify their impact
• Represent Greenpeace UK externally and internationally, helping strengthen relationships across the wider Greenpeace network and sector partners

This role will suit an experienced fundraising leader who combines strategic thinking with the ability to build strong relationships and inspire high-performing teams.

Ideal skills and experience: 

• A strong track record of leading successful high-value fundraising and/or philanthropy programmes
• Extensive experience of establishing and sustaining relationships with senior level external stakeholders and/or funders
• Proven experience of successfully managing and supporting a team responsible for high value partnerships and/or philanthropy fundraising, including managing managers
• Experience of financial planning, forecasting and developing investment cases
• Demonstrable experience of convincingly and persuasively engaging with a wide range of people including high profile major donors
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and inspire a wide range of audiences
• Strong strategic judgement and the ability to operate confidently in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Ability to inspire others, particularly in creative risk-taking and innovation
• A deep commitment to Greenpeace’s values and mission to defend nature, social justice and peace

Diversity and Inclusion

Greenpeace UK recognise the value in having a diverse workforce, as well as the importance of creating equal opportunities for all. Applications are welcomed and encouraged from people of all backgrounds. Applications are particularly encouraged from people of colour, disabled people, and people who identify as working class now or in the past. Candidates will be selected based on how well they meet the criteria for the role and all applicants will be treated fairly throughout the recruitment process. See applicant pack for further details. 

Anti-racism and inclusion commitments

Greenpeace UK wants its team to reflect the diversity of the communities it works alongside. It is committed to fairness, inclusion, and challenging discrimination and oppression in all its forms. As part of this commitment, a Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) is being piloted. Greenpeace UK aims to offer an interview to everyone who opts into the scheme and meets the essential criteria. See applicant pack for further details. 

Employee benefits include: 

• 25 days annual leave for full-time staff, with additional leave accrued according to length of service up to a maximum of 32 days
• Once a month, all Greenpeace staff take an organisational ‘breather’ day where the office closes with no expectations of output on these days
• Office closure normally occurs between Christmas and new year
• Employer pension contribution of 8.5% of basic salary
• Life assurance scheme (4 x annual salary)

Join a charity rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission and play a central role in our senior leadership team.
This is a rare opportunity to use your finance and people leadership expertise to help shape the future of a well-established, values-driven organisation.

Shared Lives South West delivers long-term and short break care and support across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, enabling people to live fulfilling lives within family homes and communities. We are proud of the quality of our work and the positive, relational culture we have built as an organisation, and we are ambitious about what comes next.

As Deputy Chief Executive, you will join our senior leadership team in a pivotal organisation-wide role leading finance, people and core business functions. Working closely with the Chief Executive and Leadership Team, you will help strengthen financial stewardship, support a thriving and sustainable people culture, and ensure the organisation remains resilient, well-governed and effective.

This is a broad and influential leadership role offering both strategic responsibility and meaningful organisational impact. You will contribute to long-term planning and decision-making, provide leadership depth and continuity, and deputise for the Chief Executive when required.

We are looking for an experienced senior leader with strong organisational finance expertise and a good understanding of people leadership and workforce practice. You may come from the charity, public or wider values-led sector, and you will bring a collaborative, grounded leadership style alongside professional rigour.

For the right candidate, this role offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to an already high-performing organisation while continuing to grow your own leadership portfolio in a supportive and purpose-driven environment.

For full details and to apply please see Applicant Pack attached. 

Other organisations may refer to roles like this as Deputy CEO, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Finance Director, Director of Finance and Operations, or Executive Director of Corporate Services.

Head of Principal Gifts
Employer: University of Manchester
Salary: £59,966 to £71,566, depending on experience with scope to go beyond for an exceptional candidate
Location: Hybrid working, Manchester

We are looking for our new Head of Principal Gifts to work with our highest level of donors, securing principal gifts in support of the University of Manchester's key priorities - gifts that are truly transformational and enable us to tackle some of the world's greatest challenges.

We're taking our big gift fundraising to the next level with the launch of a dedicated Principal Gifts programme, and we're looking for someone to play a key role in shaping that transformation, building deep, lasting relationships with top-level donors in the UK and internationally.

With our inspirational new strategy in place and our first-ever university-wide philanthropic campaign, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, launched in November 2025, this is a pivotal moment for Manchester and for your career.

Reporting to the Deputy Director, Principal Gifts, you'll be joining a brilliant, values-driven team with a fantastic pipeline of prospects, strong existing relationships, and academics who are fully engaged in what we're building together.

Great things happen at The University of Manchester every day - from finding new treatments for cancer and discovering wonder materials like Nobel Prize-winning graphene, to providing life-changing scholarships and influencing government policy to help the world's poorest people. This is the work your fundraising will make possible.

If you're a major gifts or big gift fundraiser ready to make your mark at a world-renowned institution and take that next career-defining step, we'd love to hear from you.

Closing date: Midnight on Monday 20 April 2026

Interested?

Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.

The University of Manchester is partnering with Constellate Global Talent on this search. No agencies please.

Learning Disability Community Leader, L'Arche London

ABOUT THE ROLE

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week (including some evening and weekend working, and regular on-call)

Salary: £55,000 (including London weighting)

Reports to: L’Arche UK Director of Care and Communities

Place of work: L’Arche London Community, West Norwood, SE27. Some travel and overnight stays will be required within the UK.

Contract type: Permanent

Closing date: Thursday, 16th April, at midday

Notes: If you have already applied for this role and received an update on your application from us, please do not submit another application.

Main purpose of the role

The Community Leader is responsible for ensuring that the Community is living the mission of L’Arche, by providing excellent and sustainable care and support services, support for  spirituality, and engaging with our neighbours and the wider community around us.

The Community Leader will:

• Lead the Community by responding to the needs, choices and context of our members while being faithful to the L'Arche UK Vision and Values, the L'Arche International Identity and Mission Statement, and to a co-created Community Mandate and plan.
• Maintain and enhance high-quality, person-centred care, support, and housing for people with learning disabilities, both at home and in our day services in partnership with the Registered Manager, the Team in London, the National Leadership Team, individual circles of support, and external partners; 
• Ensure the Community's financial sustainability through robust financial planning and management, including setting budgets, controlling spending, maximising occupancy, negotiating care contracts, growing day services, and spotting fundraising opportunities;
• Foster a culture that maximises the voice and power for people with learning disabilities, building listening and collaboration between Community members with and without learning disabilities;
• Contribute to the national work programmes of L'Arche UK, as part of the National Council, collaborating with Community Leaders of other L'Arche Communities, to share skills, best practice, and resources

Key essential criteria

• Senior leadership experience in support to adults with learning disabilities (or transferable skills and experience in a closely related field);
• Experience in leading, managing, and developing an organisation or large teams to deliver results, maintain compliance and quality, and to respond to risks and opportunities;
• Good financial planning skills and experiences of successfully managing a substantial budget;
• Ability to think strategically and work collaboratively to develop and implement community plans;
• Experience of living or working alongside people with learning disabilities and/or autistic individuals;
• Passionate about person-centred support and the values and mission of L'Arche;

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS criminal record check. 

You may have held these job titles in the past: Registered Manager, Service Manager, Head of Care, Senior Operations Lead, Community Director, Head of Community Services, Country or Regional Lead, Learning Disability Services Manager, Head of Mission and Community Life, Health & Social Care Manager, Local Authority Commissioning Lead;

You can find more details about L'Arche London here.

Additional details about L'Arche can be found here.

Discover what makes L’Arche a rewarding place to work—explore our employee benefits here.

A full job description and person specification can be found in the Recruitment Pack.

To apply, please submit your CV and include a cover letter via our online application form. 

The closing date is: Thursday, 16th April at midday

First round interviews are expected to take place either on 22nd or 23rd April 2026 online via Microsoft Teams.

Second round interviews will take place on 30th April 2026 and will take place within the L'Arche London Community. 

We encourage you not to wait until the closing date to submit your application, as we may begin interviewing strong candidates before then.
We also reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive enough suitable applications.

Please also read our privacy notice for job applicants.

Partnerships Officer (Programme Officer)

Aga Khan Foundation

The position

AKF(UK) Partnerships Officers are part of the Global Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Partnerships team tasked with identifying funding partnerships and strengthening existing ones to support our strategic goals. Partnerships Officers manage a set of grants across a variety of themes and geographies. They also support engagement with European and Asian bilaterals, multilaterals and foundations to secure funding for ten multi-sector not-for-profit and for-profit agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) operating across Asia and Africa. This is all done in close collaboration with field units, global teams, and our partners.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND CORE TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Grants Management

• Manage a portfolio of grants through regular interface and coordination with AKF(UK)’s partnerships team, AKF(UK)’s programme finance team and relevant AKF/AKDN field units/agencies acting as a central resource for field units in donor best practice.
• Interface with donors about the implementation of ongoing grants to ensure strong, enduring relationships.
• Coordinate, review, and assure the quality of donor deliverables (e.g. work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans, staffing plans, budgets, close-out plans, donor troubleshooting).
• Ensure adherence with donor requirements, rules, and regulations, and that grant deliverables are produced on time and to a high standard.
• Coordinate contractual amendments, changes, and project adaptations, engage with donors in a pro-active and diplomatic way, and flag potential changes (e.g. budget revisions, extensions, risks) in advance to ‘trouble shoot’ and ensure smooth project implementation.
• Facilitate grant monitoring efforts including routine coordination meetings and as needed, support with donor steering committees, donor project visits, and donor monitoring missions.
• Undertake coordination and administrative tasks related to grants and support the maintenance and update of grant management tools and tracking systems (e.g. Award Information Management System (AIMS)).
• Ensure strong relationship cultivation throughout the grants cycle, anticipate, and plan for future funding and project extensions.

Resource Mobilisation

• Coordinate and facilitate the development, review and quality assurance of expressions of interest, concept notes, and full proposals for funding opportunities.
• Liaise and coordinate with internal stakeholders as well as with donors, partners, and consortia to facilitate project design, align proposal and donor requirements, gather required legal and administrative documentation, and draft sections of proposals as needed.

Coordinate processes of contracting and negotiation, engaging relevant stakeholders, and ensuring contracts ‘get over the line’ in a timely and efficient way.

• Conduct due diligence of new partners (donors, NGOs, universities, etc.) in coordination with AKF(UK)’s programme finance team and AKF’s global programmes team.

• Develop and contribute to positioning pieces and communication materials (e.g., presentations, narrative overviews) to enable regular and effective engagement with donors.
• Research, scan and source relevant information regarding new donors and funding opportunities to identify potential funding matches and gather intelligence around European and Asian donors.
• Update donor profiles, researching and summarising latest donor strategies and using AIMS to update AKF/AKDN funding summaries. 
• Contribute to management systems, such as AIMS.

Carry out any other duties as assigned by the Senior Partnerships Manager, Deputy Regional Directors or Global Deputy Director for Institutional Partnerships.
 

The requirements

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, BEHAVIOURS, ATTRIBUTES
Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree essential
• Master’s degree in a relevant field preferred

Skills

• Strong level of fluency in French is highly desirable
• Creativity, critical thinking, and project management
• Entrepreneurial, pro-active self-starter with maturity and emotional intelligence
• Ability to problem-solve, work independently and manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment with numerous and competing deadlines
• Ability to handle complex relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders in a professional manner
• Excellent writing, speaking and other communications skills, with thoroughness and attention to detail
• Ability to provide stable, consistent, reliable and courteous communication when dealing with external organisations, senior colleagues and community members
• Strong financial literacy, including the ability to read and produce detailed budgets and business plans
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 and Salesforce
• French language skills desirable, but not essential
• Proficiency in French language desirable

Knowledge

• Understanding and knowledge of the UK/European and Asian donor landscape preferred
• Knowledge of and commitment to international development

Experience

• A minimum of 3 years of professional experience
• Experience in developing and writing proposals, developing budgets, business plans/cases, concept papers, briefs, executive summaries, as well as coordinating multiple inputs from a variety of sources
• Experience of managing relationships in complex organisations with numerous stakeholders
• Experience managing grants in complex organisations desirable

Attributes

• Committed to international development, improving the quality of life, and promoting pluralism through civil society.
• Demonstrates equity, transparency, and integrity with high personal and organisational ethical standards; is fair, honest, and trustworthy with respect for confidentiality; inspires and builds trust and respect from others; promotes credibility and professional reputation.

Behaviours

• Communicates clearly and concisely with a broad range of audiences at different levels; ability to expresses complex ideas and concepts in simple terms; listens to the views of others; changes communication styles to meet individual and audience needs; encourages dialogue and effective communication by others.
• Builds, maintains, and deepens constructive and effective relationships with stakeholders with a specific focus on AKF’s mission; balances business situations and the art of dealing with people and communities; changes approach to achieve desired results if required.
• Has a customer focused orientation to others, is flexible and always puts the good of others at the centre of decision making; optimises respect for others and is dedicated to AKF’s purpose and fulfilling the mission.
• Acknowledges creativity, has the desire to understand and use new innovations (including technology); adapts established methods for new uses; is focused on improving systems and processes; open to change; analyses, synthesises and challenges conventional thinking; supports the development of communities of practice.

FURTHER DETAILS

• The role will involve travel to countries where we operate programmes, and where the candidate is supporting grants management.
• As well as a rewarding role with a global international development organisation, you’ll get access to a wide range of enhanced benefits including but not limited to flexible hybrid working, enhanced leave entitlement and access to several health and wellbeing programmes and benefits.
• Must include CV and a supporting statement that outlines why you want the role, why you want to work for AKF(UK) and how your experiences and skills to date make you the most suitable applicant for the role.

Sector

Social Development

About the Agency

The Aga Khan Foundation is a leading global development organisation working to tackle the root causes of poverty. For more than 50 years, we have helped create strong community institutions that support sustainable, locally driven initiatives to improve the lives of millions of people. By combining local knowledge with global best practices, we strive to bring about transformative and long-lasting improvements to quality of life.

Working alongside the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network and through partnerships with local communities, civil society and business as well as governments and international aid agencies, we are building a future where we all thrive together.

Job Expires: 25-Mar-2026

We’re looking for a dynamic and driven Individual Giving and Engagement Manager to deliver and grow our newly created donor retention programme. This is a brilliant opportunity for someone who is ready to get hands-on and bring fresh ideas, a test and learn approach and a passion for delivering high-quality fundraising appeals.

You’ll be an experienced IG fundraiser with a strong understanding of how to inspire donors to give. You’ll be a great fit if you are detail-confident and motivated by continuous improvement.