Development writer and research officer jobs

Part-funded by a generous donation from Backstage Trust, this is a new and pivotal role designed to transform Theatre Centre's fundraising capacity by strengthening systems, increasing income diversity, and building long-term financial resilience. The postholder will play a key role in helping the organisation capitalise on its artistic impact and case for support, while building momentum towards its 75th anniversary in 2028.

This role will keep us focused on our development strategy and will have support from across the whole company: the Board, Executive and the core TC team. We have been steadily building our foundations and have some good funding relationships in place, committed individual givers, a strong, evidenced case for support, some incredible stats and feedback and above all an inspiring and exciting programme of work to offer for young people, artists and teachers across the country.

Our Development Manager will help us to bring in resources so that we can continue share our high-quality, specialist work as far as we can. We see development as a collaborative effort and we understand the need for the whole team to support development, that effective fundraising needs to be resourced with realistic timelines and expectations.

About the Role

Contract type: Fixed term to March 2028

Hours: 30 hours per week (0.8 FTE) - we're happy to discuss flexible working patterns that work best for you.

Salary: £24,000 per year (based on £30,000 per year pro rata)

Location: This role can be hybrid or predominantly home based, with some time spent working with colleagues in the office. Theatre Centre is based near Three Bridges station at Unit 4 Crawley Business Centre, Stevenson Way, Crawley, RH10 1TN.

Job Requirements

• A strong affinity with Theatre Centre's mission and a passion for creating opportunities for young people through the arts.
• A values-driven approach, with commitment to equity, inclusion, social justice and environmental responsibility.
• Collaborative, open and transparent working style.
• Comfortable working in a changing environment.
• Proven experience of fundraising within an arts organisation.
• Strong strategic thinking skills.
• Good written communication skills, including the ability to develop compelling cases for support and reports.
• Good understanding of the financial context of this work.
• Experience of building and managing relationships with funders, donors and stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills, including data management.
• Experience of monitoring and reporting to demonstrate impact.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work flexibly under pressure, and meet deadlines.

Job Responsibilities

The Development Manager will lead delivery of a phased fundraising strategy:

Phase 1 - Foundation: Build on our strong systems and processes and give us consistency in fundraising delivery, including building a robust pipeline of Trusts & Foundations and developing place-based income in Crawley and the Gatwick area.

Phase 2 - Private Phase: Expand individual giving by deepening relationships, developing major donors, and securing multi-year funding partnerships.

Phase 3 - Public Bring together all strategic and fundraising priorities in our 75th year, amplifying them into a public campaign that advocates for our change-making work.

If you'd like more information you're welcome to visit our website and download the job pack.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive fundraiser who enjoys both bid writing and relationship building.

Working closely with the Fundraising Manager, you will play a key role in securing income from trusts and foundations, supporting donor stewardship, and helping to grow community fundraising activity. You will contribute directly to the financial sustainability of the charity while helping more children gain access to books of their own.

The role is ideally suited to someone who is highly organised, a strong writer, and confident managing multiple fundraising activities simultaneously.

ABOUT SAT-7 UK

SAT-7 UK is part of an international Christian media ministry. Through our partnership with SAT-7 International, we bring life changing joy to the people of the Middle East and North Africa through powerful, faith-filled television and digital media programmes, supported in the UK through prayer, giving and influencing to bring about change.

SAT-7 UK has grown a faithful supporter base across the UK. However, we recognise the need to better establish who we are and what we do in the hearts and minds of UK Christians. We want to raise our profile and deepen the support and active engagement we receive from existing and a new generation of supporters, to increase the impact of SAT-7’s ministry across the MENA region and in the UK.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled writer and communicator to tell the stories of SAT-7 and the people of the MENA in fresh and powerful ways. You’ll be working in a fast-paced, creative environment as part of the Communications & Marketing Team, delivering high quality content across a range of platforms. You’d be writing engaging podcast and video scripts, powerful viewer testimonies, inspiring articles for our website or print magazine and attention-grabbing email copy. You’ll be one of the main points of contact with our international office and Middle Eastern TV studios, gathering and repurposing impactful stories and resourcing the wider UK team.

All of this would support our 5-year strategic outcomes:

1. To see an increased and actively engaged support base giving regularly to sustain the work of SAT-7, so that SAT-7 UK is raising a sustainable £4M with over 3,500 donors.

2. Supporters and funders have a deepened understanding of the challenges faced by Christians and the people of the MENA region, and impact of SAT-7, to create opportunities to pray, engage and partner for change.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Write engaging content for a range of platforms, including print and digital, such as articles, scripts and email copy
• Prepare episode templates, invite and research guests for the ‘Around the Table’ podcast with captivating and informative topics through highlighting regional issues and Christian context
• Assist the Senior Editor in writing copy and copy editing for prayer resources, such as monthly 7 Ways to Pray and seasonal campaigns at Lent and Advent, that will encourage prayer engagement, raise awareness of SAT-7’s work and expand SAT-7’s support base
• Show how God is at work in the MENA, and mobilise increased prayer for the issues affecting different people groups and MENA Christians
• Inform supporters and the wider public about the context, news, challenges and opportunities for the MENA region and Church
• Assist the Senior Editor in the production of copy for Insight magazine, writing effective and inspiring copy to demonstrate the impact of SAT-7 and inspire supporters to take action
• Repurpose written content from SAT-7’s international office for use across a range of platforms, and adapt and upload articles to the SAT-7 UK website
• Gather news and contextual information to generate content for flagship supporter publications, and support other teams as required (e.g. for events, campaigns, appeals, church presentations, prayer updates and reports)

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure consistent messaging, branding and tone of voice and that content conforms to SAT-7 security, communication and style guides for a range of different audiences
• Communicate sensitively and positively about the MENA region and the work of SAT-7
• Assist the Communications & Marketing Manager and other colleagues as required
• Operate at all times within relevant statutory requirements and guidelines, following best practice recommendations wherever possible, and especially ensure compliance with the Fundraising Regulator Code and GDPR legislation

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

• To set Christian standards in the working environment and to lead by example
• To attend appropriate staff meetings to hear updates and share and coordinate activities and spend time in prayer and worship together
• To lead or participate in sessions of prayer and biblical reflection within the Team
• To be committed to SAT-7 UK’s Missions, Values and Beliefs
• To maintain own spiritual development and relationship with God e.g. through individual prayer and reflection times
• Willingness to be an occasional staff speaker that represents SAT-7 at speaking engagements, meetings and conferences from small meetings to large events
• Committed and growing Christian, passionate about changing the world and being a part of God’s mission

ABOUT YOU
Essential Skills and Abilities Required

• Passionate about telling the stories of God at work in people’s lives
• A degree-level qualification in Communications, English, Politics or a similar field
• A talented writer with a portfolio of published written work
• Experience in developing podcast episode templates and writing/developing scripts for podcasts or video
•  Ability to copy edit and demonstrate exemplary grammar and spelling
• Experience of working in a communications role
• A fast worker, able to prioritise and multitask a number of ongoing projects to set deadlines
• Ability to work under pressure, manage time effectively, prioritise and work to deadlines

Desirable Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge and experience of the Middle East and North Africa
• Experience working for an international Christian ministry or development organisation

HOW TO APPLY

• Candidates must have the right to work in the UK and be based in the UK – no overseas applications will be considered
• If an informal conversation about the role would help, please contact us through the details on our website
• If you do not have experience in all ‘key responsibilities’, please tell us about the relevant skills and experience you do have, as you will still be considered
• If you are unavailable on the proposed interview dates, please specify this in your application and your nearest available date. It is important to note that this may not be possible to accommodate and interview dates may be subject to change
• There is an Occupational Requirement, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, for the position to be filled by a committed Christian

We’d love to hear from you! To apply, please visit our website before sending a covering letter, CV and full application form.

Role: Communications Officer

Reporting to: Head of Communications

Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week

Location: Remote (UTC-4 to UTC+5) (with some international travel for events)
Candidates must be located within ±4 hours of the UK timezone (GMT/BST) to ensure sufficient team crossover.

Closing date: 9am (UK time) on Monday 13th July.

The opportunity
We are seeking a structured and proactive Communications Officer to play a vital role in the day-to-day delivery of our global communications. From managing our content calendar and compiling email campaigns to updating website content, you will support our small, dynamic team in continuously improving the quality, impact, and consistency of our outputs for United for Global Mental Health (UnitedGMH) and the Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN). 

About Us
United for Global Mental Health is dedicated to creating a world that enables good mental health for all. We draw on our expertise in policy, advocacy, and financing to work with organisations who share our commitment to driving mental health up the political agenda - and securing additional funding for mental health at national and global level. We founded and act as the secretariat for the Global Mental Health Action Network, an open coalition of mental health professionals of over 10,000 individuals and organisations across 170 countries. 

About you 
Our ideal candidate is a dependable, detail-oriented communicator who genuinely enjoys the practical delivery of communications outputs. You are highly organised, skilled at managing multiple tasks, and comfortable keeping the gears of a busy communications function turning. You understand how to tailor messaging for diverse global audiences and geographies. Ideally, you bring experience working within an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) or global health context.

The role 
Key components of the role include: 

• Social media content development - collaborate with internal subject specialists to produce consistent and frequent on-brand written and visual content for social channels, in support of brand and advocacy goals. You’ll use Canva, Adobe Creative Suite and AgoraPulse for this. 
• Email - develop, write and send UnitedGMH’s regular email newsletter, working with internal staff to source news, updates and relevant content tailored for email subscribers.
• Website development - develop, maintain and update content for the UnitedGMH website - including uploading content and editing pages.
• Social media channel and community management - lead on day-to-day management and posting on UnitedGMH social media channels, including LinkedIn and Pinterest. Manage paid social campaigns where required. Use monitoring tools to manage social media comments (organic and paid). 
• Brand guardian: Be a steward of the UnitedGMH brand, helping to ensure consistent application of visual identity and tone of voice across all external organisational outputs, maintaining high standards of design.
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting - create regular analytic reports for social, website and email channels. 
• Editorial planning and communications calendar management - lead on the maintenance of the organisation’s communications calendar, ensuring content across channels is planned-in-advance of key advocacy moments. 
• Team support - support the communications team through project management, meeting management, processing supplier invoices, keeping journalist lists up-to-date, and other responsibilities where needed. 
• Ad-hoc support for the Global Mental Health Action Network - you’ll also provide a supporting function as needed for the GMHAN team, including tasks related to website and social management, plus others where needed. 

Requirements 

• Digital Channel Expertise: Proven experience managing website Content Management Systems (e.g., WordPress, Squarespace), diverse social media platforms, and email marketing software (e.g., Mailchimp).
• Exceptional Copywriting: A skilled writer with a track record of crafting engaging copy for varied audiences. Note: We want an authentic writer who cares deeply about the words they craft, rather than someone whose first instinct is to rely on LLMs/AI to generate content.
• Editorial Rigour: Strong research and proofreading skills with an uncompromising eye for detail.
• Organisation & Delivery: Highly organised with experience providing team administrative support and the ability to prioritise a busy workload under tight deadlines.
• Tools & Systems: Comfortable utilising digital project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Trello, Google Drive).
• Mission Alignment: A genuine interest in global mental health, international development, and political advocacy.
• Interpersonal Skills: Strong relationship management skills, with the flexibility to work effectively with a globally distributed team.
• Travel: Willingness to travel internationally to support at global events up to 5 times per year for up to a week at a time. 

Desirable 

• Experience working in an advocacy / international NGO environment within a fast-paced globally distributed staff team
• Demonstrable experience in working with journalists
• Additional language skills (note the position requires fluent English)

Unfortunately, we are not able to recruit team members in the following countries/regions: Afghanistan, Belarus, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar (Burma), North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine (specifically the occupied regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya), Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

For non-UK candidates: Please note that you would be hired via Deel as an Employer of Record.

Interviews:
Interviews will be conducted remotely. There will be 2 interview rounds and a task to complete.
How to apply:
To apply, please submit your cover letter, outlining how you meet the required competencies, and a CV, via the Charity Job site.