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Join our team and help deliver real-world change
We stand at a defining moment. Climate change, inequity, and health challenges demand action. This isn't the first time Manchester has risen to the moment, and now we are ready to do it again.
At the end of 2025 we launched our first ever fundraising and volunteering campaign, “ Challenge Accepted”. We're uniting alumni, donors, staff, students and civic, industry and community partners to tackle the world's toughest challenges and transform lives locally and globally.
We are building an exceptional team of people to champion bold thinking that is rooted in impact.
Will you accept the challenge?
Manchester individuals are recognised for embracing shared values such as integrity, courage, ambition, and collaboration. Our community is strengthened by a pioneering outlook and a collective determination to drive positive change. We welcome people of all backgrounds who demonstrate resilience, optimism, and a genuine commitment to fostering a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable world. If you share these qualities, we warmly encourage you to get in touch with us.
This is a fixed term position for 3 years.
Details of the Role
Reporting to the Head of Principal Gifts, the Philanthropy Manager (Principal Gifts) will operate at the higher end of donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship to secure significant support (six and seven figure gifts) in support of the University’s key priorities.
As an exceptional fundraiser, you will be responsible for managing a portfolio of relationships with alumni and significant philanthropists, to secure gifts for bold, impactful projects and programmes across the University. You will proactively build the pipeline, demonstrating a creative approach to reach potential new donors in the UK and globally.
We seek individuals with success in securing significant philanthropic gifts in the Higher Education, Voluntary or Cultural Sector or proven transferable skills. You will have experience of working within a team whilst working towards personal targets. We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are results orientated, persuasive and have exceptional negotiation skills.
Fundraising at The University of Manchester
As a member of the University's fundraising team, you’ll have access to a robust support structure that enables you to do your very best work. This includes regular training and development opportunities; access to detailed reports, data, and management information to guide and inform your fundraising; an expert team of Operations and Prospect Research colleagues supporting your work; and the full engagement of senior University leadership. As part of an experienced and supportive network of fundraisers, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to collaborate and share best practice. You’ll also have access to a whole host of learning and development opportunities to help you develop core skills like personal effectiveness, leadership, and management.
Manchester Mindset
Our approach to fundraising is driven by our values of being collaborative, bold and ambitious – and approaching our work with integrity. These values underpin the Manchester Mindset: our framework for fundraising success, authored by and for our fundraising team.
As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons and all appointments will be made on merit. As we are committed to the principles of the Race Equality Charter Mark, we would particularly welcome applications from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community who are currently under-represented at this level in this area.
What you will get in return:
As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.
Our University is positive about flexible working – you can find out more here
Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.
Please be aware that due to the number of applications we are unfortunately not able to provide individual feedback on your application.
Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.
Any CV’s submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.
This vacancy will close for applications at midnight on the closing date.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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.
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack. To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter no later than Midnight on Monday 20 April 2026
Job title: Head of Global Development, Asia
Employer: Imperial College London
Salary: £69,365 to £79,257 per annum
Location: White City, London W12 (Hybrid)
About the role:
Here at Imperial College, we are recruiting a Head of Global Development, Asia to join our brilliant team. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Development: Principal Gifts and Global, this is a new position which will help deliver our first university-wide fundraising and alumni engagement campaign.
What you will be doing:
As Head of Global Development, Asia, you will lead our development efforts across Asia, helping to shape and deliver the College’s philanthropic strategy in the region. The role will be central to cultivating major philanthropic relationships, supporting regional engagement for Imperial’s President and senior representatives, and contributing to the wider success of our global campaign.
What we are looking for:
This position is an opportunity for either an experienced fundraiser or an individual with business or relationship development experience in the region. The role will require diplomacy, strategic insight, and the ability to operate effectively within a complex global institution. Experience working across Asia would be advantageous.
This is a unique opportunity to shape and lead our engagement with high-net-worth individuals and stakeholders across Asia – one of the most exciting regions for philanthropic fundraising - connecting them to Imperial’s world-leading research and innovation ecosystem. We hope to hear from you!
What we can offer you:
About Imperial
Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.
As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.
This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial.
Our culture
We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and creating an inclusive working environment. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity and innovation.
Further Information
This is one of two exceptional opportunities to join our dynamic team. As we continue to expand our international presence, we are recruiting for the following role:
Each of these roles offers a unique opportunity to shape our strategic direction and build impactful partnerships.
Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 16 April 2026.
Interested?
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.
Imperial is partnering with Erin Hall-Westfall and Joanna Logan of Constellate Global Talent on this search.
No agencies please.
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter by midnight on Wednesday 19 November 2025.
Job title: Head of Principal Gifts
Employer: Imperial College London
Salary: £69,365 to £79,257 per annum
Location: White City, London W12 (Hybrid)
About the role:
Are you a fundraiser looking for a new challenge at the highest levels of philanthropy? Are you looking to transition into the field of principal gifts?
Here at Imperial College, we are recruiting a Head of Principal Gifts to join our brilliant and growing team. This is a new position, part of an expansion of our Advancement Division.
What you will be doing:
As Head of Principal Gifts, you will play a transformative role in securing the philanthropic investments that drive groundbreaking discoveries, life-changing innovations and sustainable solutions. Your work will directly impact fields critical to shaping the future – from climate resilience and AI to global health and business innovation. You will have the opportunity to work with amazing colleagues driven to tackle some of the most difficult problems facing society.
At Imperial, philanthropy has the power to change lives. In this role, you'll be at the heart of that - cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals and like-minded stakeholders, and helping drive our most ambitious fundraising and alumni engagement campaign to date.
Working closely with the Director of Development: Principal Gifts and Global, you'll lead on gifts that are genuinely complex and career-defining in scale.
What we are looking for:
We're looking for someone entrepreneurial and ambitious: a natural relationship-builder who thrives in complexity, navigates ambiguity with confidence, and knows how to bring the right people together at the right moment. If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.
What we can offer you:
About Imperial
Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.
As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.
This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial.
Our culture
We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination and creating an inclusive working environment. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity and innovation.
Further Information
This is one of two exceptional opportunities to join our dynamic team. As we continue to expand our international presence, we are recruiting for the following role:
Each of these roles offers a unique opportunity to shape our strategic direction and build impactful partnerships.
Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 16 April 2026.
Interested?
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.
Imperial is partnering with Erin Hall-Westfall and Joanna Logan of Constellate Global Talent on this search.
No agencies please.
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter by midnight on Thursday 16th April 2026