Finance support officer jobs in birmingham

Partnerships Manager

Location: Fully Remote

Salary: £27,992 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

Closing Date: 24th September 2025

We have an exciting opportunity for a Partnerships Manager to join our team and grow income from high-net-worth individuals and corporate supporters. You will identify, engage, and steward prospects to secure funding, while developing and implementing long-term relationship and stewardship plans.

You’ll be joining a passionate, fun, and target-driven team in a motivating environment, with the chance to make a real impact on the services we provide.

Key responsibilities include:

• Researching and identifying potential major donors, determining appropriate stewardship pathways, and involving Trustees or staff as needed.
• Implementing stewardship plans for major donors to secure five-figure gifts and above.
• Developing and supporting external fundraising committees to raise funds for local Forward Trust services.
• Researching and approaching potential corporate supporters, cultivating relationships, and securing funding.
• Collaborating across the organisation to develop engagement packages, partnership proposals, and progress reports.
• Managing the Fundraising Officer, providing support, motivation, and guidance.
• Representing Forward Trust at meetings, networking events, and conferences.
• Supporting the Head of Fundraising to develop strategies to maximise income from high-net-worth individuals and corporates.
• Ensuring data in the CRM is accurate, compliant with GDPR, and used effectively to inform fundraising activities.
• Managing and reporting on income and expenditure budgets, liaising with Finance, and contributing to reports for Senior Management and Trustees.
• Collaborating with other fundraising team members and participating in team meetings, supervision, and training.

What We’re Looking For

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Proven track record of major donor fundraising, securing five-figure sums and managing effective stewardship pathways.
• Proven experience in identifying, managing, and growing corporate supporter accounts of at least five figures.
• Experience managing at least one member of staff.
• Skilled at managing high-level relationships internally (Trustees) and externally (high-net-worth individuals).
• Experience managing budgets related to your area of work.
• Proficient in using a CRM or other database to manage contacts.
• Understanding of GDPR principles and their impact on fundraising.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex issues clearly and compellingly.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to understand departmental income and expenditure projections.
• Willingness to attend fundraising events, which may be out-of-hours or away from home.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often-interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits:

• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme 
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays 
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter 
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) 
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

Hailed as "one of Britain's very best choirs", Ex Cathedra leads its sector in the fields of performance, learning and wellbeing. We are excited to meet our new Trusts & Grants Fundraiser to help secure support for our award-winning work - from nurturing young singers to projects in schools and hospitals.

Do you have a:

– curiosity, enthusiasm and affinity for our work
– proactive and collaborative mindset with excellent interpersonal skills
– flair for translating a clear understanding of projects into compelling appeals
– strong track record of success in raising funds from trusts and foundations

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

We believe that everyone should be able to experience the remarkable physical, mental and emotional health benefits of singing together, and have opportunities to be inspired by extraordinary choral music from the past and present. We create inspirational vocal experiences by exploring, commissioning and performing the finest choral music, nurturing young singers, and delivering an extensive learning and wellbeing offer for people of all ages. We engage 80,000 people each year across a range of venues and communities, from our award-winning Singing Schools projects to Singing Medicine - where our musicians work bedside every week with patients and families at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

We are seeking a part-time Trusts and Grants Fundraiser to help raise funds for these vital projects by researching and writing applications and reports to charitable trusts and foundations, and by supporting grant applications to public funders. We are excited to bring this role in-house, having recently worked with a consultant trusts fundraiser. We currently raise £250,000 pa from trusts and foundations, and enjoy established relationships, including with multi-year funders.

You will join a supportive, dedicated staff team, which includes an Individual Giving Manager and an Individual Giving Officer, and will work closely with both the General Manager and the Director of Education & Participation. You will be an important part of the wider Ex Cathedra 'family' - an energetic and friendly group of musicians who deliver the highest quality performances and participatory experiences.

Responsibilities

The Trusts and Grants Fundraiser will lead on our applications, reporting and the administration of our appeals to charitable trusts and foundations, and support bids to public funders.

You will:

• maintain and manage our existing pipeline of charitable trusts and foundations

• undertake research and identify trusts and foundations whose priorities align with our work, in line with organisational priorities

• work closely with the General Manager and Director of Education to research, prepare and submit high quality, compelling applications, ranging from 4-6 figures and including multi-year proposals

• record applications made, track outcomes and provide reports for finance and management

• prepare timely updates and reports to funders that communicate the impact of their support and maximise the opportunity for ongoing or future support, working with colleagues to ensure feedback, case studies, data and financial information is available as required

• work closely with colleagues to maximise the opportunities of stewardship and long-term cultivation, e.g. by inviting funders to events and projects where appropriate 

Please find the full job description, responsibilities and person specification in our Application Pack, available via the link on this page.

We would be delighted to arrange an informal pre-application conversation if you would like to know more.

Ex Cathedra welcomes applications from everyone and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone feels valued and supported.