Global head of programme management jobs
Office overview
Our University has a proud history of philanthropy stretching back to its foundation in 1900. With a clear vision to change the lives of the people of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain raised the funds required to build the University from citizens and corporations based locally and around the globe. Since then philanthropy has continued to play an important role in shaping the University. There have been a number of fundraising campaigns, including a £1m urgent capital appeal after the Second World War and a £1.4m campaign to fund the Vale ‘student village’ in the 1960s. In 2015 we closed the Circles of Influence Campaign, raising £193 million, making it the largest HE fundraising campaign outside Oxbridge and London.
The University has global reach, including several partnerships with other leading universities around the world, and is grounded in its local community, having opened the first fully comprehensive University secondary school in the country in 2015. We are an ambitious and successful research-intensive University (one of the top 100 research-led universities globally) and have produced 10 Nobel Prize winners, including three who received their awards in 2016. Academics here are exploring the impact of climate change, helping to address global health epidemics, seeking ways to diagnose cancers earlier and create more effective personalised treatments, and changing our understanding of Shakespeare. Our students come from nearly 150 countries and our flagship outreach programmes mean that almost 25% of our student population come from disadvantaged backgrounds: one of the highest proportions in the UK.
DARO (The Development and Alumni Relations Office) exists to support this academic and student community by engaging, inspiring, and celebrating alumni, individuals, and charitable funders who give their money, time, and networks to support the University’s strategic priorities. The Office, which is comprised of five teams, is focused on fundraising and volunteering from alumni, organisations and individuals who are passionate about changing lives, through funding various research trials, supporting student bursaries, mentoring students, and providing internships. We are currently at the heart of delivering the Birmingham in Action campaign with goals to raise £600m and generate 1,250,000 volunteer hours.
As an office, we are committed to sustainability and value green working practices. The environment is an integral part of our campaign and we encourage eco-friendly ways of working in order to have a positive impact on our campus and global surroundings.
Role Summary
We are looking for a Prospect Development Officer to join our highly successful prospect development team, working in partnership with our fundraising team to manage their prospect pools and portfolios. You will provide insight and advice on donors, trusts, foundations, corporations, and other organizations, collating and reviewing data and writing concise and informative reports for the fundraising team and senior stakeholders within the University. You will proactively identify new prospects, ensuring that biographical information is accurate and up to date. Other responsibilities include leading on the improvement and expansion of research processes, supporting with bespoke research requests, supporting the Head of Prospect Development with specialist research projects, and providing support to the philanthropic due diligence process.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
World-class research and outstanding global education
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Some IT roles ask you to keep things running. This one asks you to help build something worth running.
If you’re an experienced IT generalist, or you’ve honed your skills in a managed service provider environment, then you’ll understand the pace, the pressure and the constant context-switching. You’ll also know the satisfaction of solving real problems and making systems work better.
This role offers something more, a chance to go deeper, take ownership and help build something lasting in a place where your expertise is truly valued.
We’re Church Mission Society, a Christian charity with a rich history and an energising future. You’ll be joining us at a pivotal moment: beginning a major transition evolving our on-premise infrastructure and systems into modern cloud services. The person joining us will be at the heart of that journey, helping shape what comes next.
• Permanent, full-time post, 35 hours per week
• Hybrid working – approximately two days a week at CMS House, Oxford
• Salary of £38,250 a year and a generous pension contribution of up to 10 per cent employer contribution on annual salary
• CMS offers 36 days of annual leave pro rata (including bank holidays) as well as enhanced paid sickness, maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• CMS supports the mental wellbeing of its employees and offers a generous rewards and wellbeing package, including:
o access to 24/7 employee assistance programme with qualified counsellors
o regular wellbeing coffee mornings
o support on menopause for women
o up to three volunteer days a year
o up to three family emergency leave days a year
o retreats and resources for prayer life
We welcome applications from everyone. We encourage applications from women and/or individuals from minority groups as they are currently underrepresented within our organisation at this level. All appointments are made on merit of skill, experience and potential as laid down in the job description and person specification.
The organisation you’ll be joining
Church Mission Society is comprised of people who are passionate about mission and fired up about helping people follow Jesus. For over 200 years CMS has been at the forefront of global mission, living out the gospel of Jesus, seeing lives changed and communities transformed. If you join CMS, you will find an organisation that has been reinvigorated with a fresh vision to make disciples of Jesus among people at the edges, both in the UK and around the world.
There are opportunities to learn, pray and participate in mission (outside of your job remit) through all-staff days, meeting our people in mission and taking part in events, as well as regular opportunities for spiritual reflection, worship and prayer together and an annual retreat day.
A team worth joining
You’ll join a small, high-performing ICT team that takes pride in the unseen work, enabling others to succeed. Widely regarded as one of the most trusted and collaborative functions in the organisation, we're regularly sought out for insight that goes well beyond IT. That trust has been earned through years of quality work and a human approach to the people we serve.
This isn’t a role where you wait to be told what to do. You’ll be trusted to shape the technical detail, champion new capabilities and deliver meaningful change that staff across the organisation will feel every day.
An approachable, friendly and genuinely supportive team, we're quietly proud of what we've built together. We look out for one another, and when things get demanding, we show up as a team. We work hard, we enjoy the work, and across the organisation we're trusted not just to solve technical problems, but to bring thoughtful insight and steady leadership to bigger conversations too.
What your role will involve
Working closely with the head of ICT, you'll help shape the infrastructure that carries CMS forward, by leading migrations, shaping hybrid environments and driving the adoption of modern technologies, while keeping today's systems secure, reliable and performant.
You'll bring real hands-on experience across virtualisation, cloud platforms, networking, cyber security and disaster recovery to work that genuinely matters. And you'll do this in an environment that backs your curiosity, encourages experimentation and trusts you to find the best solution.
You'll also be the person our colleagues turn to as a first-line support partner who delivers a warm, approachable helpdesk experience, and someone who actively empowers staff to get the most from their digital tools through great training and onboarding.
What we're looking for
You're an experienced IT generalist with a broad, practical skillset, and someone who's comfortable holding the full picture of an organisation's technology while diving deep when needed. You may be working in a managed service provider or IT services environment and are ready to channel your expertise into one place, one team and one mission.
It is also a requirement for this post holder to be in sympathy with the aims and values of CMS.
Further details can be found in the job description and person specification available to download on the CMS website.
Our commitment to you
Our core values of being pioneering, relational, faithful and evangelistic are integral to everything we do, and we work hard to ensure that every member of staff is valued, supported and encouraged to continually learn and develop their skills.
We are committed to the safeguarding and protection of the people we serve, our partners, our volunteers, and our staff. We believe that every child or adult we come into contact with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm and abuse. Our recruitment and selection processes are in line with our Safeguarding Policy and the SCHR Misconduct Disclosure Scheme , which CMS is a member of as part of our commitment to safeguarding.
Closing date
We must get your application by midnight on Sunday 19 April 2026
Interviews are planned to be held on Wednesday 29 April 2026 in CMS House.
To apply
Please send your application form and CV via our website or by post to HR Team, Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ. CVs will only be considered when sent with a completed application form, which is available to download from our website.
Candidates for all UK roles must already be eligible to work in the UK, with a valid visa and work permit if required.
As a member of the Inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, CMS has committed to systematically check with previous employers from the last five years for any ‘SEAH’ (Sexual Exploitation, Abuse or Harassment) issues relating to all potential new hires.
Registered Charity
People at the edges are at the centre of God’s story. Join our global movement as we follow Jesus to the edges together.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
BACKGROUND
Church of England Birmingham (CofEB) is on a journey of growing churches at the heart of every community. Through this we are seeing growth in many exciting ways. Financially we are at a challenging point. We have had an operational deficit for a number of years and this cannot continue. The National Church has agreed to partner with us around this through their Diocesan Investment Programme enabling us to have the time, and resource, to tackle this head on. One key aspect of this is for us to increase our Common Fund returns (the giving from our parishes that supports the costs of our life together). We are taking a radical new approach to our finances which includes intentional reallocation of income to support the costs in our most economically deprived parishes and deeper relationships with each parish around finance through conversation rather than correspondence. Over the next five years we are hoping to be able to move to a financially sustainable platform which will enable us to better serve our communities in the future.
We have recently recruited a new Head of Generosity, who is also Bishops Advisor for Common Fund, to lead on this work and we are now looking to recruit the team to work with them. The focus of the team is to develop long term relationships with all of our parishes leading to:
- Greater support for our parishes.
- Increased generosity by, and within, our parishes.
- Increased Common Fund.
The current plan is to recruit two Giving & Generosity Advisor roles and one Giving & Generosity Support Officer role. Together this team will work with all of our parishes to roll out our financial approach, through in person meetings, and the support that is on offer as part of this.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The primary focus of this role is to work with parishes to:
- Understand their current financial situation and how this links to the wider Church of England Birmingham situation.
- Understand our model and how support is on offer for parishes who are economically deprived.
- Assess with them the support needed to increase generosity and giving at a local level and create an action plan around this that is bespoke and contextual.
- Create a long-term plan for their participation in the common fund.
We have 146 parishes and the Head of Generosity will manage the team so that all parishes can be engaged as quickly as possible. It is the Head of Generosity and two Giving & Generosity Advisors who will be carrying out the in-person meetings with each parish. These roles will work closely with a range of people and teams across Church of England Birmingham so that this work is integrated within our wider strategy and parishes are not confused by multiple disjointed initiatives. This will mean working with Archdeacons and Area Deans, Mission Support Team, Ministry Team, Property Team, Finance Team, Community Regeneration Team and Communications Team as well as others.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Develop strong relationships with parishes that will enable this project to flourish and also help increase the connection between parishes and the DBF. Signposting to other teams and projects will be important.
- Inspiring and encouraging parishes in their Christian approach to giving and generosity
- Creating bespoke multiyear plans for Common Fund with parishes with the support of a Steering Group that includes the Archdeacons and other key stakeholders.
- Provide consultancy, resources, and hands-on support to parishes to grow regular giving, legacies, and other forms of financial support. This work will be able to draw on the resources developed by the national church as well as the data held on their Cornerstone Grants Platform. The post-holder will be expected to engage in the work of the National Giving Team as part of the development of these wider resources.
- Develop and deliver training for clergy, lay leaders and PCCs on the theology and Christian practice of giving and generosity and also practical financial management (in conjunction with the Finance Team).
- Work closely with the Finance Team in matters of technical accounting, governance and financial management identified as needed by parishes.
- Encourage and assist parishes in the implementation of the Parish Giving Scheme, introduction of contactless giving mechanisms and related diocesan resources.
- Source, develop and curate practical resources (digital and print) to support local stewardship campaigns and initiatives.
- Evaluate the impact of stewardship and generosity initiatives and adapt strategies accordingly to achieve the project outcomes.
- Working with our Communications Team, create compelling communication tools that articulate the impact of generosity.
As we are looking to recruit two people into these roles there is flexibility to appoint people with complementary skill sets who may have greater expertise in certain elements of the role.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Qualifications & Experience:
- Strong understanding of church governance structures and financial operations and requirements.
- Knowledge of generosity principles and Christian financial stewardship.
- A prayerful Christian with a deep commitment to the Church’s mission (Genuine Occupational Requirement).
- Experience of working in a sensitive environment and handling confidential matters with tact and diplomacy.
Essential Skills & Attributes:
- Resilient and adaptable, able to handle challenges and maintain momentum in a demanding role.
- Strong people skills, able to engage effectively with parishes and church communities.
- Good communicator being able to engage a wide range of stakeholders and hold their attention.
- Trustworthy and credible, able to build and maintain confidence with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Empathetic towards parishes and deeply committed to supporting the local church.
- Excellent conflict resolution skills, capable of handling difficult conversations with care and professionalism.
- Highly organised, able to manage multiple priorities and keep track of numerous ongoing responsibilities.
- Capable implementer, ensuring initiatives are successfully delivered, both at a local and diocese wide level.
- Financially literate, with a good understanding of budgets, stewardship, and sustainability within the Church.
- As the role involves visiting parishes across the diocese, including some locations not accessible by public transport, candidates must be able to travel independently. This requires holding a valid driving licence and access to a suitably insured vehicle.
- Be a person of integrity.
Other Considerations:
- The role requires significant evening and weekend work, demanding flexibility and commitment.
- Local presence is essential—the role must be delivered in an incarnational way, engaging directly with communities.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The post-holder will be employed by the Diocesan Board of Finance for a fixed term ending on 2nd November 2030, subject to funding.
Salary and Pension: Salary of £35,000 plus membership of the Church Worker’s Pension Scheme with 12% employer contribution. We are open to discussion especially if you are ordained and are moving out of parish ministry.
Hours: Full-time 35 hours (5 days) per week. Weekend and evening work will be required, for which the equivalent time may be taken back from standard working hours. We are happy to consider requests for flexible working and candidates seeking part-time hours. Please do mention in your application if you would be interested in looking at alternative working hours.
Holidays: 5 weeks per year plus Bank Holidays and 3 Discretionary Days between Christmas and New Year
Employer: Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance
Responsible To: Head of Generosity
CLOSING DATE: 12th April 2026
INTERVIEWS: 23rd April 2026 in central Birmingham
For an informal conversation or further information about the role, contact Dawn Baker, Head of Generosity.
The Church of England Birmingham is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where all can be themselves and bring their unique identity to their ministry and/or work.
We welcome applications from any individuals who feel that they meet the person specification for any post, in particular from those who are currently under-represented in or staff teams such as those from Global Majority Heritage or UK Minority Ethnic backgrounds, those with visible or invisible disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQI+.
We offer a range of inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and other services to our staff teams.
The Church of England Birmingham is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment.
