Head of communications and development jobs

Martingale Postgraduate Foundation (Martingale) exists to fund and support the next generation of talented researchers. We believe that family income should not be a barrier to the pursuit of excellence, and our mission is to enable and nurture talented individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to thrive within world-leading postgraduate research.

Martingale’s flagship programme is the Martingale Postgraduate Scholarship, which supports students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue and excel in postgraduate degrees, by providing:

• A fully-funded Living Wage Scholarship to pursue a one-year Masters degree or a four-year PhD.
• All tuition fees and research expenses, including a tax-free stipend for living costs.
• Tailored support to apply for Martingale courses at our partner universities.
• Access to Martingale programmes, including leadership training and connections with top academic and industry professionals.
• Membership of a pioneering community of talented researchers.

In the three years since Martingale launched, we are now supporting over 100 Scholars to undertake postgraduate degrees across our ten partner universities and have committed over £7.7m in Scholarships. We are continuing to expand our offer, bringing on new partners each year.

We are seeking an experienced, strategic and collaborative Head of Communications and External Engagement to join our Senior Leadership Team and play a pivotal role in shaping Martingale’s external profile, strategic partnerships, and policy influence.

As Head of Communications and External Engagement, you will join our growing senior management team, overseeing several critical aspects of Martingale’s work: communications and recruitment; partnerships and fundraising; and policy and advocacy. Working closely with the CEO, you will oversee all aspect of Martingale’s external communications and engagement to ensure Martingale’s success.

You will set the strategic direction of Martingale’s external positioning, working closely with the CEO on a day-to-day basis to ensure that our communications, partnerships and policy activity is aligned and meeting Martingale’s mission. You will ensure that Martingale’s messaging is consistent, with a bold brand presence and strong collaboration with various external stakeholders including funders, universities, media, and government.

We are looking for a strong communicator with extensive leadership experience including line management, partnership management and external relations. You will bring excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail, a proactive mindset, and a strong alignment with Martingale’s mission. We welcome applicants from a range of career paths who are excited to be part of a growing, fast-paced charity delivering meaningful impact.

Martingale Foundation is incubated by Purposeful Ventures who provide operational and strategic support. The Head of Communications and External Engagement will be employed by Purposeful Ventures.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and deliver a clear, bold strategy for communications, policy, and partnerships aligned with Martingale’s vision and growth.
• Lead the development of Martingale’s voice, ensuring consistency across all external channels and stakeholder interactions.
• Act as a senior leader within the organisation, contributing to overall strategic planning.

Communications & Brand

• Oversee all external communications, campaigns and media engagement, strengthening Martingale’s profile and influence.
• Manage content strategy, digital channels, storytelling and brand evolution.
• Ensure high-quality and accessible communications across print, digital, and in-person events.

Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain and grow relationships with Martingale’s university, philanthropic, and other partners.
• Collaborate with the CEO on fundraising engagement strategies and impact storytelling.
• Oversee ambassador engagement and support Martingale’s national and regional events.

Policy & Advocacy

• Lead Martingale’s policy and advocacy work to shape the future of postgraduate access and equity.
• Along with the CEO, represent Martingale in external forums, responding to consultations and influencing key stakeholders in research and education policy.
• Collaborate with researchers and partners to generate evidence and drive systems change.

Team Leadership & Management

• Line manage team leads across communications and partnerships, with oversight of a team of four.
• Support the professional development of the team, ensuring alignment with Martingale’s values and goals.
• Foster a collaborative, agile, and inclusive culture within and across teams.
• The post holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit, and purpose of the role as requested by the line manager. 

Key Requirements:

Essential Criteria

• Right to work in the UK

Experience and skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate with diverse audiences including senior stakeholders.
• Significant senior-level experience in communications, policy, or external relations within a mission-driven organisation.
• Proven experience line managing a multi-person team, including managing people who manage others.
• Strong track record of developing and delivering high-impact external engagement strategies.
• Excellent communication skills — strategic thinking combined with hands-on content expertise.
• Experience managing and cultivating high-value partnerships or donor relationships.
• Understanding of UK education, social mobility, or research funding landscapes.
• Proven experience in account management, managing multiple external stakeholder relationships and partnerships successfully.
• Advanced IT proficiency: Spreadsheet, Word Processing, CRM or Databases, Email, Web-based applications.

Desirable

• Experience working with or within higher education or research organisations.
• Familiarity with charity fundraising or philanthropic communications.
• Experience delivering communications in a startup or scale-up environment.
• Experience in working with governance boards and/or trustees.
• Experience delivering / overseeing ambitious recruitment campaigns.

Personal Characteristics

• Excellent interpersonal skills: able to build rapport and trusting relationships, able to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting.
• A commitment to Martingale’s mission to support postgraduate students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Comfortable working in a rapidly growing and changing organisation with a degree of ambiguity – confident to create processes and ways forward where they might not yet exist.
• Creative and innovative: willing to think outside the box to maximise reach.
• Resourceful, able to act on initiative, hardworking, detail-oriented, and systematic.

Benefits:

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 29 days after two years of service and to 30 days after three years of service. This entitlement is pro rata for part-time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work-life balance and personal commitments.
• As a Purposeful Ventures employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme, where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to.
• Access to Charlie Perks, offering discounts and rewards at over 30,000 brands and retailers.

Head of Continuous Improvement

Salary: up to £65,000 (dependant on experience)

Location: Remote with regular face to face meetings in London and Downton

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Continuous Improvement to join our Service Directorate at Help for Heroes. This newly created role will be pivotal in driving service quality, operational efficiency and data-led excellence across our charity — helping us achieve our mission to ensure that every member of the Armed Forces Community can live well after service.

If you are a collaborative and strategic leader with a passion for embedding continuous improvement and inspiring excellence across teams, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Please see below for more information on what just might be your future role.

About the Role

Reporting to the Service Director, the Head of Continuous Improvement will lead and coordinate initiatives that enhance the quality, efficiency and consistency of our services for beneficiaries. You will design and implement a robust quality assurance framework, ensure operational data integrity, and drive service and process improvements that align with our strategic objectives.

You’ll work closely with the Data & Insights team to ensure data and evidence inform service development, delivery, and decision-making. As part of both the Service Leadership Team and the Charity-wide Leadership Team, you’ll collaborate with colleagues across Operations, Marketing & Communications, and Commercial to champion a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

This is an opportunity to play a leading role in shaping the future of Help for Heroes’ services as we enter an exciting phase of growth and transformation.

About You

You’ll be a resourceful, forward-thinking leader with a strong background in continuous improvement, quality assurance, or service excellence within a complex service delivery environment. You’ll bring both analytical rigour and emotional intelligence — able to use data to drive improvement while engaging and motivating others through change.

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience designing and implementing quality assurance or continuous improvement frameworks.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with experience using data to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to influence and inspire cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the confidence to present at all levels.
• Experience working with CRM systems or operational data environments in a service delivery context.

You’ll be values-driven, empathetic and energised by the opportunity to make a lasting difference for those who’ve served.

About the Team

Our Service Directorate delivers integrated support and community initiatives across the UK, all aligned with our LiveWell Strategy — focused on ensuring that every member of the Armed Forces Community can live well after service.

You’ll join a team of passionate, purpose-driven professionals committed to improving the quality, consistency and impact of our services for veterans, serving personnel and their families.

The detail:

• Hours: 35 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent
• Closing Date: 23rd November 2025

First interviews are expected to take place on the 9th and 10th December 2025 via Microsoft Teams and will include interview questions and analytical task. A final stage interview is anticipated to be held in person in Downton week commencing 15th December. Please note that these dates are indicative and may be subject to change.

Please note: We may close this vacancy early should the right candidates present themselves —early applications are encouraged.

Making The Leap is an innovative societal change charity that aims to make a big difference. From direct delivery, to advocacy and leadership, we refuse to stay in our lane and believe passionately that those we exist to serve have the right to be anything they want to be. To say that this is an exciting time for the organisation would be an understatement, as our incredible funders, donors, partners and supporters have given us the chance to move to the next level, and have further influence and delivery nationally.

The ethos of the organisation is to be passionate about helping young people from less-advantaged backgrounds; build up other charities and community groups and want to partner with them or support them; want to work with businesses and organisations to get things done; and care deeply about addressing racial inequity.

The organisation has a number of strands: core Making The Leap; the UK Social Mobility Awards; the Social Mobility Podcast; The Social Mobility List and Black Charity Leaders.

*Please note that applicants with less experience may be considered for a communications officer role.

The Job (in a nutshell)

Leading the Education partnerships team,  responsibility for the development of all Educaiton customers and for maintaining the income generation and young people targets in line with the overall Trust strategy and annual requirements.

Who we’re looking for

A dynamic individual who is capable of balancing the mix of future vision with everyday demands.

This a senior management position which is responsible for the strategic direction and the leadership day to day operation of our extremely busy Education Team. The role requires you to be strategic but pragmatic, balancing the mission and purpose of The Trust with tactical day to day delivery of Sales support and partnership working across the organisation.

You will manage a team of up to ten direct reports, and will also need to build strong relationships across The Trust with fellow Senior Managers and Directors, and most specifically with our Centre Management teams, Fundraising and Marketing Teams. You will need to balance carefully the needs of our internal and external customers, allocating time and resources accordingly. Also, The Trust has a new strategic plan looking at growth of the number of young people we work with, including the recently launched Schools Adventure Programme.

Your experience

We would love you to have a strong background in Sales with proven effective results but also having commercial acumen and experience, with the ability to think and act strategically. You will have a minimum of three years experience of leading, managing and inspiring teams. A supportive approach to the development and coaching of the team is an essential element within this. 

The ability to work confidently and flexibly across all Trust departments, supporting where required. 

A solid knowledge of the Education Sector for both Scotland and England as well as proven relationship building skills, and enjoyment of working collaboratively across departments and at all levels through effective communication. 

Working for the Trust requires a Flexible ‘can-do’ attitude to workload, able to multitask and re-prioritise projects at short notice.

Areas of repsponsibility

• Leadership and management of the Education Team, providing direction, challenge, support and development as appropriate. This will also involve coaching and supporting the team in their professional development, as well as in the management and execution of sales targets.
• Development and ownership of The Education Team’s annual revenue target, specifically looking at Charitable funding levels, volumes and occupancy levels across all centres.
• Ownership of and responsibility for all aspects of the Education sector, ensuring that all aspects of marketing, sales, customer service, delivery and finance are reviewed and implemented to a high standard with the overall objective of informing greater impact for the clients
• Working collaboratively with Early Careers Business Development and Summer Adventures to share ownership of the current capacity levels. Ensuring optimum fill and a responsible client mix.
• Building strong relationships internally and externally. Developing and supporting the Education Team with new initiatives and lead generation ideas.
• Supporting the centre operational teams to have clarity of the sector and a deeper awareness of the Education teams role and focus.
• Ownership of the Education cost centre budget, including the development of return on investment data wherever possible.
• Optimising the use of all internal CRM systems and associated reporting for management purposes.
• Contributing to the work of the wider senior leadership team as required, including attending and contributing to senior team discussions, acting as an ambassador for The Trust at events and conferences, supporting colleagues in other areas of The Trust’s work.

Location: Home-based with average 1 day per week in head office / centre location. The role will include considerable travel.

Settling in period

There is a 3-month settling in period from contract start date.

The closing date is 21st November 2025 with first interviews taking place on 2nd December 2025.

THE JOB (IN A NUTSHELL)

An amazing opportunity to be part of a UK charity with a bold social purpose - helping young people and early careers professionals discover more in themselves than they ever thought possible. 

We’re looking for a dynamic and motivated individual to grow and develop new long-term partnerships with employers across the UK, focusing on Apprentices, Graduates, and Future Leaders. You’ll be helping businesses invest in the next generation of talent by connecting them with Outward Bound’s experiential learning programmes that accelerate personal growth, resilience, teamwork, and leadership in early careers cohorts. 

Your focus will be on building strong relationships, understanding workforce development needs, and positioning Outward Bound as the partner of choice for early talent development. 

Occasional evening, weekend, and overnight work will be required as part of the role, including attending client visits, taster sessions, and visits to our Outward Bound Centres. 

WHO WERE LOOKING FOR

You’ll be a creative, results-driven team player with a strong understanding of early careers development and how experiential learning supports the transition from education to work. 

You’ll have a proven business development background and experience in selling or promoting professional development solutions, graduate or apprenticeship training, or corporate learning programmes. 

You’ll thrive on networking and building relationships with HR, L&D, and talent development professionals, and you’ll be excited by the idea of helping organisations future-proof their workforce through impactful outdoor learning experiences. You are someone who perseveres, never accepting silence or a lack of response as the end of the conversation.

You’ll also have a passion for the outdoors and be aligned to Outward Bound’s values of courage, integrity, and belief in young people’s potential. 

YOUR EXPERIENCE

• Excellent communications skills and the ability to build strong working relationships with internal and external professionals.  A strong understanding of the apprenticeship and graduate development programmes, and talent pipelines. 

• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail, able to manage multiple projects and maintain consistent follow-up.

• Confident in presenting to clients, with the ability to tailor messages to different audiences (HR, L&D, operational teams, senior leadership). 

• Good negotiation and influencing skills. 

• Experienced in LinkedIn / LinkedIn Sales Navigator for prospecting and building connections within early careers networks. 

• Proficient in Microsoft systems and CRM tools. 

• Knowledge of or interest in experiential learning, leadership development, and outdoor education is an advantage. 

 AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Secure mainly new and some key repeat business to meet personal, and team, quarterly and annual targets. 
• Lead on developing new partnerships within key industry sectors for Apprentice, Graduate, and Emerging Leader programmes. 
• Undertake client learning needs analysis to understand early career development goals and challenges. 
• Produce compelling proposals that align Outward Bound programmes with organisational objectives. 
• Represent Outward Bound at early careers events, conferences, and employer network sessions. 
• Maintain accurate client records via our CRM system and ensure timely follow-up and reporting. 
• Liaise with internal delivery and marketing teams to ensure client needs are met and opportunities are maximised. 
• Drive new business through research, networking, referrals, and sector insights. 
• Contribute ideas to help shape Outward Bound’s early careers strategy and offer to stay relevant in a fast-changing employment landscape.

Salary: £32,000 – £40,000, salary depending on experience

HOURS: 37.5 hours per week

REPORTING TO: Head of Early Careers Business Development

LOCATION: Home-based with extensive travel to centres and Head Office

Settling in period

There is a 3-month settling in period from contract start date.

 The closing date is 21st November 2025 with first interviews taking place on 1st December 2025.

Starting Salary: £54,269 - £59,422 (including LW)  

Contract: Permanent  

Location: Romero House, London - Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in the London head Office

Job Profile

CAFOD has an ambition to be digital first in our marketing and communications, to stay ahead of emerging trends and make the most of what digital technology can offer to strengthen our relationships with our supporters and in our ways of working across the organisation. Digital technology has already transformed our communications and will continue to do so. This senior communications and marketing role will be responsible for steering the ongoing digital transformation of CAFODs work, primarily in the supporter programme and also across the wider organisation.

This role encompasses overall responsibility for the brand, digital marketing, messaging, proactive and reactive media relations, with a core focus on digital transformation across all platforms. This post will play a key role in guiding our digital shop fronts and marketing efforts, evolving supporter journeys, steering our email programme and leading on the digital infrastructure to enable delivery of our supporter programme. It will ensure that digital engagement and conversion is embedded and an integral part of our communications planning. 

This role will drive innovation and data-informed insight across the full spectrum of communications and wider organisation functions. It will embed a digital-first approach across teams and guide and accompany the wider organisation on harnessing opportunities of new technologies, making digital engagement integral to communications planning. 

This role will drive brand awareness, brand advocacy and action across our programmes to ensure CAFOD is top of mind amongst the Catholic Community of England and Wales, helping to grow support from our constituency. You will bring proven senior-level experience in digital communications and marketing, ideally within the charity sector. With a strong understanding of communications at a senior level with expert knowledge of digital channels, audience engagement, and online conversion, you also have a strategic grasp of how digital integrates into broader communications and supporter strategies. Your leadership style is collaborative and visionary, and you have the gravitas and expertise to set the digital marketing direction for a large organisation, while bringing all teams along with your vision.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development, direction setting and delivery of an ambitious, insight-led digital-first communications strategy that enhances supporter journeys, increases engagement and drives measurable growth in support of our supporter programme, especially our parishioner-first fundraising strategy. 

• Act as CAFODs senior expert on communications, advising the Executive team, across departments and influencing strategic decision-making, including on digital direction and development, at the highest level. 

• Lead complex cross-organisational projects that improve our digital supporter experience, from acquisition to long-term engagement and conversion, ensuring timeliness and consistency with supporter programme priorities, especially the parishioner-first fundraising strategy and approach. 

• Provide leadership and overall oversight of external communications and messaging, including brand consistency and press/media engagement, ensuring consistency between our fundraising efforts, our campaigning work and profiling our international work to supporters and key stakeholders.

• Lead and oversee the digital teams - email marketing programme, social media engagement, digital developments, campaigns and the website, to ensure user experience is optimised and platforms support our supporter programme and broader organisational strategic objectives and ambitions. 

• Lead the media team to explore and encourage new approaches including how we further maximise the digital media landscape.

• Line manage senior specialists across digital marketing, website, and media and PR, ensuring high performance and professional growth. 

• Work closely with IT, data and external agencies to ensure agile, secure and effective digital delivery across platforms. 

• Represent the organisation externally where appropriate, with a focus on digital thought leadership. 
• Develop and manage the communications budget effectively, aligning resources to priority areas and demonstrating clear impact. Agree and ensure accountability for objectives and KPIs as part of the wider supporter strategy, fostering a culture of ongoing learning, adaptation and improvement.  

Safeguarding 

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Person Specification 

• Extensive experience in a senior digital communications and marketing leadership role, with demonstrable success in developing and delivering integrated and audience-led multi-channel communications and marketing strategies. 
• Strong experience of overseeing development of supporter journeys and objectives, website development, CRM integration and email engagement and conversion. 
• Passionate about digital innovation and technologies, with deep knowledge of platforms, formats, and trends. 
• Committed to insight-led and data-driven approaches with skills to use digital tools, platforms and analytics to shape decisions and measure impact. 
• Excellent leadership, inter-personal and team management skills, with the ability to develop and motivate multi-disciplinary teams. 
• Strong cross-functional project management ability, with experience leading organisational change in digital capability. 
• Understanding of broader communications and marketing disciplines, with the ability to ensure alignment and brand consistency and also oversee media and PR work, including reputational risk and crisis communications. 
• Understanding of the Catholic church in England and Wales and knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching. 
• A track record of strong written and spoken communication skills. 
• Highly organised, able to manage a busy workload and consistently meet deadlines. 

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults 

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures. 

This is an exciting role in a unique organisation.  Our vision is to provide an outstanding experience for all UCL students and to be one of the best students’ unions in the UK and the world.  We aim to build a vibrant and empowered student community with real influence in UCL and beyond, that enables students to enjoy their time at university; pursue their interests and passions; see the world in new ways; and develop the skills and experience to change the world for the better.

We are a registered charity employing over 100 career staff and 300 student staff, delivering a wide range of services and representative functions for UCL students. We have the widest portfolio of services of any student organisation in the country, managing UCL’s extracurricular programmes for sport, music, drama, dance, media, volunteering, academic societies and intercultural engagement; providing a wide range of fantastic social spaces; leading on student democracy and representation across UCL; and offering excellent student support services.

It's an exciting time to join our growing organisation as we lead the delivery of UCL’s groundbreaking new Student Life Strategy. This is enabling us to build more programmes to improve students’ mental and physical wellbeing, promote genuine equity for all, build students’ skills and confidence, develop their international connections and intercultural skills, and make a real contribution to our local community.

We support hybrid working. Excellent benefits including defined benefit pension scheme and generous holiday entitlement. We are proud of high levels of staff engagement and pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We will consider applications to work on a flexible and job share basis wherever possible.

This is a full time and fixed term contract until 1 May 2027.

We’re looking for a creative communications professional ready to lead a team focussed on making impact for our members. Students’ Union UCL is at the centre of students’ education, creating an environment where our members can develop, learn, and have fun. As Communications Manager, you’ll lead our communications strategy across digital, editorial, and internal channels. You’ll shape our brand voice, ensure our messaging resonates with students and staff, and craft a positive image of our organisation. From podcasts and videos to impact reports and internal culture-building, you’ll be at the heart of how we tell our story.

Tom's Trust is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to providing psychological support to children and young people with brain and central nervous system tumours and their families. By supporting the whole family, we will help them to create their brightest possible future beyond diagnosis.

As Communications & Marketing Manager, you will lead a small, talented team to deliver impactful campaigns, engaging content, and powerful storytelling that drives fundraising and awareness.

Working closely with the Head of Fundraising & Comms, you’ll shape and deliver our communications strategy, manage PR and digital activity, and ensure brand consistency across all channels. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced communicator who thrives on collaboration and wants to make a meaningful difference to children and families facing the challenges of brain tumours.

You will work closely with and be managed by the Head of Fundraising & Comms and have line management experience of a f/t Digital Marketing & Comms Officer and p/t PR & Comms Officer. 

Job Title: Communications Coordinator

Hours: 28 hours per week               

Salary Scale: £30,892 – £33,672 pro rata*

Duration: Permanent

Pension: 6% employer pension contribution

Holiday: 26 days plus bank holidays pro rata 

Reports to: Digital Communications Manager

The appointment is subject to a satisfactory DBS check 

We particularly encourage and welcome applications from people from backgrounds which are underrepresented in museums and galleries, including people from low-income backgrounds, people from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds and disabled people.

*Appointments are made at the start of the salary scale, with annual pay progression based on satisfactory performance. In addition, the salary scale is reviewed annually in the light of cost of living and operational budgets.  

About the Role

The Communications Coordinator contributes to the planning and delivery of all communications and digital activities for the South London Gallery. Working alongside the Head of Communications and Digital Communications Manager, the Communications Coordinator supports the implementation of the SLG’s communications strategy, reaching new audiences, creating engaging digital content, and enhancing visitor experience online and on site.

The role involves the full range of communication channels including print marketing, signage, press, digital, audio-visual interpretation and social media to profile the SLG’s programme, Communities and Learning activities, bookshop and café. The Communications Coordinator also provides administrative support and assists at special events as necessary.

Head of Individual Giving

We’re looking for an experienced and creative Head of Individual Giving to lead and grow our individual giving programme.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, you’ll shape and deliver our individual giving strategy, overseeing the recruitment, retention and development of individual supporters. You’ll lead on our major appeals, including an annual national campaign to Catholic parishes across the UK.

You’ll also play a key role in developing new fundraising products, optimising donor journeys, and ensuring our CRM and data systems support excellent stewardship and insight-driven decision making. This is a senior position with significant scope to shape the programme and make your mark.

About You

We’re looking for a confident and strategic fundraiser with a strong grasp of individual giving and a collaborative approach. You’ll bring:

• Proven experience delivering successful individual giving or direct marketing campaigns in the charity sector
• Strong skills in supporter stewardship and donor retention
• Experience of managing budgets, teams and external suppliers
• A creative, data-driven approach to growing income
• Excellent communication skills

The Royal Astronomical Society is seeking a dynamic Head of Membership. Reporting to the Executive Director, this newly created, hands-on, role will lead our membership team to develop and deliver our membership strategy, increase engagement, participation and inclusivity, and play a pivotal role in growing our membership through retention and recruitment.

About the Role

As Head of Membership, you will:

• Develop and deliver a compelling membership strategy aligned with our mission.
• Drive growth, retention, and engagement through innovative campaigns and state-of-the-art member experiences.
• Oversee membership operations, marketing, and customer service.
• Lead a talented team (Membership Officer, Marketing & Events Officer, Awards & Grants Officer).
• Champion member needs across the organisation and represent us in sector-wide initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive forward member acquisition, retention, and engagement, setting and monitoring appropriate KPIs.
• Design data-driven campaigns and value propositions.
• Manage budgets, resources, and compliance.
• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Provide secretariat support to the Membership Committee.

 About You

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a membership-focused role.
• Proven success in increasing membership and improving member satisfaction.
• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent networking and collaboration abilities.
• Tech-savvy with CRM/membership systems experience.
• Willingness to travel occasionally in the UK and overseas.

 Why Join Us?

As Head of Membership and a part of our senior leadership team, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our Society, ensuring members are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a supportive, inclusive environment and opportunities for professional growth.

Application process

To apply submit your CV and a covering letter outlining the skills, knowledge and experience that would make you a great fit for the role.

The Royal Astronomical Society is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.

The RAS has a legal responsibility to ensure that all its employees have the legal right to live and work in the UK. Therefore, you need to be eligible to work in the UK.

This job advertisement is intended to convey essential job functions and requirements. It is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position. The RAS reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organisational needs.

Closing date for applications:

11.59pm on Monday 17 November 2025

This is a senior leadership position focused on developing and delivering a diocesan Generosity Strategy. You will work closely with clergy, lay leaders, and diocesan staff to foster long-term relationships, increase pledged income, and embed generosity as a core value across the diocese.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of generosity in the Diocese of Lincoln. You’ll be part of a supportive team, working in a role that blends strategy, community engagement, and faith-based leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a diocesan Generosity Strategy
• Promote the Parish Giving Scheme and contactless giving
• Build relationships with parishes, treasurers, and deanery partnerships
• Lead and manage the generosity team, including professional development
• Serve as a key liaison between parishes and the bishop
• Deliver regular reports to diocesan committees and parishes
• Implement and oversee donor management systems and CRM tools
• Collaborate with the National Giving Team and generosity professionals

About the role ofHead of Principal Donors

As Head of Principal Donors, you will lead and manage the Foundation’s philanthropy programme, working closely with our senior leadership team and our founder to personally cultivate and steward the Foundation’s principal donors. This includes overseeing our recently formed Accelerate Circle – a select group of visionary philanthropists who help drive the Foundation’s fundraising through their networks.

In this role you will:

• Develop and deliver the Foundation’s philanthropy strategy, playing an active
  leadership role in the successful delivery of income growth from UHNWI and
  HNWIs
• Develop the Accelerate Circle of patrons and deliver a solicitation strategy to
  expand membership and grow our community of donors and supporters
• Provide exceptional stewardship to existing donors and cultivate new donors
• Work closely with our founder and their office to design, plan and deliver highROI engagement such as income-generating dinners or paid speeches
• With the Director Fundraising and Communications, develop annual plans and
  budgets, along with longer term forecasts for income from individuals
• Work proactively with our Communications and Programmes teams to identify
  and create funded or high-return opportunities to gain visibility in key markets
• Support staff to deliver and, where appropriate, lead on fundraising and
  cultivation events and donor trips
• In consultation with the Director, lead on financial reporting for philanthropy
  income, advising on risks and opportunities, producing regular reports of
  income against plans and forecasts, and monitoring day to day income tracking

Our ideal candidate is: 

• Experienced in cultivating and stewarding high-net-worth individual donors – with a proven track record of securing six or seven figure donations
• Capable of developing and delivering a successful philanthropy strategy
• Comfortable and experienced working with high profile individuals and senior volunteers including managing development boards, giving circles or other forms of peer-to-peer fundraising approaches
• Excellent at managing relationships and able to successfully influence people at all levels with clear and persuasive communication

Welcome to Ada! 

We are excited to be recruiting, for the first time, a Head of Governance and Performance. This important new role is part of the College’s wider leadership team and is of vital performance in ensuring the effective, efficient performance of the organisation. 

The right candidate will thrive in supporting the Board of Governors and College leadership team to work effectively by supporting them to ensure the accurate and efficient production and usage of all accountability reporting and communication throughout the organisation. 

Working closely with the Chair of Governors, as the College’s Clerk (training to be provided if necessary) and reporting into the Director of Finance and Compliance, you will thrive on providing detailed organisation to teams and bringing energy to the important discipline and accountability required to ensure a high performing Board and leadership team. You do not need to be a qualified Clerk but must possess a high level of attention to detail, be willing to take initiative where needed and be comfortable working with, and when necessary providing challenge to, senior executives and Board Members. 

You will have the opportunity to learn from a wide range of experienced professionals and understand what is really required to support an organisation to achieve consistently high performance. Ada is growing steadily and consistently and the opportunities for this role to grow and expand with the organisation are significant. If this excites you then please read on and apply as soon as possible. 

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

As Clerk to the Board of Governors

Provide procedural, regulatory, and governance advice to the Board of Governors. Responsibilities include:

• provide administrative support to the governing body, for example: co-ordinating calendar of dates for governing body meetings and preparing agendas, taking notes at meetings for the preparation of minutes and ensuring that all decisions are recorded accurately and objectively, including timescales for actions

• Support the implementation and effective use of New Governance Software and lead the shift to using Generative AI for note taking at meetings. Update and maintain a database of Governance information, ensuring secure handling of confidential data and information in compliance with College Policy and the General Data Protection Regulations.

• support the development and performance of governors in their role, for example: updating them on changes in legislation and policy, informing them of appropriate training and helping them understand their duties

• offer advice to governors and the college on the correct governance procedures and how to improve governance

• Work with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to ensure a high level of governor engagement by ensuring an up-to-date calendar of opportunities, appropriate communications and effective tracking and gathering of feedback

As Governance and Performance Manager

• Support the College’s internal governance function, providing administrative support in scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and taking notes/minutes. Lead the shift to using Generative AI for note taking at meetings and in systems and Processes to improve efficiency.

• Work with the Executive Leadership Team and wider leadership team to co-ordinate regular strategy updates and report on progress against strategic goals and agreed KPIs.

• Input into, and support with the co-ordination of the College’s Wider Leadership Forum and All-Staff sessions.

• Update and Maintain the College’s Risk Register and Master Policy Schedule.

• Assist with co-ordinating internal audit reviews in accordance with approved internal audit plan.

• Receive and co-ordinate timely responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

• Be a collaborative, enthusiastic member of the College’s wider leadership team, working closely with Staff and Governors to help deliver our ambitious strategy.

• Undertaking other duties commensurate with the role as directed by the Chair or Director of Finance and Compliance.

Safeguarding

The successful candidate will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check when appointed to the post. References for shortlisted candidates will be requested prior to the interview day. 

 Equal Opportunities

Ada, the National College for Digital Skills recognises that equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity are integral to its strengths. The following principles apply in respect of the College’s commitment to equality and diversity:

•  To provide and promote equality of opportunity in all areas of its work and activity;

• To recognise and develop the diversity of skills and talent within its current and potential community;

•  To ensure that all employees and prospective employees of the College are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential without receiving any unjustified discrimination or unfavourable treatment on grounds such as age, disability, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender reassignment, trans status, socio-economic status or any other irrelevant distinction;

•  To provide and promote a positive working, learning, and social environment which is free from prejudice, discrimination and any forms of harassment, bullying or victimisation.

Applicants with a Disability

Ada, the National College for Digital Skills is keen to increase the number of disabled people it employs. We therefore encourage applications from individuals with a disability who are able to carry out the duties of the post. If there is anything in this regard that you would like to discuss in relation to your application please contact the HR team.

Sponsorship

Sadly, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role, so can only accept applications from candidates who have the legal right to work and remain in the United Kingdom.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and a brief supporting cover letter outlining your suitability and interest in the role.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, should we find a suitable candidate, we reserve the right to close the advert earlier than advertised.

Closing date: Friday 14th November 2025

Good luck with your application!