Social Development Direct is a mission-driven, international development consultancy with a global reputation for excellence in gender equality and social inclusion. As a social enterprise subsidiary of Plan International UK, we combine commercial agility with a deep commitment to social change.
We are seeking a Managing Director who will lead the next phase of SDDirect’s development, advancing the organisation’s influence and impact.
The Managing Director will report into the CEO of Plan International UK and the SDDirect Board, and will provide inspirational leadership to SDDirect’s talented and motivated executive and staff, ensuring the organisation continues to deliver excellent technical quality alongside sustainable commercial performance.
This role offers a unique opportunity for a dynamic, values-led and engaging leader, with drive, resilience and commercial acumen.A high level of commercial awareness combined with a social justice technical background, and a proven track record of successfully leading and managing a commercial enterprise, consultancy or similar organisation or unit in the international development sector, is highly preferable for this position.
For more information about the company, role and responsibilities, please find the full job description and person specification below.
How to Apply: Please click 'Redirect to recruiter' for details on how to apply for this position.
If you would like a confidential discussion about the role, please get in touch with Sue Griffiths, Managing Director, to arrange this. Contact details can be found in the job description.
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About the Role
2026 marks 100 years since Gunnersbury Park was opened as a public park, and Gunnersbury Museum and Park Development Trust are looking to hire a freelance development manager to help us make the most of our centenary year.
We are looking for an experienced development professional to join our team on a freelance basis as part of an Arts Council funded project. This role will be a real opportunity to become embedded in an organisation at the beginning of a transformative period, as we focus our energies on raising awareness of the great work of GMPDT.
The successful candidate will lead GMPDT towards increased financial resilience by identifying new funding opportunities and managing the development of a new fundraising campaign.
They will work with staff and volunteers to develop a ‘project bank’ of fundable projects across the Museum and Park and identify appropriate funding streams for each.
They will also identify one key project to launch Gunnersbury’s first fundraising campaign, working with freelancers/subcontractors to create supporting materials for the chosen campaign.
About You
Experience
- Experience of fundraising and donor engagement in museum/heritage sector and/or environmental sector
- Proven ability to create and deliver successful fundraising campaigns
- Experience of writing compelling cause messaging, or managing the delivery of cause messaging
- Experience of working with small organisations
- Experienced in CRM databases including Beacon
- Confident in managing projects to tight deadlines
- Extensive knowledge of grant writing and reporting
- Experience in writing and producing impact reports
Skills:
- Self-starter with the confidence to work alone as well as within a small, busy team
- Excellent communication skills to reach a wide range of audiences
- A strong leader and trainer of others
- Comfortable working with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders
- Creative thinker with new ideas for donor engagement and fundraising campaigns.
- Attention to de reporting requirements and compliance for successful grants.
Key Responsibilities
- Audit the existing fundraising/development functions of the organisation, and identify any gaps or missed opportunities
- Working with the Project Board hold workshops with staff and volunteers to develop a ‘project bank’ of fundable ideas, which will include detail of the ideas, potential funding sources and timeline for completion
- Develop new cause messaging, and help to foster a culture of identifying key stories to share with our audiences
- Work with the project team to identify a single project to anchor a new fundraising campaign
- Develop a suite of digital and print content to support the fundraising campaign, and train existing team on the best way to deliver messaging around the campaign
- Report regularly to the project board on the progress of the work stream, and identify any project delivery risks
