Head of engagement jobs

Head of Direct Dialogue
Location: Flexible / Home-based (with regular travel to London and nationwide)
Salary: £65,000
Contract: Permanent

Shelter is leading the movement to defend the right to a safe home, and to win this fight, they are expanding their award-winning income generation team. Shelter is now looking for a strategic and ambitious Head of Direct Dialogue to lead its high-impact face-to-face fundraising programme.

As Head of Direct Dialogue, you will set the vision and strategy for one of Shelter’s most vital acquisition channels. This is a senior leadership role within the Individual Giving team, responsible for managing a £4m investment budget to deliver sustainable, long-term growth across cause-led and lottery products.

Leading a hybrid model of in-house teams and external agencies, you will oversee the end-to-end delivery of campaigns that inspire thousands of new supporters. You will be a highly visible leader, spending time in the field to support non-desk-based teams while ensuring the highest standards of compliance, risk management, and supporter experience. This is an opportunity to innovate, using data-driven insights to optimise supporter journeys and embed direct dialogue expertise within the wider mobilisation plans.

Shelter is looking for a commercial and entrepreneurial leader with extensive experience in large-scale direct dialogue campaigns. You will bring:

• Strategic Expertise: A proven track record of leading complex fundraising programmes across in-house and agency channels.
• Contract Management: Experience managing high-value partnerships (£1.5m+) with the ability to negotiate and drive high performance.
• Analytical Thinking: A data-led approach to budget modelling, forecasting and scenario planning in evolving environments.
• Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the Code of Fundraising Practice and Gambling Commission regulations.
• Inclusive Leadership: A commitment to diversity and the ability to foster an equitable, high-performing team culture where people can be their authentic selves.

For further information on the role and how to apply, please download the Candidate Pack.
 

Closing date: Monday 4th May, 9am

About us
The Microbiology Society is a membership charity for scientists interested in microbes, their effects, and their practical uses. It has a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes, schools, and other organisations.

Our members have a unique depth and breadth of knowledge about the discipline. The Society’s role is to help unlock and harness the potential of that knowledge.

Our commitment to anyone who studies microbes is “whoever you are, wherever you are, we will amplify your voice”.

About you
The Head of Engagement and Storytelling will develop compelling content and channels for a wide range of audiences, to showcase the astonishing wonder of microbes, the transformative power of microbiology and the essential contribution of microbiologists.

This role reports to the Chief Communications Officer and will requires collaborative working with members of the Society's governance structure and the Heads of Scientific Programmes and Development Opportunities respectively, responsible for creating and delivering the society's overall communication strategy across all channels including social media and website, overseeing policy and membership engagement activities, promoting member expertise to policymakers in the UK and internationally and encourage member engagement through opportunities the Society's 'Get Involved' campaign.

The postholder will have experience working within science communication, displaying strong scientific knowledge while delivering high impact engagement campaigns. It is essential to have experience in People Management as this role oversees the different branches of the Engagement and Storytelling theme covering Communication, Policy and Membership.

Please note that the organisation operates a hybrid working policy.

For more information about the Society, please visit our website.

Our generous benefits package includes;
• Flexible working hours
• Highly competitive salaries with an annual cost of living increase
• 23 days holiday + eight bank holidays and three additional days over the Christmas break
• 10% employer pension contribution
• Life insurance including free (health and wellbeing) employee support services
• Enhanced maternity pay to include 26 weeks of fully paid maternity leave and 13 weeks of statutory maternity pay
• Enhanced Adoption pay to include 26 weeks of fully paid adoption leave and 13 weeks of statutory adoption pay
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• £50 contribution towards eye care

To Apply

Please attach your CV and Cover Letter.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Interviews will be held in-person at the Microbiology Society Office.

Closing date: 8th May 2026

It is important that you DO NOT include your Personal Information i.e. name and contact details in your CV or Cover Letter. This is because the Microbiology 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. We value, promote, and seek diversity.

The Society also takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

Please note that due to limited resources, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted therefore, if you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

“We are interested in every candidate who is eligible to work in the United Kingdom. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.”

About The Connection at St Martin’s

We believe that no one should have to sleep rough on London’s streets, and that everyone should get the support they need to find a place to call home. We get to know every person we work with, understanding what they need to recover, helping them build on their strengths, and supporting them to find their own way home. Help us make London a city where no one sleeps rough on our streets.

London’s diversity is its biggest asset and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London’s diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience of homelessness who we believe are an essential asset in our sector.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome the opportunity to consider flexible working arrangements.

About the Role

A key leader within the ambitious and forward-thinking Fundraising & Communications Team at The Connection at St Martin’s, the Head of Supporter Involvement plays a central role in inspiring, growing and stewarding our community of supporters.

This role is all about connection - building meaningful, lasting relationships with individuals and bringing them closer to our vision of ending homelessness. Through creative, insight-led campaigns and engaging supporter journeys, you will help people understand the impact of their support and feel part of a movement for change.

You will lead on two of our flagship acquisition campaigns - our Threads of Remembrance installation, and our mixed media campaign Dying For - shaping compelling narratives and experiences that resonate deeply with supporters and drive engagement and income. Alongside this, you will provide strategic and line management leadership to our Events and Community Fundraising function, ensuring high-quality, inspiring opportunities for supporters to get involved, give, and advocate.

Working closely with colleagues across Fundraising and Communications, you will develop and deliver innovative Individual Giving and community engagement campaigns across digital and offline channels, with a strong focus on stewardship - ensuring every supporter feels valued, informed, and motivated to continue their journey with us. You will also lead on our work with the Friends of The Connection, our sister charity and membership community, to strengthen supporter engagement and loyalty.

We are looking for someone with a strong track record in Individual Giving, ideally with digital expertise, and a passion for creating outstanding supporter experiences. You will bring a solutions-focused mindset, an ability to translate sector best practice into action, and the confidence to test new ideas and approaches.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone ready to broaden their leadership impact - shaping campaigns, growing community fundraising and events, and playing a key role in how we bring supporters on board with our mission.

This role is a 12 month FTC.

Salary: £53,601-£58,814 (scale points 38-43)
Closing Date: Sunday 26 April
Interview Date: Wednesday 6 May

Our Benefits

· 30 days holiday plus bank holidays

· Generous training budget, plus an annual personal training budget

· Enhanced Sick Pay Policy

· Enhanced family friendly policies

· Day off for moving house

· Hybrid working (depending on role requirements)

· Pension – 5% Employer, 3% Employee

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Season Ticket Loan

· Employee Assistance Programme

· Reward Gateway (access to discount vouchers and cashback at the UK’s favourite retailers)

We are a London Living Wage employer