Head of fundraising jobs in Hackney, greater london

We are WeSeeHope, a charity lifting children out of extreme poverty across sub-Saharan Africa.

We are appointing a senior relationship fundraiser to drive income growth through high net worth individuals, senior business leaders, corporates and foundations. This is a frontline role with direct responsibility for developing and securing five and six figure multi-year funding commitments.

Working closely with the Chief Executive and Trustees, the Head of Fundraising will build and convert a strong major donor pipeline, unlock new networks and position WeSeeHope as a credible investment partner.

This is a growth mandate with clear accountability for results. We are seeking someone with the gravitas, commercial judgement and confidence to lead high value conversations and secure significant support. This role will further professionalise and scale our major donor and corporate fundraising approach.

About Us

We invest in the potential of every child we work with by breaking barriers to education and opening doors to entrepreneurship. With our backing, vulnerable children and their families are building futures that are free from extreme poverty, for good.

WeSeeHope currently raises approximately £1m annually through a mix of individual, corporate and foundation support. Our next phase of growth will focus on deepening high value, long term relationships with major donors and senior business leaders. We see clear headroom to scale this relational income model over the next three years.

Main Responsibilities

Strategic Income Leadership

• Develop and execute a clear income growth strategy with defined targets, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Build and personally manage a portfolio of high value prospects and partners.
• Lead high level cultivation and solicitation activity in partnership with the Chief Executive and Trustees.
• Identify, qualify, and convert new high value prospects across individual, corporate, and foundation channels.
• Ensure disciplined pipeline management and forecasting, contributing to regular reporting to the Board.

Major Donor and Corporate Relationships

• Act as primary relationship lead for a defined portfolio of high net worth individuals and senior business leaders.
• Design and deliver tailored engagement plans that deepen commitment and increase lifetime value.
• Structure strategic partnerships that align donor objectives with organisational priorities.
• Confidently lead funding conversations, including direct financial asks.

Events and Networks

• Provide strategic oversight of key income generating events, ensuring they are leveraged effectively to cultivate and secure high value support.
• Work with Trustees/Board and senior volunteers in the UK and USA to unlock access to new networks and opportunities.
• Support Trustees to act as effective ambassadors and introducers.

Team and Organisational Leadership

• Lead and develop a focused, high performing fundraising team with clear objectives and accountability.
• Contribute actively to the senior management team, ensuring fundraising is embedded within wider organisational strategy and decision making.
• Champion a culture of measurable performance, professionalism, and relationship stewardship across the organisation.

Person Specification

Experience

• Proven track record of securing significant partnerships or funding commitments, typically in the five or six figure range, with senior decision makers.
• Experience building and converting a strong major donor pipeline, including multi-year commitments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead high value partnership or funding conversations and personally secure significant commitments.
• Experience working closely with CEOs, founders, and Trustees to unlock networks and secure support or investment.
• Experience setting and delivering against ambitious income growth targets.

Skills and Capability

• Gravitas and confidence to operate credibly with senior decision makers in private and corporate settings.
• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to assess opportunities on a clear return on investment basis.
• Excellent strategic thinking and disciplined execution.
• Skilled negotiator, comfortable structuring complex funding relationships.
• High emotional intelligence and strong relationship management capability.
• Clear, persuasive communicator able to position WeSeeHope as a compelling investment proposition.

Personal Qualities

• A natural relationship builder, able to establish trust quickly and sustain long term partnerships with high value supporters.
• Comfortable with accountability and transparent performance measurement.
• Self-aware, pragmatic, and calm under pressure.
• Demonstrates alignment with the values of WeSeeHope and a commitment to collaborative, high-performance working.

Success in the first 12 months

By the end of year one, the Head of Fundraising will have:

• Built and qualified a clearly segmented major donor pipeline of 25 to 40 high capacity prospects, with defined engagement plans and projected value.
• Secured multiple new five figure commitments and, where strong prospects exist, at least one new six figure commitment.
• Delivered measurable growth in major donor and corporate income against agreed annual targets.
• Established and implemented a structured major donor strategy with clear segmentation and stewardship plans.
• Activated Trustees in income generation, resulting in new qualified introductions and live cultivation opportunities.
• Implemented robust forecasting and performance reporting systems providing reliable income visibility to the Board.

Salary and Package

Salary: £60,000 - £65,000 per annum, depending on experience.

WeSeeHope is currently a £1m organisation with clear ambition to grow income and impact over the coming years. This role offers significant strategic responsibility, direct access to the Chief Executive and Trustees, and the opportunity to shape and lead income growth at organisational level.

For the right candidate, this is an opportunity to step into a senior leadership position with genuine influence, autonomy and accountability for results.

Benefits include:

• 25 days annual leave plus public holidays.
• Enhanced family leave provision.
• Royal London pension scheme.
• Life insurance.
• Flexible and hybrid working - we currently work one day a week from a shared office space in Moorgate, London.
• Occasional international travel.

How to Apply

To apply, we welcome a CV and a 1-2 page covering letter detailing your interest in the role. Click the How to Apply button below for more information on how to submit your application. Please submit by 12 p.m. on Tuesday 19th May.

Accessibility is incredibly important to us here at WeSeeHope. If you would like any accessibility amendments or support throughout the application and interview stage, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Summary
We’re recruiting for a new Head of Fundraising and Communications to build on the growth we’ve experienced in recent years, and move us to the next level. This is a wide role and you won’t be expected to be an expert at everything, so we are looking for someone with the knowledge, confidence and strategic approach to play to their strengths, while drawing in other expertise and capacity where needed. This is an exciting and inspiring opportunity for the right person, both in terms of the role itself, but also the key part you’ll play in helping to enable women who have survived trafficking and other forms of violence to recover and rebuild their lives.

Job Location:  Hybrid (at least two days a week in London office)

Salary:              £41,500 - £52,800 pro rata (depending on experience)

Working hours:Full-time

Contract:          Permanent 

Reporting to:  Co-Director

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be undertaken. This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement section under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Two reasons why you should join Ella’s
 

1. You will make a difference: Ella’s is a London-based organisation working with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. Join us, and be a crucial part of ensuring survivors have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free. 

2. You will work in a great place: We are a passionate, growing organisation. Last time we asked, 100% said they would recommend Ella’s as a place to work. As a team, we are strong, women-led, authentic, professional, fun and supportive of one another. 

Job description and person specification

We’re recruiting for a new Head of Fundraising and Communications to build on the growth and development we’ve experienced in recent years, and move us to the next level. Last year we raised £685K through fundraising and are aiming to increase this by 20% a year in the coming years .

You will work closely with other members of the Senior Leadership Team to raise crucial funding, public support and awareness to underpin our organisational strategy, and with colleagues across the organisation to gather and communicate stories and information in a powerful and accessible way. 

This is a ‘doing’ role as well as a senior one. It’s also a wide role and you won’t be expected to be an expert at everything, so we are looking for someone with the knowledge, confidence and strategic approach to play to your strengths and those of your team, while drawing in other expertise and capacity where needed. 

This is an exciting and inspiring opportunity for the right person, both in terms of the role itself, but also the key part you’ll play in helping to enable survivors to recover and rebuild their lives.

Key tasks

• Overall oversight of all streams of fundraising.

• Line management of 1x Fundraising Officer and 1x Grants Lead.

• Overall oversight of Ella’s’ communication channels including recruitment of additional communications support.

• Uphold brand and support others to work to brand.

• Build and manage relationships, partnerships and connections to support Ella’s’ fundraising and communications.

• Lead on fundraising and communications strategies and policies, and input into organisational strategies and policies.

• Ensure implementation of fundraising and communication strategies.

• Monitor fundraising against targets and report to directors and trustees. 

• Attend senior management meetings (weekly online), team check ins (weekly in-person) and other internal and external meetings online and in-person as required.

Additional tasks

• Support with Monitoring and Evaluation

• Respond to media enquiries and requests

• Source and manage external suppliers as needed

• Copywriting and editing

• Oversee the design of external communications

• Support management and use of CRM database

• Other tasks as required by Directors or by role

Person specification

Essential

• A track record of excellence in relevant paid roles within registered UK charities.
• Working knowledge of all streams of fundraising, with direct experience in at least two of the following: trusts, foundations and statutory; individuals; philanthropy/major donors; community fundraising; corporates/business.
• Understanding of what makes a strong case for support.
• Understanding of the power of human stories, and how to gather and communicate stories that promote dignity and respect. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding and experience of what constitutes high quality, effective charity comms (written and visual).
• Understanding of brand.
• Line management.
• Impact reporting (internal and external).
• Computer literacy.
• An understanding of strategy.
• Partnership and relationship building.
• Initiative, and ability to manage varied workload.
• Willingness to get stuck in and ‘do’ as well as lead.
• Kind and sensitive to the needs of survivors in gathering and telling of stories.
• Able to work well with others. 
• Organised and efficient.
• Ability to work in a growing, fast-changing organisation.
• Motivated by the cause.
• Commitment to follow the policies, procedures and ethos of Ella’s, and to advocate on behalf of the organisation. 

Desirable

• Monitoring and Evaluation.
• Strategy writing.
• Events (fundraising events as well as thought leadership and exhibition stands etc).
• Interviewing skills.
• Media/press.
• Film.
• Copywriting, editing and proofreading. 
• Design.
• Social media.
• Website CMSs.
• Website SEO knowledge.
• Speech/talk writing and editing. 
• Digital marketing. 
• Working with suppliers such as photographers and filmmakers, copywriters and designers, website developers.
• Public speaking.
• Brand management.
• Team leadership.
• GoogleSuite.
• Canva.
• Experience across charities of various sizes.
• Experience of working with funders in the anti-trafficking/VAWG sector.
• An understanding of issues surrounding sexual exploitation and trafficking.

How to apply 

To apply for this role, please submit all of the following:

• Up to date CV
• Covering letter outlining your suitability for this role (no more than two sides of A4)
• Completed equal opportunities online monitoring form. The information on this form will be treated as confidential and used for statistical purposes only. The form will not be treated as part of your application. This form is submitted online on CharityJob.

Please submit your CV and covering letter through CharityJob before Tuesday 26 May 2026 9.00am. 

We will review applications as we receive them and may offer interviews before the closing date, so please apply quickly if you are keen.

It is intended that interviews will be held in early June. Candidates will be invited to interview by email - please check your spam folder. 

If you have queries about any aspect of this role or the appointment process, need additional information or wish to have an informal and confidential discussion, then please contact us via CharityJob.

Please also note that appointment to this role will be subject to a DBS check.

More about Ella’s
Ella’s is a London-based organisation working with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. Our mission is to do everything we can to ensure survivors have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free. 

Here is a summary of our main activities:
 

• We run eight safe houses. This supported accommodation is crucial for survivors, until they are ready and able to live independently. 

• We provide regular support for women and families in neighbourhoods across London, and many more further afield when they need us. 

• We speak out on issues affecting the women we work with. We care deeply about survivors of trafficking and exploitation and want to see a world where these crimes are not tolerated. 

Ella’s is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, as we believe having a diverse team adds value and positively impacts our service. 

We actively encourage applicants from BAME backgrounds, LGBTQ+ applicants and those with disabilities. We are committed to equality and diversity within our organisation.