Head of philanthropy and partnerships jobs in Liverpool
About the Trust
We're one of the UK’s biggest charities and we care for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs because we believe life is better by water. We're looking for people who support our cause and want to make a difference for future generations. Could this be you?
Along with our waterways we also manage museums, archives and the country's third largest collection of historic buildings, as well as the nature and wildlife that calls our canals home. All of this enables us to provide wellbeing opportunities for millions of people each year.
Join Our Team: Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships
We’re excited to welcome a new strategic leader to shape and deliver transformational income growth and strategic partnerships for the Trust.
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Working Hours & Location
This role follows a 37 hours, Monday to Friday working pattern. This is a home-based role, requiring regular travel to meetings with donors, events and to our main hubs for collaborative meetings and team activities.
Role Overview
In this pivotal role, you will lead the refinement and delivery of the Trust’s high value giving strategy, building and sustaining relationships with philanthropists, statutory funders, trusts and foundations, and corporates. You’ll inspire, lead, and manage a diverse team to achieve ambitious income targets and strengthen strategic partnerships that support the Trust’s vision. You will actively demonstrate desired behaviours - enthusiastically engaging with external partners, taking initiative to strengthen the team, and fostering a culture within the Trust that supports high level giving.
Key Responsibilities
- Implement and refine the Fundraising Strategy to deliver significant and sustainable income growth and impact.
- Lead, inspire and develop a diverse team, fostering a culture of delivery, collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
- Personally lead on cultivating and stewarding transformational relationships with corporates, trusts, foundations, high-net-worth donors and some statutory sources while empowering your team to build profitable, multi-year relationships, a robust pipeline and secured income.
- Prepare, monitor, and deliver the annual business plan and income budget (currently £5m with significant growth planned).
- Represent the Trust externally at a senior level and maintain awareness of sector trends.
- Maintain best practice in fundraising compliance, risk management, and reporting, maintaining the highest standards of integrity.
- Embed diversity, inclusion, and safety responsibilities in all activities.
About You
As an accomplished fundraising leader with a proven track record of delivering high-value income and building strategic partnerships, you thrive in complex stakeholder environments and bring a blend of vision, resilience, and hands-on expertise. You’ll be confident influencing at Board level, adept at navigating ambiguity, and passionate about making a lasting impact.
Skills & Qualifications
- Proven experience in leading a team – skilled at building, inspiring, and motivating teams to achieve fundraising goals.
- Comprehensive expertise in major donor fundraising, corporate partnerships, and trust and foundation giving, alongside a working knowledge of statutory giving.
- Demonstrated expertise in high-value fundraising and partnership development, with a proven ability to create, cultivate and steward long-term relationships while influencing internal stakeholders to secure and sustain transformational support.
- Proven success in securing transformational gifts and multi-year partnerships.
- Demonstrable problem-solving skills, able to influence inside and outside the organisation.
- A proven ability to develop and write persuasive and successful funding applications and partnership proposals for major donors, trusts and foundations, and corporates.
- Exceptional communication and networking skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences.
- Experience managing significant budgets and delivering income growth.
- Knowledge of fundraising compliance and sector trends.
- A collaborative and innovative approach, able to lead and motivate a diverse team while working cross-functionally.
- Personal resilience and adaptability, with the ability to deliver results in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
What We Offer
We offer an annual salary of £78,000, plus £520 cash car allowance per month. Enjoy a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits. For a full breakdown of our benefits, check out our brochure here:
Our values
We care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone can thrive. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments - whether for a disability, neurodiversity, or health condition - please let us know what you need and how we can support you. We’ll work with you to make any necessary changes.
All of our jobs can be considered on a part time flexible or job share basis.
We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. You are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. We recognise not everyone who is classified as disabled under the Equality Act personally identifies this way, or with this definition of disability. Please do not let this discourage you from applying under the scheme.
Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.
Registered Charity
More than 1000
Canal & River Trust is the UK's largest canal charity, caring for a 2,000-mile network of stunning canals and navigable rivers.
Thank you!
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World Veterinary Service – Corporate Partnerships Manager
Location: Remote or hybrid, with monthly meetings at Dorset office and regular travel for meetings with donors.
Salary: £40,000-£45,000 per annum.
Contract: Permanent, full-time hours.
Worldwide Veterinary Service – which helps animals in places where no one else can - is seeking an experienced Corporate Partnerships Manager to support the growth of their corporate fundraising programme.
Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) champions animal welfare around the world, sending vets where they are needed most, providing expert veterinary training in hard-to-reach places, and shipping urgent aid supplies worldwide. Last year they treated over 103,000 animals, trained over 2,800 vets and vaccinated over 1.2 m dogs against rabies.
Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy, the Corporate Partnerships Manager will lead on the development and delivery of the charity’s corporate fundraising strategy, shaping a high-potential income stream to create impactful partnerships with businesses that align with WVS’s mission and values. The role will be responsible for identifying, research and approaching prospective corporate partners to build a strong new business pipeline and managing and nurturing existing corporate relationships to ensure long-term engagement and growth. The post holder will also work with partners to deliver engaging employee and customer campaigns, sponsorships and strategic alliances.
The ideal candidate will be a natural networker, commercially savvy, and motivated by making a positive impact through business partnerships. You’ll have experience building mutually beneficial corporate relationships and will thrive on identifying shared value opportunities. While the primary focus is on corporate partnerships, the post-holder will also provide support across other philanthropic income streams - particularly major donors and trusts and foundations - contributing to ambitious fundraising goals. Finally, candidates for this role must be adaptable and comfortable working with ambiguity and the dynamic, fast-moving environment of this growing charity.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced fundraising professional who wants to make lasting improvements to the lives of animals around the world.
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Thank you!
World Veterinary Service – Major Donor Manager
Location: Remote or hybrid, with monthly meetings at Dorset office and regular travel for meetings with donors.
Salary: £40,000-£45,000 per annum.
Contract: Permanent, full-time hours.
Worldwide Veterinary Service – which helps animals in places where no one else can - is seeking a passionate, proactive and relationships-driven Major Donor Manager to support the growth of their major giving programme.
Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) champions animal welfare around the world, sending vets where they are needed most, providing expert veterinary training in hard-to-reach places, and shipping urgent aid supplies worldwide. Last year they treated over 103,000 animals, trained over 2,800 vets and vaccinated over 1.2 m dogs against rabies.
Reporting to the Head of Philanthropy, this role offers an exciting and unique opportunity to shape a vital income stream from the ground up - identifying, cultivating, and stewarding high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who are motivated by global animal welfare. You will be responsible for developing and delivering a major donor strategy to grow the pipeline of prospective HNWIs and building compelling cultivation and stewardship journeys, including bespoke proposals, events and communications. You will also manage a portfolio of warm and cold prospects with the aim of generating five- and six-figure gifts over time.
The ideal candidate will be a skilled communicator - someone who thrives on building authentic partnerships and translating complex global work into powerful donor propositions. You’ll be excited by the task of growing something new and ready to work collaboratively as part of a small but ambitious philanthropy team. While the primary focus is on major donors, the post-holder will also provide support across other philanthropic income streams - particularly corporate partnerships and trusts and foundations - contributing to ambitious fundraising goals. Finally, candidates for this role must be adaptable and comfortable working with ambiguity and the dynamic, fast-moving environment of this growing charity.
This is an ideal role for an experienced fundraising professional who is ready for their next challenge and wants to make lasting improvements to the lives of animals around the world.
Please download our Candidate Pack for further information [PDF], which includes details on how to apply.
Closing date: Monday 26 January.