Head of philanthropy and partnerships jobs in Liverpool

About Us
The National Landscapes Association represents and supports the UK’s National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) The Association is a charity and non-profit membership organisation. The team advocates, communicates and fosters collaborative action which supports the UK’s network of National Landscapes to be as effective as possible. We champion the interests of National Landscapes with governments and coordinate the delivery of national projects.

About the Role
As Head of Partnerships and Fundraising, you will lead the development and delivery of an ambitious income generation and partnership strategy for the National Landscapes Association. This is a pivotal senior role, focused on securing and growing diverse funding streams, including corporate partnerships, philanthropy, grants and strategic collaborations to support the long-term resilience of the organisation and the wider National Landscapes network.

You will drive new business, negotiate high-value partnerships and oversee a strong pipeline of opportunities, while leading and supporting a high-performing Development Team. Working closely with the Chief Executive, Board and key partners, you will operate at a strategic level, shaping propositions, building influential relationships and positioning National Landscapes as a compelling investment opportunity within the environmental and nature-based solutions space.

Key Responsibilities

• Income generation & strategy: Lead the development and delivery of an ambitious income diversification strategy, identifying and securing funding from corporate partnerships, philanthropy, grants and strategic collaborations.
• New business development: Drive the full partnership lifecycle from prospect identification and relationship building through to proposal development, negotiation and deal closure for high-value opportunities.
• Partnership development & stewardship: Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with funders and partners, ensuring high-quality account management and delivery against agreed outcomes.
• Team leadership & performance: Lead and support the Development Team, setting clear objectives, fostering a positive team culture, and ensuring delivery against income targets and pipeline goals.
• Strategic positioning & influence: Work with the Chief Executive and Board to shape compelling partnership propositions, represent the organisation externally, and position National Landscapes as a leading partner for investment in nature.
• Governance, reporting & insight: Ensure robust pipeline management, forecasting and reporting, while maintaining oversight of legal, financial and reputational considerations across partnerships.

See the role description for more information.

Why Join Us?
At the National Landscapes Association, you’ll be part of a passionate and forward-thinking team making a meaningful impact. You’ll gain exposure to a wide range of high-profile policy issues, work alongside experts across the UK, and help shape the future of our most valued landscapes.

As Head of Partnerships & Income Development you will own the development and delivery of the SMF’s income generation strategy so that we can raise the funds and build the partnerships we need to meet our ambitions.

Location: Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester or Newcastle. We operate a hybrid model of work i.e. a combination of in-person and remote, with flexible days in the office depending on business need and your preferences. We would typically expect in-office attendance an average of one day per week.

Contract: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: We are looking for the right candidate and while we envisage this being a full-time role (37.5 hours per week) we are open to flexible working arrangements such as part-time, compressed hours, flexitime and job-shares. Occasional/frequent evening or weekend work may be required, for which time off in lieu (TOIL) will be given. 

Key Responsibilities:

1. Fundraising strategy and leadership

• Set and implement a robust income generation strategy to enable the SMF to achieve its strategic ambitions, setting targets, monitoring and reporting on income performance and supporting accurate forecasts and projections
• Lead a culture of excellent fundraising and relationship management across the SMF and ensure the right resources, systems and skills are in place to support all staff that hold funding relationships
• Represent the SMF externally with funders, partners and other stakeholders, seeking opportunities to increase our network and build our influence and reputation as an effective charity partner 
• Work with the Head of Finance and Operations to ensure strong processes to support income generation including income forecasts, budgets and partnership reports and records  

 2. Corporate Partnerships 

• Oversee the SMF’s portfolio of corporate partnerships including strategic partnerships and partnerships focused on enabling and enhancing our student programmes
• Manage individual high value corporate partnerships and ensure excellent stewardship of all our corporate partnerships
• Oversee the development of compelling cases for support and a robust new business pipeline for corporate partnerships 
• Oversee our corporate volunteering offer including employee volunteering with our student programmes and skilled volunteering/pro bono support

3. Business development 

• Oversee the delivery and development of the Social Mobility Employer Index  
• Oversee the design and development of other products and services for employers through which the SMF can earn income and influence workplace social mobility 

4. Trusts and foundations 

• Oversee the SMF’s relationships with trusts and foundations, building a strong long-term funding pipeline  
• Build and manage relationships with key trusts and foundations

5. Philanthropy and individual giving   

• Oversee the development of our supporter community and opportunities for individual giving and fundraising through challenge events 
• Identify opportunities to build philanthropic relationships with individual donors and supporters

6. Leadership and management 

• Manage, motivate and develop the team, setting team and individual goals and evaluating performance, coaching and motivating staff and supporting professional development and staff wellbeing 
• Lead across the organisation, fostering a collaborative and high performance culture and modelling the SMF’s leadership behaviours 
• Work with the CEO and the rest of the SMT to shape the SMF’s strategic priorities, set the annual business plan, budget and key projects, and monitor delivery and performance

Please see full job description attached for more details. 

Person Specification:

We need someone who will demonstrate our organisational skills-based competencies - as listed below: 

1.  Leadership
2.  Communication
3.  Adaptability
4.  Professionalism 
5.  Decision-making

Technical knowledge, understanding and experience required:

• Experience in managing a significant funding portfolio, stewarding and developing partnerships and ensuring effective account management
• Experience in securing funding, including scoping opportunities and prospects, setting targets and building a pipeline, and shaping proposals 
• Confident in representing the SMF externally and engaging with senior stakeholders 
• Able to motivate, develop and inspire a team and ensure that high standards of performance and behaviours are maintained 
• Ability to develop and manage budgets and forecasts, team and individual income targets and monitor income performance 
• Familiar with using a CRM as a tool for partnership and income development

See attached job description for more detail on the person specification

Ways of working:

• Most of our work is office based, but you will spend a lot of time collaborating with other teams and clients via email, telephone and other communications channels such as Teams or Zoom. 
• Some travel will be required as part of this role to other offices and locations, as needed for events, work placements and meetings. 

Benefits

• 36/37 days' annual leave (England & Wales and Scotland respectively - includes bank and public holidays), with 3 of these days reserved for the annual end of year office closure.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• 5% Salary sacrifice pension scheme with enhanced matching employer contributions
• Employee Assistance Programme available to staff and their family
• Flexible work options such as hybrid working, flexitime, part-time
• Regular staff team building and business planning “away days”

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying for this role, please head over to our website by 23:59, Tuesday 28th April 2026 and provide the following information:

1) A recent work history, detailing:
       i.     Job title
       ii.    Employer
       iii.   Dates of employment/Period in post

2) A cover letter detailing your skills and experience, with reference to the key responsibilities and person specification for the role (750 words max.)

3) Give an example of an important funding relationship you have secured or grown, and explain how you identified the opportunity, what you did, and what were the outcomes and benefits (800 words max.)

About the Giving Directorate and Net Zero Carbon Programme
The Church of England ministers to every community in England, and our mission and ministry is sustained and expanded through a culture of generous giving.

The Giving Directorate plays a vital role in equipping dioceses, parishes, and clergy with the tools and confidence to encourage generosity. Through strategic leadership, innovative resources, and collaborative partnerships, we aim to inspire giving that enables the Church to flourish in every community. We lead major funded projects that strengthen giving across the Church, ensuring that generosity is central to mission and ministry.

The growing department has four teams: Innovation & Insight (leading on innovations, the parish share project, data analysis and marketing); Parish Giving Scheme (giving mechanisms and technology); NZC Fundraising (including policy, philanthropy and gifts in wills) and Learning & Development (delivering training, mentoring, and equipping clergy and diocesan giving advisors, national and regional conferences, and developing online learning resources for parishes).
You will sit within the Net Zero Carbon Fundraising team which leads the strategy to coordinate and support the plans being developed by our dioceses, churches, cathedrals, schools, and departments to secure the significant additional funding needed to decarbonise the Church of England.

What you'll be doing

As the National Fundraising Policy and Compliance Lead you will be the strategic lead for ensuring a strong culture of fundraising compliance and best practice within the Church of England. You will work within the Net Zero Carbon Fundraising team, which co-ordinates the biggest national fundraising programme within the Church of England, to support them to raise significant funds for the Net Zero Carbon Programme in an ethical and compliant way. You will also work with the Giving Directorate to ensure compliance across all their activities. You will create guidance, tools and resources that dioceses and local parishes can use to ensure they are compliant with key fundraising regulations, and create and deliver the training and case studies to support them. You will proactively advise the Head of Net Zero Fundraising on emerging topics of fundraising policy, such as the use of AI in fundraising and changes to key regulations.

This is a fixed-term contract role for three years, and interviews will take place week commencing 27 April.

About the Giving Directorate and Net Zero Carbon Programme
The Church of England ministers to every community in England, and our mission and ministry is sustained and expanded through a culture of generous giving.

The Giving Directorate plays a vital role in equipping dioceses, parishes, and clergy with the tools and confidence to encourage generosity. Through strategic leadership, innovative resources, and collaborative partnerships, we aim to inspire giving that enables the Church to flourish in every community. We lead major funded projects that strengthen giving across the Church, ensuring that generosity is central to mission and ministry.

The Giving Directorate has four teams: Innovation & Insight (leading on innovations, the parish share project, data analysis and marketing); Parish Giving Scheme (giving mechanisms and technology); NZC Fundraising (including policy, philanthropy and gifts in wills) and Learning & Development (delivering training, mentoring, and equipping clergy and diocesan giving advisors, national and regional conferences, and developing online learning resources for parishes).
You will sit within the Net Zero Carbon Fundraising team which leads the strategy to coordinate and support the plans being developed by our dioceses, churches, cathedrals, schools, and departments to secure the significant additional funding needed to decarbonise the Church of England.

What you'll be doing
Legacies have historically played a transformative role for the Church of England - sustaining parish ministry, helping deliver the 30,000+ community projects run by parishes every year, conserving historic buildings and enabling important work for the future, including Net Zero Carbon projects. There is significant untapped potential for legacy giving to make an even bigger difference to our work, but awareness is uneven, and local church leaders often lack the training and resources to talk confidently about gifts in wills.

As the Gifts in Wills Manager, you will lead an ambitious new legacy programme to significantly expand the support and resources available for all parts of the Church of England to effectively encourage legacy giving. This will include creating new legacy giving resources that can be used by parishes, cathedrals and Dioceses as well as new training for local parish volunteers, clergy and senior leaders.

Gifts in wills have the potential for significantly enhancing the work of the church in caring for God's creation, being the culmination of a person's lifetime of commitment and care for the church and God's creation. The role will include specifically looking to develop NZC cases for support as a way to encourage gifts in wills, through linking the ongoing and perpetual care of God's creation with the long term impact of gifts in wills.
Through your work you will create a culture shift where legacy giving is demystified to become a natural part of Christian discipleship. The increased number and generosity of legacy gifts pledged and received will make a long-lasting impact on the financial ability of parishes, cathedrals, and dioceses to fund their ministry and social impact in the communities they serve.

Key Relationships: Head of Net Zero Carbon Fundraising, Deputy Director (Learning and Development), Regional Giving Advisors, Head of Resources & Insights, Diocesan Giving Advisors, NCIs Legal Team, Farewill, Christian Aid.

This is a fixed-term contract role for three years, and interviews will take place week commencing 27 April.

Reporting to: Major Giving Lead - Trusts and Foundations
Location of Work: Remote, with some requirements to travel to our London office
Contract Type: Full-time, 35 hours per week, although 28 hours per week or compressed hours may be considered. The role may require occasional evening and weekend work.
Contract Length: Permanent    
Salary: £37,500

BACKGROUND    

Magic Breakfast’s mission is to end child morning hunger in the UK now and for good. The latest research suggests that 2.7 million children are at risk of hunger, meaning one in five children don’t have enough to eat. When a child is too hungry to learn, they struggle to concentrate, absorb information, and manage their emotions, causing them to fall behind in their studies. 

Magic Breakfast provides a nutritious breakfast to over 350,000 children and young people every school day. We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target children most in need without barrier or stigma.

We work with schools in areas of high disadvantage, helping staff target the children most in need without barrier or stigma. We are now at an exciting point in our journey as we launch Nourishing Futures, our long-term strategy, which capitalises on market changes and government commitments to scale our work, while redefining breakfast spaces not just as places to eat, but as places to thrive. 

JOB PURPOSE

The Major Giving Manager – Trusts and Foundations will sit within the newly formed Major Giving team, playing a pivotal role in driving new business and helping to deliver £3.36m of income across major giving in the financial year 2025/26.

Reporting to the Major Giving Lead – Trusts & Foundations, this role will lead on new business development within the trusts and foundations portfolio, with a strong focus on identifying, cultivating, and securing support from new funders. The postholder will be expected to proactively generate and pursue opportunities, using creativity, insight, and strong relationship-building skills to grow a robust pipeline of high-value prospects.

This role will involve actively networking, attending events, initiating and developing relationships with prospective funders, and creating compelling, tailored proposals to secure significant new income. Alongside this primary focus on new business, the postholder will also contribute to the stewardship and growth of existing funders to maximise long-term value and impact.

Working collaboratively across the wider Major Giving team, the role will support cross-portfolio opportunities and integrated cultivation strategies, and where appropriate, flex to support engagement with individual donors. The postholder will also work closely with the Business Development Lead in Scotland to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to prospecting, relationship management, and pipeline development.

The successful candidate will be a highly motivated and entrepreneurial fundraiser, with excellent writing and interpersonal skills, who thrives on building new relationships and securing income. They will join a dynamic and passionate team working to end child morning hunger and unlock opportunities for the next generation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES New Business

• Lead the development and delivery of new business across the trusts and foundations portfolio, driving a significant contribution to the Major Giving target of £3.36m in 2025/26 and building a strong pipeline for future years.

• Proactively identify, research and pursue high-value funding opportunities, using insight, creativity, and sector knowledge to generate a strong and diverse prospect pipeline, and working collaboratively with the Major Giving team to share intelligence and avoid duplication.

• Take ownership of cultivating new prospects, initiating and developing relationships through networking, events, and direct engagement, and confidently progressing opportunities from early-stage prospecting through to secured income.

• Prepare, develop and submit compelling, high-quality proposals and budgets tailored to funder priorities, with a strong focus on securing larger, multi-year and strategic funding opportunities (£50,000+).

• Design and implement proactive and strategic cultivation pathways for new funders, including multi-touch engagement plans and partnership approaches with colleagues to strengthen relationships and maximise conversion.

• Work cross-organisationally to identify, shape and develop fundable projects, proactively aligning organisational priorities with funder interests to unlock new income opportunities.

• Contribute to the development of compelling cases for support and propositions, using insights from the trusts and foundations landscape to inform and strengthen wider major giving and philanthropic strategies.

• Work closely with the Business Development Lead in Scotland to proactively coordinate and drive approaches to trusts and foundations based in Scotland, aligning on prospecting, relationship development, proposal activity and pipeline growth.

• Act as a key driver of new business momentum across the wider Major Giving team, flexing to support pipeline development, cultivation and conversion activity across portfolios, including with individual major donors where required.

Account management

• Successfully manage relationships within your own portfolio of trusts and foundations, ensuring timely reporting and effective communication.

• Champion the interests of major giving and trusts and foundations across the organisation, ensuring grant conditions are met and project outcomes are achieved.

• Support the team to deliver strategic, multi-year partnerships and steward key funders.

• Adopt a relationship management approach that integrates with the wider Major Giving team’s stewardship framework – creating holistic experiences for funders who support across multiple income streams.

• Flex to provide stewardship support across major giving, where necessary working to develop relationships and high quality stewardship with individual donors and family foundations.

• Collaborate with the Business Development Lead in Scotland to ensure consistent and high-quality stewardship for Scottish-based funders, sharing insight and best practice.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Support our department approach to ‘one-team’ by acting as a bridge between Trusts, Corporate and Major Donor functions, ensuring shared insight, coordination of funder approaches, and alignment of messaging and impact reporting.

• Work with Philanthropy and Corporate Partnerships colleagues to identify overlapping funder networks and co-create engagement opportunities (e.g., joint briefings, events, or site visits).

• Collaborate proactively with the Business Development Lead in Scotland to ensure that opportunities, reporting, and engagement in Scotland align with national fundraising priorities.

• Contribute to the Major Giving team’s collective cultivation and stewardship calendar, ensuring trust and foundation supporters are part of key strategic engagement moments.

Management and Leadership

• Support the development of junior members within the Major Giving team (e.g., Major Giving Administrator), providing guidance and feedback to maintain a high standard of proposals and stewardship materials.

• Work with the Major Giving Leads and the Head of Major Giving to support the forecasting of income from current and potential donors.

• Deputise for the Major Giving Lead – Trust and Foundations where necessary.

• Work closely with the finance team to ensure accurate restrictions, financial reporting processes, and project budget management.

• Take an active role in helping to set, deliver, and evaluate progress against the Major Giving team strategy and goals, especially those relating to Trusts & Foundations.

General Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate financial, performance and account management records via Salesforce.

• Represent the organisation at relevant forums, events and seminars.

• Help ensure continuous improvement of team processes and ways of working.

• Ensure all activity is compliant with fundraising legislation, GDPR, and child safeguarding requirements.

• Support the wider fundraising department with cross-team initiatives, joint donor communications and shared learning.

• Occasional work outside of regular office hours and travel within the UK.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge and Experience

• Proven experience of securing significant new funding from trusts and foundations (ideally £50,000+), with a strong track record in new business development, or relevant transferable experience.

• Demonstrable success in identifying, cultivating and converting new prospects into long-term funding relationships.

• Experience of building and managing a robust prospect pipeline, from initial research through to secured income.

• Experience of working with databases (Salesforce experience desirable) to support pipeline development, tracking and income generation.

• Strong track record of developing and initiating relationships with new funders, including through networking and external engagement.

• Understanding of how trusts and foundations fundraising contributes to wider major giving strategy, particularly in generating new income and supporting cross-team opportunities.

• Experience of working with regionally based colleagues or external partners to coordinate proactive fundraising activity desirable.

Skills and Abilities

•  Exceptional writing, research and storytelling skills, with the ability to develop compelling, tailored proposals that secure new funding.

• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills, with confidence to initiate contact, represent the organisation externally, and develop new partnerships.

• Proactive, entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to spot opportunities, generate leads, and drive them forward independently.

• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage a dynamic pipeline and balance multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, including the ability to engage and inspire prospective funders in meetings and events.

• A collaborative team player with the confidence to work independently while contributing to shared new business goals.

• Ability to communicate data and impact effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

• High level of competency in Microsoft Office and CRM software.

• Proactive approach to internal collaboration, identifying opportunities to align funder interests with organisational priorities to unlock new income.

Other

• Passion and commitment to Magic Breakfast’s mission to end child morning hunger in the UK.

• Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

• Willingness to travel within the UK to attend events, meetings and networking opportunities as part of new business development.

• Experience of working for a charity, particularly in children and young people’s sectors, desirable but not essential.

WHAT WE OFFER

At Magic Breakfast we value our employees and work hard to develop offer a supportive, respectful culture which enables everyone to thrive. Please visit our website for more information in our recruitment pack. 

APPLICATION PROCCESS

Should you wish to discuss the role before applying please email our People and Culture Team, hr @magicbreakfast. com

Shortlisting: w/c 20th April
Interview 1: w/c 27th April
Interview 2: w/c 4th May

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.