Head of scaling partnerships programme jobs in Home based

Head of Mass Fundraising.

Salary: £57,000 - £66,500 per annum depending on experience.  

Location: Remote. (Must be based in the UK.) 

Contract: Permanent, 35 hours per week. 

Benefits:    

· 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service, and the option to buy or sell leave.  

· Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities.  

· Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.  

· Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover.  

· Staff discounts and Blue Light Card eligibility with discounts across 15,000 national retailers.  

Why Action for Children?    

Working here is more than a job. We are passionate about protecting and supporting children, young people, and families. All our departments work together to achieve the high standards that ensure more children are safe and happy. 

A bit about the role  

In this role of Head of Mass Fundraising, you will be strategically responsible for setting and managing Action for Children’s mass-fundraising portfolio through the leadership of an ambitious, insight-led Mass Fundraising Team. You will drive significant and sustainable income growth from the public, including across Individual Giving, Legacy Giving, Consumer PR, Celebrity Partnerships, and Integrated Campaigns and Products.

How you'll help to create brighter futures  

· Lead and manage a high-performing team working across multiple disciplines.

· Develop and spearhead a multi-faceted mass-fundraising strategy, containing outstanding products and campaign moments that deliver significant sustainable income growth.

· Drive the delivery of significant income growth from individuals via Cash Appeals, Regular Giving, Campaigns and Legacy fundraising.

· Lead eye-catching, fundraising-focused Consumer PR and Celebrity activity as a key income-growth lever.

· Provide clear prioritisation, strategic direction and performance-focused leadership across the mass fundraising portfolio by setting stretch income targets, performance metrics, priorities and KPIs.

· Champion charity-wide collaboration, and influencing at senior level, to ensure mass fundraising is embedded across the organisation.

· Contribute to wider commercial planning and governance, preparing high-quality business cases, strategic plans, and performance reports for senior stakeholders.

Let's talk about you 

· Must have proven experience of leading large-scale mass fundraising programmes in a complex organisation, with accountability for strategy, performance, and delivery, and with the credibility to influence at senior leadership level.

· Must have an established history of delivering significant income from the public through large-scale, integrated fundraising campaigns.

· Must have demonstrable experience of setting strategic direction and leading teams through audience-led delivery.

· Must have considerable experience leading and developing high-performing, multi-disciplinary teams.

· Must have strong commercial and financial acumen.

· Must have excellent creative nous and vision.

· Must have experience of working cross-organisationally, using persuasive communication, judgement and influencing skills.

 Please see the Job Description for the full list of accountabilities and requirements.   

Diversity, equality, and inclusion  

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace.  

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.  

Want to know more about Action for Children?  

Find us on  Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube to get to know us better.  

Closing Date: Thursday 11th June 2026 at 23.59pm

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.  

The overall purpose of the role is to lead and coordinate meaningful participation and engagement opportunities for children, young people and adults to shape services, influence decision-making and ensure the voices of lived experience are central to organisational development. The postholder will support in designing, delivering and evaluating initiatives that build trust, inclusion and empowerment.

Main Responsibilities

• To co-ordinate and provide safe spaces for children, young people and adults to participate in user- led activities and projects.
• To be a key link between children, young people and adults within our participation service and staff, making sure their voices and experiences are heard.
• To recruit and engage children, young people, and adults, to enable them to feel comfortable to join our Participation service.
• To support the Head of Voice, Participation & Engagement to develop opportunities for children, young people, and adults to be actively involved throughout the organisation.
• Lead and facilitate small scale participation projects.
• To maintain records of all interactions with stakeholders, using Salesforce.
• To be able to work flexibly, including regular evening and occasional weekend work in response to participants availability.
• Support the Head of Voice, Participation & Engagement in planning and facilitating forums.
• Work with people with lived experience of bereavement to create meaningful content and service recommendations.
• Work across the organisation sharing, promoting and training in best practice in participation.
• To assist in planning, organising and delivering participation events (virtually and in-person).
• Ensure that a range of voices are heard, with particular focus on EDI.
• Ensure the safety and wellbeing of members of the participation service through adherence to the organisation’s safeguarding policy and practice.
• Maintain accurate records throughout all services, complying with the organisation’s recording and reporting requirements.

Communication and Relationships

• Develop and maintain trusted relationships with children, young people, families, adults, and stakeholders to create safe and inclusive spaces for participation.
• Facilitate group and one-to-one engagement sessions using creative and accessible methods to ensure diverse voices are heard and valued.
• Collaborate with internal teams, including service delivery, communication, marketing and fundraising to embed participation principles across all areas of work.
• Represent the organsiation externally at meetings, events and networks, sharing insight from lived experience to inform sector-wide learning.
• Translate feedback and participation outputs into clear reports, presentations or creative formats that inform decision-making.
• Demonstrate empathy, confidentiality and active listening when engaging with individuals or groups who may have experience loss and trauma.
• Establish excellent internal working relationships with peers and colleagues.
• Model the values and culture of the organisation in interactions and relationships at work.
• Adapt communication style and approach to suit the needs, preferences, and emotional states of children, young people and adults, including those with neurodiverse profiles or communication difficulties.
• Provide clear, compassionate explanations of support options, safeguarding procedures, and next steps to children, young people, adults and families.
• Maintain professional boundaries while fostering a safe and supportive environment for children, young people and adults.
• Respond to challenging or emotionally charged situations with sensitivity, professionalism, and a focus on empathy and support.
• Ensure accurate and timely documentation of communications and decisions in line with organisational policies and data protection regulations.

 Knowledge, training and experience

• Proven experience in youth participation, community engagement, co-production, or related areas, ideally within charity, education or health and social care sector.
• Understanding of participation frameworks, rights-based approached and trauma-informed practice.
• Demonstrate a good understanding of grief, loss, trauma, child development, and the psychological and social impact of bereavement on children, young people, families and adults.
• Experience in facilitating groups, workshops, and creative engagement activities both in-person and online.
• Ability to translate engagement insight into practical feedback and recommendations
• Adhere to legislation and statutory guidance related to Safeguarding Children and Young People, Safeguarding Adults, and the Mental Capacity Act.
• Participate actively in clinical supervision and reflective practice to ensure safe, ethical, and effective service delivery.
• Contribute to the development and sharing of knowledge within the team by supporting training, mentoring, and peer learning opportunities.

Analytical and judgment skills

• Ability to gather qualitative and quantitative feedback and identify key themes, trends, and areas for improvement.
• Exercise sound judgement in managing sensitive information, ethical boundaries and participant confidentiality.
• Assess engagement risks and implement appropriate boundaries and referrals in line with safeguarding policies.
• Critically evaluate participation initiatives and contribute to evidence-based practice through reflection, evaluation tools and reporting.
• Balance organisation priorities with participant needs, ensuring representation remains authentic rather than tokenistic.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and meaningful data recording and reporting to inform practice, service evaluation, and organisational performance monitoring.

Planning and organisational skills

• Plan, coordinate and deliver participation activities, forums and events with clear objectives, timelines and outcomes.
• Support the development of annual participation calendars or frameworks as needed.
• Manage competing priorities across multiple projects, ensuring timely communication with internal teams and external partners.
• Maintain accurate records, consent forms and participation data using appropriate digital systems.
• Support logistical arrangements including venue booking, accessibility adjustments, transport and safeguarding measures.
• Contribute to strategic planning by identifying emerging themes, opportunities for partnerships and areas for innovation.
• Provide cover and support for participation and engagement team members during periods of absence or high demand.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and reflective capacity, using supervision and peer support to sustain personal wellbeing and professional effectiveness.
• Contribute to the development of efficient, evidence-based practices by supporting team planning, service evaluation, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Person Specification

Essential

• Minimum 3 years’ experience of working with children and young people or adults in health, social care, youth, community or education setting
• Experience of advocating for the interests of children, young people or vulnerable adults or individuals from ethnically diverse communities
• Strong written and oral communication skills, with experience of tailoring these to a wide range of audience
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage sensitively with children, families, and professionals while maintaining professional boundaries at all times
• Experience of facilitating participation groups both in person and online
• Knowledge of different facilitation approaches and methods
• Demonstratable experience of safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and an ability to practice in a way that promotes this
• Experience of building trusting relationships with children, young people, and adults creating safe space
• Passion for the power of Voice and Lived Experience
• Understanding of the challenges that participation work can present, and experience of how to overcome this
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and with external organisations
• Emotional maturity, stability and resilience with a strong commitment to self-care and the ability to seek support and guidance when difficulties arise in the course of work
• Strong IT skills, including confidence in using multiple IT systems

Desirable

• Experience of working in bereavement sector

Benefits

• 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata if applicable) with increase for long service.
• TOIL for our hours work.
• Contributory pension scheme.
• Company sick pay.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Life assurance.
• Training loans.
• Enhanced family friendly policies.

Recruitment Timetable

Application deadline: 16th June 2026 at midnight

Winston’s Wish reserves the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications for the role before the closing date.

Please refer to our recruitment pack for further details on the interview process.