Innovation manager jobs in oxford, oxfordshire

About you

You’re entrepreneurial, independent, and driven. You treat your work like it’s your own business - spotting opportunities, testing ideas, and chasing results.

If you’re a traditional charity fundraiser, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re excited by risk, growth, and pace - keep reading.

Over the past three years, we’ve bought and scaled swim events, turned others down, failed fast, and doubled our unrestricted income. We want someone who’s up for that kind of journey over the next three years too.

You’re as comfortable pitching to a corporate partner as you are writing fundraising copy, tweaking button text, or building a forecast. You can move between detail and vision, instinct and data, phone calls and spreadsheets.

You know how to deepen supporter journeys, grow fundraising per head, and develop new income streams. Bonus points if you like outdoor swimming.

About us

We’re a Founder-led charity working to solve learn-to-swim for disabled children - and we aim to do that in the next ten years.

We’ve grown our impact 5x in the past three years and now raise over £1m in unrestricted income annually through our swim events. Our events attract 5,000 swimmers and 3,000 fundraisers, and we own and operate some of the UK’s most iconic outdoor swims - including the Dart10k and Bantham Swoosh - alongside a growing series of 24-hour relays in lakes and lidos.

We’re small, ambitious, and fast-moving. Strategy and delivery happen side by side. We work on multiple projects, test constantly, and keep things flexible and responsive. You’ll need to thrive in that environment to enjoy the role.

The role

We’re all driven, and you’ll need to be too - this is a fast-paced, ambitious environment with lots of learning and change.

We’re looking for a strategic, creative Head of Fundraising to lead our next phase of growth.

Your first focus will be stewarding our 3,000 fundraisers - overseeing segmented email journeys, managing a £40k prizing fund, and improving supporter care through deeper, more personal touchpoints. That might mean calls, events, or just finding ways to help people feel more connected to their impact.

Beyond that, you'll help us develop and test new income streams - from matched giving and regular giving, to sponsorships, repeat fundraising, and post-event conversion. You'll also play a key role in evolving our Challenge Events portfolio across in-person, virtual, and blended formats.

This role requires someone with a strong track record in fundraising growth, a test-and-learn mindset, and the ambition to build something big.

Core Responsibilities

• Strategy Development and Implementation
• Develop and execute a fundraising strategy aligned with the charity's objectives.
• Identify and cultivate new fundraising opportunities to diversify income streams.
• Defining our fundraising growth strategies, specifically around our event series.

Community and Events Fundraising

• Oversee the planning and execution of community fundraising initiatives, specifically with our event fundraisers.
• Engage and mobilise volunteers and supporters for fundraising activities.

Fundraiser Care

• Customer Lifetime value / retention / regular giving.
• Build and maintain relationships with donors, ensuring effective stewardship.
• Develop and implement donor retention strategies to increase long-term support and regular giving.

Trusts and Foundations

• Working closely with our Head of Programmes to oversee our bids process, working with specialists and utilising learnings from previous years.
• Deepen strong relationships with grant-making bodies and ensure compliance with grant requirements.

Corporate Partnerships

• Manage and develop corporate partnerships and event sponsorships. 
• Develop tailored proposals and pitches to attract corporate support.

Team Leadership

• Lead, inspire, and manage a small fundraising team, fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration.
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members for both fundraising and marketing.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Track and report on fundraising performance against targets.
• Provide regular updates to the Senior Leadership Team. 

Qualifications and Experience

• Proven experience in a senior fundraising role.
• Proven experience working on fundraising events and event fundraising.
• Demonstrable success in developing and implementing successful fundraising strategies.
• Strong track record of securing major gifts, grant funding and/or corporate partnerships.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience in digital fundraising and leveraging social media platforms.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

Optional / Ideal Responsibilities

Marketing & Comms

• Developing Level Water’s marketing and communications strategy
• Leading strategy implementation and ensuring that we’re representing our Programmes work and impact work in the best possible way to our different groups of stakeholders. 

Digital Fundraising

• Leverage digital platforms, advertising and social media to enhance fundraising.
• Implement innovative online fundraising campaigns and initiatives.

Event growth and innovation

• Understanding the mass participation event landscape and its opportunities, ideally within the swimming sector but other sports experience very welcome.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about the mission and values of Level Water.
• Strategic thinker with a results-oriented approach.
• Creative and innovative mindset.
• Resilient and adaptable, with a positive attitude.
• High level of integrity and commitment to ethical fundraising practices.

Please send a CV and Cover Letter (which can be a 2-3 minute video) to apply.

ABOUT US 

The Woodland Trust is the UK's leading woodland conservation charity and is dedicated to creating a world where trees and woods thrive for both people and nature. Our mission involves engaging and inspiring individuals to contribute toward tackling the nature and climate crisis through the protection, restoration, and creation of essential woodland habitats. 

Join our Online Information Session! We are hosting an Online Information Session with the CEO and interim Director of Fundraising to give candidates an opportunity to learn more about the role and to ask any questions.

The session will last no longer than 45 minutes and will be held at 14:00 on Friday 5 September.
Please register your interest by emailing Charlotte Hines (full details available via our website). 

THE ROLE 

 Due to the retirement of a long-standing executive team member, this newly repurposed Executive Leadership role has a clear focus on our long-term financial sustainability and mission impact. As Executive Director of Fundraising Development, you will lead our strategic partnerships, philanthropy, and major income generation programmes. 

 You’ll be responsible for inspiring significant financial support through trusts, major donors, corporates, legacies, and philanthropic networks. Working closely with the CEO and fellow Executive Directors, you’ll play a key role in shaping and delivering our Strategy to 2030 - ensuring we have the income, influence, and innovation to match our ambition. 

 Protecting and restoring woodlands that have stood for centuries - the crown jewels of the natural world in the UK - and creating the woods of the future, means this role will leave a legacy which will last for generations.  It’s an opportunity to lead with purpose, engage with powerful networks, and literally change the nature of the UK landscape for the better. 

THE CANDIDATE 

We’re looking for a proven senior leader with extensive experience in fundraising, income generation or strategic partnerships - ideally within the not-for-profit sector. 

You’ll bring: 

• Strategic fundraising expertise across major giving, trusts, foundations, corporate partnerships, and philanthropy. 

• Inspiring leadership - able to guide, develop and motivate high-performing teams. 

• Strong external profile - with a track record of building and leveraging influential networks. 

• Collaborative mindset - experienced in working at Executive level, shaping cross-organisational strategy. 

• A personal commitment to nature recovery, equity of access, and environmental impact. 

Most importantly, you’ll be values-led - excited by the potential of this pivotal role to shape lasting change. 

Our Organisational Nature enables us to better understand what it means to be part of the Woodland Trust, empowering us to make an impact, every day. We want you to be able to role model our values; ‘Grow Together’, ‘Focus’, ‘Explore’ and ‘Make it Count’ to ensure each of us plays our part in helping to protect, restore and create our woods and trees. 

Benefits & Wellbeing: Joining our team means you'll be a big part of tackling environmental and climate issues. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer: 

• Enhanced Employer Pension 

• Life Assurance 

• Flexible & Hybrid Working Options 

• Generous Annual Leave (25 days + bank holidays) 

• Annual leave buy and sell 

• Enhanced Parental Pay 

• Employee Assistance Programme 

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: The Woodland Trust embraces diversity and inclusion. We want our team to reflect the UK's diverse community. We support people from all backgrounds to apply, especially those who are under-represented. 

Application Advice: Even if you don't meet every requirement of the role, we would encourage you to apply. Your enthusiasm for the environment and our core values-Grow Together, Explore, Focus and Make it Count-are what matter most.

To maintain fairness and reduce bias during shortlisting, we keep our candidates’ personal details hidden from hiring managers, please help us to maintain your anonymity by removing personal details from your CV prior to submission. 

Apply Now: If you're ready to make a difference and grow with us, send in your application today. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to make a positive impact on our planet. 

1st Interviews will be held via Teams on Friday 3 October 2025 
2nd Stage Interviews will be held in-person at our Grantham Office on Monday 13 October 2025 

Details of both events will be shared with shortlisted candidates prior to each stage. 

We are looking for someone who:

• Understands the power of sport to unite and uplift communities.
• Brings senior leadership experience in the required competencies of fundraising, communications and income strategy.
• Is confident managing relationships with high-value funders and partners.
• Has a deep understanding of inclusive storytelling and impact measurement.
• Can think big, act boldly, and build a strong and sustainable future for our movement.

We continue to be focused on our vision to create an inclusive world for all, driven by the power of sport, through which people with intellectual disabilities live active, healthy and fulfilling lives. 

We are looking for people who are passionate about Special Olympics and are completely aligned with our values. We are authentic. We act with honesty, integrity and respect. We are creative and innovative. We love to embrace difference and doing things differently. We are brave, courageous, resilient and determined. We listen and are led by the voice of our athletes. We are always kind. We are Inclusion in Action.

We are continuing to build a high-performing team who care for each other and care about our cause. Our athletes are incredibly inspirational, courageous and insightful people, and they deserve a team who are equally committed and passionate about our mission.