Director of Fundraising
Salary: £70,000 to £75,000 per annum
Location: Hybrid – London EC1Y/Home
Join MQ and help transform mental health research.
At MQ, we champion and fund world-class research to transform the lives of everyone affected by a mental health condition. We strive to create a world where mental illness is better understood, diagnosed, treated and, hopefully someday, prevented. We believe research is the first step towards making that a reality.
We connect scientists with supporters, people with lived experience of mental health illnesses, policymakers, and practitioners, so together we can strive to understand mental health, improve treatments and prevent mental illnesses.
Supported by our world-class Science Council, MQ funds research globally and works in partnership with leading organisations in the field including Wellcome Trust, the Mental Health Mission, DATAMIND, University of Oxford, Glasgow University and Kings College. In the US, we work through our sister charity the MQ Foundation.
What you'll be doing:
The Director of Fundraising is a senior, strategic leadership role responsible for driving significant and sustainable growth in income for MQ, with a target of achieving £10 million annual turnover over the next five years.
As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the postholder will set and deliver an ambitious, data-led fundraising strategy across philanthropy, trusts and foundations, partnerships and other income streams. They will personally steward high-value relationships while building a high-performing, commercially minded fundraising function capable of supporting MQ’s long-term mission.
Key Responsibilities:
Fundraising Strategy & Income Growth
- Develop and deliver MQ’s overall fundraising and income generation strategy, aligned to organisational priorities
- Set clear income targets and KPIs across all fundraising streams
- Personally lead and secure six- and seven-figure gifts, grants and contracts
- Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with major donors, funders and partners
- Ensure excellent stewardship, reporting and donor experience across all income streams
Pipeline, Performance & Data Oversight
- Provide strategic oversight of the fundraising pipeline, ensuring a healthy balance of prospecting, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship
- Use data, insight and CRM reporting to track performance, forecast income and manage risk
- Identify income concentration risks and develop mitigation strategies
- Drive continuous improvement in fundraising processes, systems and ways of working
Financial Management & Reporting
- Own the Fundraising budget, including income forecasting, expenditure control and cost-of-fundraising oversight
- Work closely with the Finance team to ensure accurate income phasing, reporting and financial planning
- Produce regular reports for the CEO, Executive Team and Board on income performance, pipeline health and risks
- Ensure all funding is managed in line with grant conditions, donor expectations and regulatory requirements
Leadership & Team Development
- Provide strategic leadership and line management to the team
- Build, develop and retain a high-performing, motivated fundraising team
- Foster a collaborative, ambitious and accountable fundraising culture
- Support succession planning and talent development within the Fundraising function
External Profile, Partnerships & Thought Leadership
- Represent MQ at high-level events, conferences and networking opportunities
- Strengthen MQ’s profile with funders, corporates, policymakers and partners
- Work closely with the Board and Science Council to maximise fundraising and partnership opportunities
- Undertake speaking engagements where appropriate to generate visibility & awareness
Executive Leadership & Governance
- Act as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to organisational strategy and decision-making
- Support the CEO with Board engagement, particularly around fundraising strategy and performance
- Ensure fundraising activity complies with all relevant legislation, regulation and best practice
- Uphold MQ’s values, reputation and commitment to ethical fundraising
Person Specification:
We'd love to hear from you, if you have:
- Significant senior leadership experience in fundraising or income generation, ideally within the charity, research or mission-driven sector
- Proven track record of delivering substantial income growth and securing high-value gifts
- Experience leading and developing high-performing fundraising teams
- Strong commercial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting and performance management
- Demonstrable experience of managing complex stakeholder relationships
- Strategic, analytical and data-driven approach to decision-making
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, including at Board and senior stakeholder level
- Strong understanding of the UK research funding or philanthropic landscape
- Clear alignment with MQ’s mission and values
The following is highly desirable
- Knowledge of mental health research and lived-experience-led approaches
- Experience of US philanthropy or international fundraising
- Experience working with Boards, trustees or scientific advisory groups
- Familiarity with modern CRM systems and fundraising analytics
Why Join MQ?
We offer a great working experience within a friendly team. Hybrid working (in the London office Mondays and Tuesdays, with the remaining days from home). We are located near Barbican Tube.
Plus, we offer lots of generous benefits and training opportunities.
We're a Sunday Times Top Company to work for.
Benefits
- Flexible working: As a mental health charity, staff wellbeing is of paramount importance. We operate a core hours policy (10-4) to encourage flexible working and staff are mainly home based with the requirement to come into the office two days per week. A standard full-time working week is 35 hours, plus an hour for lunch breaks.
- Holidays: Annual holiday entitlement of 31 days (inc. office closure between Xmas and New Year) plus bank holidays.
- Wellbeing Allowance: MQ provides an allowance of up to £1200 per annum for each employee to spend on activities that increase their wellbeing. This is paid through payroll and is taxable.
- Virtual GP & Other wellbeing services - Get quick GP appointments and support with cancer and caring responsibilities through our Zurich benefits scheme.
- Cycle to work scheme: An interest-free loan is available to enable employees to purchase a bike and accessories, repaid via equal deductions from the employee’s salary over 12 months.
- Employee Assistance Programme: All employees and their families have access to a 24-hour confidential advice and support line.
- Counselling: Employees have access to a number of free face-to-face sessions, via the EAP scheme.
- Pension: MQ makes contributions of 5% and employees make contributions of 3%.
- Life Assurance - Up to 4 x your salary in the event of death in service.
- Season Ticket Loan: An interest free season ticket loan is available, repaid via equal deductions from the employee’s salary over 12 months.
- Personal Development: We value employee development and review individual training needs through our performance management system. HR also runs internal management development sessions for all staff.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Closing date: 22nd February 2026
Please note, we typically start interviewing within two weeks of the job advert going live. We reserve the right to close the job before the deadline based on the volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Interested?
If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.
We believe in equality and inclusion and we welcome job applications from everyone, provided you meet the criteria for the job.
Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration and undertake a DBS check.
No agencies please.
Registered Charity 
11 - 20
Thank you!
About us
We’re Breast Cancer Now, the research and support charity. We’re the place to turn to for anything and everything to do with breast cancer. However you’re experiencing breast cancer, we’re here.
The brightest minds in breast cancer research are here. Making life-saving research happen in labs across the UK and Ireland. Support services, trustworthy breast cancer information and specialist nurses are here. Ready to support you whenever you need it. Dedicated campaigners are here. Fighting for the best possible treatment, services and care for anyone affected by breast cancer.
About the role
Sitting within our people and organisational development team and reporting into the senior learning & organisational development manager, you’ll support us with a wide range of administrative duties across the learning & development; people; equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and internal communications & engagement functions.
As the first point of contact for all learning management system (LMS) user and administrative queries you’ll maintain and housekeep our LMS as well as help coordinate and administer internal and external training programmes, workshops and learning events. You’ll also provide administrative support across our core people activities, including invoicing, onboarding, offboarding, and the employee lifecycle processes.
You’ll use our HR management systems to develop and maintain regular people management reports and liaise with the people and EDI teams to ensure employee and training records are updated.
About you
You’ll have experience of working with information systems ideally within a HR function and be able to use an administrative system or database. You’ll have the ability to work as part of a small hybrid team and possess strong organisational skills and excellent written and verbal communications skills allowing you to always work together when in the office or when working from home. You’ll understand the importance of working accurately and with attention to detail within a confidential framework and can plan and organise your own workload.
Job description and benefits
Please download the job description and our attractive benefits package.
Primary location of role and hybrid working
This role is primarily based in our London office. Our hybrid working model allows you to work up to 3 days per week at home with a minimum 2 days in the office which will be Tuesday and Wednesday.
When applying
We hope you choose to apply for this role. To support your application, you’ll be asked to submit your anonymised CV and a supporting statement. Please refer to the essential criteria on the person specification and clearly provide as much information as you can with examples, to demonstrate how and where you meet the criteria. If you’ve any immediate questions please contact the Breast Cancer Now recruitment team
Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion
We’re committed to promoting equity, valuing diversity and creating an inclusive environment – for everyone who works for us, works with us, supports us and who we support.
Closing date Monday, 9 March 2026 9 am
Interview date week commencing 16 March 2026
We reserve the right to close this advert early subject to volume of applicants. Therefore, to avoid disappointment please submit your application as soon as possible, if you’re interested in this opportunity.
Thank you!
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – High Value Events Manager
Location:Hybrid working with some travel to Hearing Dogs offices in either Buckinghamshire or East Yorkshire.
Salary: £40,000 per annum.
Contract: Permanent, full-time hours.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, whose mission is build confidence, companionship and connection for people with hearing loss, is seeking a High Value Events Manager to help create inclusive, inspiring and impactful high-value event experiences that deepen relationships and generate transformational philanthropic support for the charity.
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People has been creating life-changing partnerships between hearing dogs and deaf recipients since 1982. As well as acting as an ear to their partners and alerting them to sounds, the charity’s clever and expertly trained dogs help deaf people to live life with confidence and independence, whilst providing love and emotional support.
Following on from a strategic review, the charity is now building a new Income Generation Directorate, to enable them to transform many more lives across the UK. This role will be critical to help Hearing Dogs reach their goals to significantly grow and diversify income.
This role will be part of a newly built High Value Events function and will develop, manage and deliver a portfolio of high‑value engagement and fundraising events that advance the charity’s strategic priorities and long‑term sustainability. Working closely with the High Value Event Team Manager and collaborating across Income Generation and wider teams, the postholder will create values‑led, relationship‑driven events that celebrate impact, inspire generosity and deepen connections with major donors, trusts, foundations, corporate partners and senior volunteers. They will ensure each event is thoughtfully planned, mission‑focused, inclusive and delivers strong return on investment, while strengthening long‑term philanthropic commitment to Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s life‑changing work.
This role requires a proven track record in planning and delivering high‑value fundraising or engagement events generating £100k+, alongside experience working with major donors, high‑net‑worth individuals, committees and senior stakeholders. The ideal candidate will bring strong stewardship‑led fundraising expertise, excellent relationship management skills and a history of meeting income targets while maximising return on investment. Outstanding organisation, project management and communication abilities are essential, as is the confidence to engage and influence high‑profile supporters. Personally, the postholder will be a collaborative, inclusive and proactive team player with strong interpersonal skills, a creative and solutions‑focused mindset, and a genuine passion for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s mission, able to communicate impact in a compelling and inspiring way.
This is an exciting opportunity to help an organisation which is changing people’s lives every day, and where you have the flexibility of working remotely or spending time at Hearing Dogs’ stunning bases in Buckinghamshire or Yorkshire, with friendly and passionate staff and their four-legged friends.
If you want to lead the pack and help deaf people live well with hearing loss Please download our Candidate Pack for further information [PDF], which includes details on how to apply.
Closing date: Monday 9th March, 9.00 am.