Charity bid writer jobs

Home based with some travel to services required (estimated to be 1-2 days per month) 

Job Reference Number: 1656  

Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity, working in the areas of substance use, domestic abuse, criminal justice, housing and young people. We deliver world-class services that rebuild lives. We’ve been making a difference since 1969 by combining our expertise with new, innovative approaches, and putting people at the heart of everything we do.  

The Bid Writer will work in our Business Development Team, planning, developing and writing high quality bid submissions that convey the organisation’s mission, values and expertise to commissioners and funders.  

You will be responsible for coordinating strong tender submissions, resulting in successful outcomes. You will help ensure Cranstoun retains all existing contracts and wins new business, in line with the organisation’s strategic plans and targets for growth. 

Within this role, you will work collaboratively with a variety of internal stakeholders, using exceptional writing and interpersonal skills to capture and convey Cranstoun’s approach to delivering services across a variety of areas. 

We are seeking a confident self-starter, with demonstrable experience of high-quality writing  and clear evidence of successful outcomes in a business development context (70% success rate). The successful candidate will welcome the opportunity to tackle challenges and adopt a solutions-focused approach.

Above all, you’ll be interested in becoming part of a diverse, energetic team, committed to delivering innovative, person-centred services that make a tangible difference to people’s lives. 

This post is subject to a Standard DBS Disclosure. 

Closing date:Sunday 8th March 2026 

Anticipated first interview date: w/c 16th March 2026 

Anticipated second interview date: w/c 23rd March 2026  

We welcome applications from all sections of the community. 

Be the spark that turns creativity into impact.

​Help Age Exchange grow arts & heritage programmes that change lives in social care.

Age Exchange—embedded in social care and powered by the arts—is hiring a Business Development Manager to ignite partnerships and funding that deliver innovative programmes across the UK. If you come from museums, galleries, archives or cultural organisations and can spot opportunities, craft compelling bids and open doors fast, this is your stage. Lead the growth of projects that boost health, wellbeing, learning and social connection—so creativity reaches the people who need it most.

The role will require someone who can work from our head office in Blackheath and the role will include some national travel as and when required so the ideal candidate will be based within an hours commute of the Community Hub in Blackheath, London. 

What is The Deal for you?

• Flexibility! You will be working 35 hours per week over 5 days with some weekend work.
• Location: You need to be based within a commutable distance to our Community Hub in Blackheath, London.
• Benefits: retail discounts, holiday discounts, cycle to work scheme and travel discounts through our benefits app
• Best Lives Possible: You'll be working for an award winning charity who is passionate about ensuring our colleagues and the people we support lead the best lives possible 
• Development: We'll work with you to develop your career or to learn and experience new things. We're passionate about developing our people!
• Support: From our Employee Assistance Programme (available 24/7), financial support options, and wellbeing fund you'll have the support available to lead an easier (financial) life

This role will design and secure a portfolio of national and local strategically aligned, market-relevant and impactful programmes which use arts, culture and creativity to achieve a positive impact on our target audiences. These programmes will empower the health, wellbeing, learning, social mobility and social connection of people supported by Age Exchange and Community Integrated Care. The role holder will play an essential role in leading the growth, reach and sustainability of Age Exchange by generating funding and commercial revenue and new partnerships.

​What You'll do (list not exhaustive):

• Win funding & partnerships that fuel our programmes and core costs—trusts & foundations, corporates/sponsorships, individual giving, and earned income.
• Build and manage a high-quality pipeline—prospect, cultivate, write compelling bids/proposals, negotiate, and steward partners.
• Collaborate across the delivery team—aligning with colleagues so proposed projects and tenders are fundable, impactful, and on-brand.
• Report outcomes & learn—own quarterly KPI reporting and iterate approaches to hit clear income and partnership targets.

Our ideal Candidate:​

• Degree-level education or equivalent experience.
• Proven success in bid writing and securing projects/tenders of £250k+.
• Strong experience in fundraising, commercial development, and project management within a funded environment.
• Creative thinker with the ability to design innovative programmes aligned to strategic objectives.
• Excellent relationship-building and influencing skills, with experience engaging stakeholders at senior levels.
• Skilled communicator and presenter, able to craft compelling proposals and pitches.
• Proficiency in MS Office and project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet).
• Bring proven success in the arts or heritage sector (e.g., museums, galleries, performing arts, creative health, community arts) with a track record of securing grants and/or sponsorships.
• Are a confident storyteller and bid writer who can turn creative ideas into fundable, strategically aligned propositions.

Why join us ?

• Be part of a nationally recognised charity making a real difference in people’s lives.
• Lead ground-breaking projects that combine creativity and social impact.
• Work in a collaborative, values-driven environment with opportunities for professional growth.

Success in this role means:​

• Meeting funding and growth targets.
• Delivering a diverse portfolio of innovative programmes.
• Enhancing the charity’s profile through impactful projects and partnerships.

Ready to make a difference ?
Apply now and help us shape a future where arts and creativity empower communities across the UK.

​Please note, if you are interested in this role, we welcome your application as soon as possible! Depending on the volume of applications received, the vacancy may be closed before the expected advertising end date.

​We’re really proud to be a Hive HR Employee Voice Certified organisation, a recognition that confirms our commitment to creating a culture where our colleagues are not only encouraged to share their thoughts, but where this feedback is actively sought and acted upon to drive positive change at every level.

In our 2025 Colleague Engagement Survey, 59% (nearly 3,800) of our people shared their feedback and insights, giving us an incredible Employee Net Promoter Score of +34.

The Employee Net Promoter Score is a measure of how willing our colleagues are to recommend us as a good place to work to their loved ones – and a score of +34 is considered a Very Good score when compared to global benchmarks set by hundreds of other organisations.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a thriving national charity, as part of a high-performing, ambitious Business Development team. You will use a wide range of commercial and interpersonal skills to develop the way our services support children, young people and families. The core area of your work will be working with teams of Barnardo's colleagues to produce compelling proposals to commissioners and partners. As such, you'll be able to demonstrate:

∙ Strong organisational skills

∙ Attention to detail

∙ The ability to elicit and articulate great ideas

∙ Strong written and spoken communication.

You will need to be a good writer, communicating ideas effectively on paper with an ability to analyse large volumes of information to develop clear and compelling responses to tenders. It is critical that you can build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support the development of proposals and service design. You will manage all aspects of proposals and tenders, leading the development and delivery of bids, working to deadlines, ensuring that we present strong business cases and bids that underpin successful outcomes. In addition, there will be the opportunity to help us develop new services and innovations in priority growth areas, monitor market intelligence, assess commercial and contract risks and work alongside operational colleagues in Children's Services.

Your project management skills may have been developed in any sector, and may need further development, but your commitment to the work we do will be demonstrated by your enthusiasm and ability to learn. In Business Development we are a supportive team, with stimulating and challenging work and extensive opportunities to learn and to help Barnardo's transform the lives of the UK's most vulnerable children.

This is a full-time role (36.25 hours per week) based in the National Business Development Team. The role will operate on a 'Work from Anywhere' basis, meaning that you can work both from home and/or from an office 'hub that's nearest to where you live. Some travel may be required.

Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the roles, please contact

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Please note previous applicants need not apply.