Director of fundraising and events jobs

About the role

We’re seeking a senior media and PR officer – policy, campaigns and public health to join our talented and ambitious media and PR team for six months. Supporting the delivery of annual media plans for these areas of work, you’ll leverage our position as leading experts on breast cancer to secure media profile that increases our influence, engagement and support among target audiences, championing the needs of people affected by breast cancer, engaging key policy decision-makers and the NHS through our change-making campaigns and calls to action, and communicating our vital breast health awareness and health information and messaging to key stakeholders and the public to help make change happen now.

This role is a fixed term contract until end of February 2027.
 
About you 

You’ll be great at building trusted and influential relationships across internal and external contacts up to a senior level including colleagues, journalists, contacts at stakeholder organisations (such as NHS and NICE), people affected by breast cancer who support our work, and celebrities and influencers who support Breast Cancer Now. 

With an understanding and passion for policy, campaigns, and public health you’ll draw on your experience of working across health communications and/or media/PR environments to digest and distil complex and sensitive information into compelling media copy, with an eye for spotting proactive and reactive media opportunities to secure impactful profile.

Used to working in a fast-moving environment, you’ll work at pace without compromising quality of work and working closely with the senior media and PR manager – policy, campaigns and public health to effectively handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines to amplify the charity’s share of voice as a determined leader, driving progress and changing the future for anyone affected by breast cancer.

Effective at working independently, you’ll also be a team player who works closely with and contributes to the wider success of the media and PR team.

Job description and benefits

The job description and our attractive benefits are available for you to download.

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.

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 us. 

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.

We reserve the right to close this advert early. Therefore, to avoid disappointment please submit your application as soon as possible, if you’re interested in this opportunity.

Closing date Friday 3 July 2026 9am
Interview dates Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 July 2026

Location: London, UK (hybrid working – from Albert House, Old Street)

Team: Resource Mobilisation

Contract: Permanent 

Salary range:  £37,590 - £39,402 per annum

Closing date: 10 July 2026 (midnight UK time)

ABOUT THE ROLE

Start Network has an exciting opportunity for a Partnerships Engagement Officer to join our growing Resource Mobilisation team. The role supports donor engagement and income growth, working with trusts, foundations and corporate funders to build strong, long term relationships through high quality stewardship, communications and engagement.

You will support the management of existing and new donor relationships, contribute to proposals and reporting, research and cultivate new funding opportunities, and work closely with colleagues across the organisation to deliver clear and compelling donor communications. The role also leads on the coordination of Start Network’s annual donor visit, taking the full range of our donors to a priority Start Network country of operation to see our work in action.

WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Our purpose is to be a catalyst for system-level change that improves the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of humanitarian action. We do this by working as a network to develop, test & spread new ways of collaborating and resourcing locally-led crisis response and anticipation.

Our current membership is made up of nearly 100 local, national and international NGOs based all around the world. We also support 10 national and regional hubs made up of civil society organisations and NGOs as our vehicle for devolving power, resources and accountability.

OUR VALUES

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

• Being a part of a network involved in bringing change to the humanitarian sector.
• Hybrid working with options to work from home and remotely to support your work/life balance
• Employee Assistance Programme through Smart Health (depends on the country based)
• Family friendly policies, e.g., flexible working, maternity policy, parental leave and more!
• 25 days’ holiday (if UK based) plus 2 company days over the End of Year period for all staff (depends on the country based)

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Our roles are open to discussion about flexible working. For part-time working and job-shares, please get in touch with us before putting in an application.

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm. We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy. Start Network embraces diversity, promotes equality of opportunity and eliminates unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and treat every application on merit alone. We particularly encourage applications from disabled, BAME, LGBTQ+ and non-binary candidates. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our essential selection criteria set out in the Person Profile.

APPLICATION

Please contact the People and Culture Team if you have any questions or need support with your application. Please email us.

We use Be Applied, our online recruitment platform which uses anonymised applications and predictive, skill-based assessments which are blind- reviewed to reduce bias.

Closing date: 1st February 2026

Date for 1st Interview: 15th /16th July  (Subject to change)

Date for 2nd Interview: 20th July (Subject to change)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications and we may review candidates on an ongoing basis, so please apply early where possible to avoid disappointment.

Any offer of employment will be conditional subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data. Start Network also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. The core of the scheme is that participating organisations share information about safeguarding-related misconduct (i.e., sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment) that a candidate has been found to have committed during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. For more information regarding this scheme, please visit their website.

Role Purpose

This role is at the heart of Child Bereavement UK’s identity, leading the strategy and delivery of our brand across the organisation to ensure we are recognised as the UK’s leading bereavement charity for children, young people and parents. You will champion our brand, supporting teams across all departments to apply it consistently, creatively and confidently, strengthening trust, recognition, and impact.

As the guardian of our brand, you will develop, protect, and embed our identity, ensuring all organisational output is clear, inclusive, and aligned with our values. You will also identify high-impact brand collaboration opportunities to enhance our reputation and drive recognition, building strong relationships both internally and externally to maximise our brand influence.

In this role, you will combine strategic vision with hands-on guidance, enabling teams to live our brand with confidence while positioning Child Bereavement UK as a bold, trusted, and inspiring voice in the sector.

Main Responsibilities

 Brand strategy and positioning

· Lead the development and ongoing evolution of the Child Bereavement UK brand strategy, ensuring it is audience driven and reflects our purpose, values and strategic priorities.

· Collaborate with audiences to ensure brand components and their application are stakeholder evidenced and driven.

· Define and maintain clear brand positioning, messaging and tone of voice for key audiences.

· Conduct regular brand research and use insight and research to ensure the brand remains relevant, credible and distinctive.

Brand governance and quality

· Own, maintain and embed brand guidelines, ensuring consistent application across campaigns, communications, fundraising and digital activity.

· Organise, manage and proactively update the Child Bereavement UK brand asset and photo libraries by sourcing and organising new commissions.

· Provide advice, guidance and sign-off on high-profile or high-risk brand outputs.

· Support teams to use the brand well, balancing consistency with flexibility and creativity.

· Work closely with marketing, communications and fundraising colleagues to help shape campaign narratives, key messages and offer creative direction that align with brand principles.

· Ensure messaging and visual identity are aligned and coherent across channels.

· Contribute to creative briefs and support the development of compelling, audience-focused storytelling.

· Support the content and marketing teams with the development of branded content as required including but not limited to graphic design, filming, editing and copywriting.

Brand collaboration

· Identify, develop and nurture brand collaborations that strengthen awareness, credibility and reach, and align with the organisation’s purpose and values.

· Act as a brand advisor in discussions, ensuring opportunities are strategically aligned and reputationally sound.

· Work with colleagues to ensure brand collaborations are coherent, well-governed and mutually beneficial, with clear messaging and visual alignment.

· Support the development of collaboration narratives, co-branded materials and storytelling that reflect shared values and objectives.

Internal brand leadership

· Act as an internal champion for the brand, helping staff and volunteers understand and apply it in their day-to-day work.

· Deliver brand training, resources and guidance as needed.

· Create and deliver communications to ensure the brand is reflected consistently in how the organisation presents itself internally.

Design

· Own the creation and evolution of core evergreen brand assets, ensuring the Child Bereavement purpose, values, and visual identity are consistently and clearly expressed.

· Be the senior authority for design standards and frameworks.

· Support marketing colleagues to confidently create short-form, campaign, and project materials providing guidance, tools and access to approved freelance designers where needed.

· Focus brand design resource on high-value, long-term assets, avoiding unnecessary centralisation of short-term or one-off materials in order to reduce bottlenecks and keep work moving at pace.

· Manage and maintain relationships with approved design freelancers and agencies.

Insight, performance and reputation

· Monitor brand health, awareness and perception, using insight to inform decisions and improvements.

· Work closely with marketing and communications colleagues on reputation management and sensitive issues.

· Stay informed about sector trends, public expectations and best practice in brand management.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

· Work closely with the Directors of Marketing & Communications, Services & Service Transformation, and Income Generation to deliver strategic brand strategies.

· Foster strong cross-charity relationships to ensure coherent and consistent branded output and shared learning.

Person Specification

Essential

Experience & Knowledge

· A proven track record of success in leading and/or managing an organisation’s brand activity and maintaining a high-quality brand portfolio.

· Experience of communicating and implementing a brand across an organisation.

· Proven experience and confidence of brand guardianship and developing and implementing brand guidelines.

· The ability to lead, enthuse and inspire colleagues at all levels to be brand guardians and support brand and marketing activities.

· Strong understanding of how brand shows up across the full customer journey.

· Strong understanding of audience insight, segmentation and customer needs.

· The ability to provide clear, professional and well-reasoned brand feedback on a wide range of creative and content.

· Experience of collaborating with audiences to develop brand plans and assets.

· Experience of using insight, analytics, testing and research to develop and inform decision-making.

Skills

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

· Strong graphic design and video editing skills (e.g. Canva, Adobe, CapCut).

· Meticulous attention to detail.

· Ability to translate business goals into clear brand positioning and direction.

· Strong analytical thinking, using insight and data to inform decisions.

· Excellent creative judgement across visual identity, tone of voice and storytelling.

· Ability to brief, evaluate and elevate creative work.

· Strong project management skills and the ability to prioritise workload.

· Ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

· Ability to balance long-term brand building with short term performance needs.

· Ability to work collaboratively and bring colleagues on board a brand journey.

· Ability to demonstrate initiative and to work proactively and independently.

· Ability to work well under pressure.

Attributes & Values

· Compassion, emotional intelligence and ability to work respectfully with bereaved children, young people and families.

· Collaborative, approachable, and able to build trust across teams.

· Creative, innovative and proactive, with a solutions-focused, self-starter mindset.

· Customer-centric mindset, grounded in audience insight.

· Highly organised, resilient and able to work independently in a remote environment.

· Strong commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and ethical storytelling, including amplifying lived experience safely and respectfully.

· Willingness to undertake relevant training and development opportunities.

· Willingness to work flexibly to meet organisational need.

· Ability to undertake periodic UK travel and represent the charity at meetings and events.

Desirable

· Previous experience in a Brand Lead or similar role.

· Experience working within the charity/third sector, particularly in bereavement, mental health or social care.

· Understanding of bereavement and the needs of bereaved children, young people and parents.

· Experience contributing to or leading the development of brand strategy including positioning, purpose and key messaging frameworks

· Experience leading a rebrand or major brand evolution including repositioning, visual identity refreshes or large-scale brand rollouts.

· Exposing adapted brand strategy across multi audiences.

· Knowledge of brand tracking, perception research and audience insight tools.

· Strong understanding of digital-first branding including expressing brands across digital products, platforms and social channels.

· Familiarity with CRM systems such as Salesforce.

Benefits

· 28 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: 6th July 2026 at midnight

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications for the role before the closing date.

Interviews

If you are progressed to an interview, you will be invited to attend a 1-hour competency-based interview on MS Teams with the Hiring Managers for the role. You may also be asked to complete an interview task, which will also be shared with you in advance.

Proposed interview dates: 20th and 21st July 2026.