28 Development officer jobs

About the job

Location: Devon-Wide, based in Exeter

Employment Type: Permanent

Hours:  37 hours per week

Salary: £31,015 - £33,119 (starting salary subject to experience)

Deadline for application: 9am on the30th November 2026

Interview Date: 9th December 2026

Job Reference: DYS366

About Space

We are an ambitious and innovative charity committed to ‘unlocking potential with young people and their communities’. Building on an established reputation of successful youth work and other services, Space is seeking to support even more young people by developing current and new services and increasing the scope of what we do. 

Space’s core values are: 

★ Integrity - doing what's right even when no one is looking 

★ Respect - interacting with fairness, kindness and dignity 

★ Determination - we give people a second chance and a third, fourth

★ Collaborative - doing great things together and with others 

★ Accountable - managing risk, taking responsibility and be accountable to each other and our stakeholders 

★ Dynamic - creating fun and a little bit of weirdness 

What is the role

Space’s income comes from a variety of sources including:

• Government contracts and grants

• Grants from Trusts and Foundations

• Individual donations

• Community and Corporate Support

The postholder’s main priority will be to increase income from non-governmental sources. They will be working in a small team to contribute towards and develop Space’s fundraising strategy.

We are looking for an experienced and results-driven Fundraising Officer who has a track record of securing funding and generating income for charitable or community-focused organisations.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who already has practical fundraising experience and is ready to use their skills to make a meaningful difference to young people across Devon.

This role is ideally suited to someone with professional fundraising experience who enjoys both building relationships and delivering tangible fundraising results. You will bring experience in some or all of the following areas: 

• Corporate fundraising and partnership development

• Community fundraising and supporter engagement

• Trusts, foundations and grant applications

• Individual giving and donor stewardship

• Fundraising campaigns, events and challenges

About You:

• Proven Fundraising Experience: You have a track record of demonstrable success in a paid fundraising role, with specific expertise in community and/or corporate fundraising,  events, and securing income.

• Exceptional Communication & Storytelling: You can communicate clearly and with genuine enthusiasm about our impact. You are a great listener who can write compellingly for different audiences and build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

• Brilliant Coordination & Admin Skills: You possess top-tier organisational, administrative, and record-keeping skills. You are independent and highly reliable, capable of managing multiple projects, meeting tight deadlines under pressure, and "herding cats" across different geographic locations and teams.

• Mobility & Flexibility: You have your own transport and a valid driver's license to travel between our various sites, and you are happy to work flexible hours (including occasional evenings and weekends) to support community events across centres and services. 

• Positive Team Player: You spot potential and opportunity and can enthuse others to achieve shared goals whilst understanding work pressures across the organisation and finding creative solutions and ways to collaborate effectively

Desirable skills we’d love to see:

• Experience using fundraising CRMs and the Google Suite or equivalent

• A background in donor stewardship, writing successful grant applications, or building a funding base from scratch.

• Knowledge of legal and financial fundraising regulations (including the Fundraising Regulator Code of Practice).

• Familiarity with securing funding within Devon or the wider South West region, and experience working alongside volunteers or directly with young people.

Space is an inclusive and learning organisation. Our employees should strive to achieve the best they can and must be committed to seeing the best in others 

As part of our ambitions to improve equality and diversity, we would particularly welcome applications for this role from those who identify under any of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include race, age, disability, gender, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

What We Offer

• Annual leave: 6 weeks for the first 5 years then increased to 7 weeks (pro-rata’d for part-time roles)

• Additional 3 Statutory days given between Christmas and new year plus bank holidays

• Pension contributions starting at 6% rising to 8% in the third year

• Employee assistance programme 24/7

• Casual dress code 

• Social occasions

• Continuous Professional Development: Formal and informal training opportunities

• Enhanced sick pay

• Chromebook and work mobile 

• Value-driven culture

• Level 3 Youth Work training Programme (for Apprenticeships)

How to Apply

Please read the job description and apply by completing our application form, describing your passion for this role even if you don’t feel you meet every point in the description.

To apply for this post or to find out more inorfmation, please visit our website.

Deadline for applications is 9am on 30th November 2026. The Interview will be held at The 100 Club, Exeter week on the 9th December 2026 2026.

Safeguarding Statement and Pre-Employment Checks

At SPACE, we work with young people and are fully committed to ensuring their safeguarding and welfare is a priority at all times. As part of our Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, all of our employees, contractors and volunteers will be expected to comply. Upon a conditional offer of appointment being made, all employees will also be required to satisfy our pre-employment screening process which will include:

• An identity check (photo ID)

• Receipt of satisfactory references cover for 3 years to current

• Documentary evidence of right to work in the UK

• A satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)