Prospect Research Lead

There has never been a more exciting time to join Crisis. Homelessness is firmly in the national spotlight, and there is growing political and public momentum for change.

Combine the profile of the cause, with Crisis’ ambitious 10-year strategy – including a capital campaign to buy homes for people who have little to no other options - and this becomes a once-in-a generational moment to be at the forefront of real social change.

Crisis is the national charity for people experiencing homelessness. We know homelessness can be ended. It is not inevitable. We can play an important part of helping to shape the future of ending homelessness together.

The Philanthropy and Development team is in an exciting phase of growth and investment.

We are in the private phase of a £30m campaign to acquire 100 homes, providing stable housing for people experiencing some of the most severe forms of homelessness – with philanthropy providing the seed capital to demonstrate that a different approach to housing is possible. At the same time, we are delivering a bold ten-year strategy that aims to see the beginning of the end of homelessness by 2034.

High Value fundraising will play a central role in making our vision a reality. We've invested in the foundations that help fundraisers succeed, including strengthened prospect research, stewardship and supporter engagement functions, enabling relationship fundraisers to focus on developing and growing high-quality donor relationships.

You'll join a supportive and ambitious team with clear priorities, strong leadership and a genuine commitment to collaboration, learning and development. For someone who enjoys both delivering high-quality prospect research and shaping how insight is used across a fundraising programme, this is a particularly exciting moment to come on board.

About the role
This is a new role and provides an opportunity to lead and shape Prospect Research at Crisis at a pivotal point in our fundraising growth. You'll provide the insight, strategy and prospect intelligence that help unlock transformational support, working across high-value fundraising to identify opportunities, strengthen prospect management and support confident, evidence-based decision-making. You'll also help develop the systems, processes and ways of working that enable our Philanthropy, Corporate Partnerships, Regional Partnerships and Trusts teams to perform at their best and achieve ambitious goals

You'll be bold in using insight, data and strategic thinking to help shape the future of high-value fundraising at Crisis. Working collaboratively with fundraising, CRM and data colleagues, you'll strengthen prospect pipelines, improve systems and processes, and help turn fundraising ambition into tangible results. You'll directly contribute to growing our fundraising and increasing our impact for people experiencing homelessness. Through high-quality research, due diligence and responsible data practices, you'll also play an important role in ensuring our approach is equitable and built on the highest standards of integrity.

About you

• You're an experienced prospect research professional with the ability to lead strategy, drive improvements and help high value fundraising teams achieve ambitious goals.

• You have a strong track record of identifying and developing high-value opportunities, using insight and analysis to inform decision-making and unlock fundraising potential.

• You're confident using CRM systems, reporting tools and data to improve performance, strengthen processes and support strategic planning.

• You can translate complex information into clear, compelling recommendations and build trusted relationships with colleagues and senior stakeholders.

• You're organised and collaborative, able to manage competing priorities, influence stakeholders, and coach, develop and support others to deliver their best work.

Please see the full Job Pack linked below, for a full list of requirements for this role. We realise that long lists of criteria can be daunting, and you may not want to apply for a role unless you feel 100% qualified. However, if you feel you have relevant examples to answer the screening questions, we encourage you to apply.

We believe diversity is a strength, and our aim is to make sure that Crisis truly reflects the communities we serve. We are actively working towards our organisation being a place where everyone can thrive and make their best contribution to our mission of ending homelessness for good. We know that the more perspectives, voices, and experiences we can bring to this work, the better. We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of homelessness, and people from all marginalised groups, communities, and backgrounds.

Working at Crisis
Our values, Bold, Impactful, Collaborative and Equitable, are at the heart of everything we do as we continue in our mission to end homelessness.

Our staff, members and volunteers are vital to getting the right government policies in place, providing breakthrough services, and building a supportive community. We’ll lead by example to nurture a positive and ambitious workplace guided by ending homelessness.

As a member of the team, you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits including:

• A competitive salary. Please note our salaries are fixed to counter inequity and we do not negotiate at offer stage.

• Interest free loans for travel season ticket, cycle to work, and deposit to secure a tenancy.

• Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8.5%

• 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata) which increases with service to 31 days and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days leave.

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay.

• Flexible working around the core hours 10am-4pm

• Wellbeing Leave to be used flexibly

• And more! (Full list of benefits available on website)

Alongside our excellent staff benefits, we will support your ongoing development to build your skills, experience, and career.

When you join us, you will have the opportunity to join our staff diversity networks, which aim to champion issues across the organisation, enable staff to be their authentic and best selves and contribute to making Crisis a truly diverse organisation.

How do I apply?
Please click on the 'Apply for Job' button below.Our shortlisting process is anonymised as part of our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We do not ask for CVs, instead we ask you complete the work history section and answer the screening questions for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively. At least two members of staff score all applications.

Closing date: Sunday 15 November 2026 23:55

Interview process: Competency-based interview + presentation task.

Interview date and location:

First round: Wednesday 25th November via Microsoft Teams

Second round: Monday 30th November – location tbc (London based)

AI in Job Applications
We understand some candidates use AI tools when applying. Whilst we welcome the use of technology to support clear communication and structure, we want to learn more about you, so please ensure that your application reflects your own skills, knowledge and experiences

Accessibility
We want our recruitment process to be as accessible as possible. If you need us to make an adjustment or provide additional support as you apply for a role, please contact our Talent Acquisition team to discuss how we can help.

For more information about our work please visit our website.