Fundraising operations manager jobs

This is an exciting opportunity to help grow our retail operation and support animal welfare across Derbyshire. RSPCA Derby is looking for an experienced and motivated manager to lead, develop and shape the future of our charity retail operation.

As Retail Development Manager, you will:

• Lead and develop a network of charity shops and retail teams
• Drive income growth across physical shops, online sales and gift aid
• Ensure high standards of customer service, compliance and financial control
• Manage retail performance, budgets and reporting
• Identify and develop new retail opportunities to support our strategic ambitions
• Play a key role in supporting animal welfare through sustainable income generation.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Has significant experience in retail management, ideally across multiple sites
• Is a strong, inclusive leader with experience managing and developing staff and volunteers
• Has a proven track record of meeting financial and commercial targets
• Is organised, resilient and comfortable managing competing priorities
• Shares our commitment to animal welfare and our values
• Is confident working with data, budgets and performance reporting
• Experience in charity retail is desirable but not essential — we welcome applicants with strong commercial retail experience who want to make a difference.

Why Join Us?

• Make a real impact supporting local animal welfare
• Lead a values-driven retail operation with room to innovate and grow
• Work with committed staff, volunteers and supporters
• Be part of a respected local charity making a difference every day

Z2K has a clear 2025–2030 strategy and a strong reputation for principled, evidence‑led campaigning rooted in frontline experience. The external environment is volatile: rising poverty, political contestation around welfare and housing, and tightening funding conditions.

After a long‑standing Chief Executive stepped down in late 2025, the organisation has been led by an Interim Chief Executive. The permanent appointment is therefore a moment of consolidation and renewal. The next Chief Executive will provide long‑term stability, sharpen strategic focus and define the organisation’s next phase.

Z2K faces structural pressures common to many charities of this scale: rising costs, reliance on grant funding, growing demand and increasing scrutiny. The Chief Executive must do two things at once:

• Increase measurable impact of our advice services and advocacy work on inadequate incomes and high costs.

• Build a financially resilient, well‑run organisation capable of sustaining that impact.

This is not a figurehead role. It requires leadership with grip, political judgement and commercial realism.

We are recruiting for a new general manager post.

Our General Manager will be a key member of Different Planet Arts small staff team. Working closely with the Artistic Director and the Board of Trustees as part of the Senior Management Team, you will manage and organise operational support for Different Planet arts programme, ensuring we provide an excellent service to our participants, partners and audiences. This role is suitable for someone building a career in operations.

We are looking for someone who can maintain and provide the right systems and structures to enable others to lead and create our arts projects, and provide ongoing, efficient admin support. You will manage and be responsible for our systems and processes for financial administration, fundraising, governance procedures and processes, monitoring and keeping the Different Planet Arts office running day-to-day as an administrative hub. You will work closely with our treasurer (who is responsible for creating quarterly Management Accounts.) 

This is an ideal role for someone with strong administrative or company management experience who wants to help shape the culture and infrastructure of our much loved award winning inclusive theatre company. 

The Head of Operations is responsible for the effective and efficient delivery of all operational functions of the Foundation to enable achievement of its global mission and strategic objectives.  The Head of Operations ensures that systems, people, processes and resources are aligned to support programmes across multiple countries while maintiaing high standardds of governance, risk management and financial stewardship.

This is a senior leadership role, working closely with the CEO and Members of the Foundation around the world, acting as the key bridge between strategy and delivery.

This is a home-based role, working Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Applications are welcome from candidates based outside Belfast, provided they are resident in Northern Ireland and able to commute to the Belfast office if required.

The External Affairs Manager plays a pivotal role in empowering people with sight loss to live the life they choose. This position leads the development of policy and campaigns within the country, aligning with Guide Dogs’ strategic objectives. Working collaboratively with the central policy, public affairs, and campaigns team, as well as the country leadership team, the role builds strategic partnerships with government bodies, local authorities, societies, and other key organisations. This ensures Guide Dogs remains informed and influential on all policy initiatives affecting the organisation and its stakeholders.

The post holder will be responsible for the day‑to‑day leadership, management and oversight of a team.

The post-holder is responsible for shaping policy positions, drafting responses to consultations from councils, combined authorities, and devolved governments, and driving impactful campaigns at a regional level. A key focus is increasing the involvement of blind and partially sighted people in advocacy and campaigning.

Additionally, the role leads the implementation of Guide Dogs’ regional marketing and communications strategy across the Devolved Nations. This includes raising brand awareness, engaging diverse audiences—service users, families, volunteers, donors, and the public—and delivering integrated communications plans that strengthen Guide Dogs’ presence and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Policy Development

• Lead the creation of country-specific policy and position papers, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy.
• Prepare responses to consultation papers from devolved administrations, local government, and regional bodies.
• Represent Guide Dogs on committees, working groups, and forums, staying informed on policy issues impacting the organisation and its service users.

Public Affairs

• Build and influence relationships with key stakeholders, including elected representatives and senior officials.
• Represent Guide Dogs at Government Scrutiny Committees and cross-party groups.
• Act as the primary liaison with local government and statutory agencies.

Campaigns & Influence

• Strategically lead and coordinate campaigns at a country level, ensuring alignment with devolved policy priorities.
• Develop and deliver campaigns addressing local needs of the visually impaired community.
• Foster partnerships within the Third Sector to build consensus and amplify Guide Dogs’ strategic aims. 

Leadership & People Management

• Provide strong leadership to local staff and volunteers, promoting best practice and knowledge-sharing.
• Oversee recruitment, performance management, and compliance with safeguarding policies.
• Ensure high levels of engagement through effective communication and leadership.

Financial Accountability

• Support fundraising initiatives and monitor operational budgets to ensure efficiency and compliance.

Diversity & Inclusion

• Champion Guide Dogs’ diversity agenda, ensuring services are inclusive and accessible.
• Work with external partners to create a more inclusive environment for people with sight loss.

How to apply 

Further details on the full role are attached below. When you are ready to apply, submit an online application form via this page.

If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role before applying, or require any accessibility support to apply, our friendly recruitment team is ready and waiting to help.

As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description. You will also be asked to complete a few job-specific questions as part of this application process, so please be prepared to write your answers to these questions.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are proud, whenever possible, to offer an interview to all candidates that meet our selection criteria, and who indicate they wish their application to be considered under our Disability Confident interview commitment. For more details, visit our careers site.

If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Safeguarding

Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.

For high volumes of applications, we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than advertised.

You will be part of a small energetic and committed team supporting the delivery of Northamptonshire Community Foundation’s philanthropy and income generation ambitions. Working collaboratively with colleagues, you will help grow and steward support from individuals, corporate, charitable and statutory donors, with a lead responsibility for a defined portfolio of relationships and initiatives.

Fundraising and relationship building happen across the charity, and you will manage your own portfolio of donors and partners and work with the Chief Executive and wider team to co-ordinate activity, share insight and maximise opportunities for place based philanthropy in Northamptonshire.

You will need confidence, excellent communication skills and the ability to plan and deliver projects as part of a highly collaborative team. You will be comfortable cultivating, stewarding and sometimes soliciting charitable donations yourself, as well as creating opportunities for the Chief Executive to engage with donors and prospective supporters.

Luton Town FC Community Trust is seeking to recruit a Community Operations Manager to play a key role in the coordination, delivery and development of its community programmes. This is a senior operational role, working closely with the Head of Community Trust to ensure programmes are well managed, aligned to organisational priorities and delivered to a high standard.

The role will combine operational leadership with a proportion of direct programme delivery, enabling the postholder to remain connected to communities, delivery teams and participant needs. The Community Operations Manager will also contribute to the development of new programmes and associated funding opportunities, support partnership working and act as a key decision maker for day-to-day operational matters.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced community or sport for development professional who is motivated to make meaningful impact, strengthen organisational capacity and help reduce health inequalities across Luton and Bedfordshire. 

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Head of Community Trust, the Community Operations Manager will provide operational leadership across the organisation, while maintaining a proportion of direct programme delivery to remain connected to communities, delivery teams and participant needs.

The role will coordinate and strengthen programme delivery; line manage designated staff and support the development of new programmes and associated funding opportunities aligned to organisational priorities.

The postholder will embed organisational strategy into effective day to day operations, acting as a key decision maker for operational matters and supporting senior leadership capacity. 

Key Responsibilities

1. Community Engagement & Relationship Building

• Build strong relationships with funders, local authorities, key stakeholders, local schools, charities, grassroots clubs and other community organisations.
• Act as a liaison between the football club and the local community.
• Promote inclusion and diversity through outreach to underrepresented groups.

2. Programme Development & Delivery

• Contribute to and support funding applications, programme design, delivery and evaluation across community programmes within each department including, but not limited to:
  • Education
  • Health
  • Inclusion
  • Football Development 

3. Staff and Volunteer Management

• Recruit, train and manage staff employees and volunteers who represent the Trust.
• Provide leadership and mentoring for delivery coaches, project workers, media team and match day staff.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Track the impact of community programmes using required and appropriate metrics and key performance indicators.
• Prepare reports for stakeholders, funders (e.g. EFL in the Community, Premier League Foundation, local authorities), and Luton Town Community Trust Board of Trustees.
• Ensure compliance and governance with safeguarding, health and safety and data protection policies.

5. Marketing & Promotion

• Raise awareness of the Trust’s work through managing the organisations media output across various platforms e.g. web site, newsletters, social media and local media outlets.
• Represent the Trust at community events, matchdays, and public forums.

6. Fundraising & Grant Management

• Collaborate with the Head of Trust and Programme Managers to identify and apply for grants and funding opportunities.
• Build partnerships with sponsors, local businesses and charitable foundations.

7. Club Integration

• Work cosely with all football club departments, including first team players and staff, media and marketing, facilities and catering, and Academy to ensure alignment between Community Trust and Club.
• Manage the efficient coordination of player appearances and community involvement on behalf of the Club

MAIN JOB REQUIREMENTS AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education/Qualifications/Training:

Essentials

• Strong experience in community development, sport development and youth engagement.
• Strong project and operational management skills, with the ability to plan, deliver and evaluate initiatives – prioritising and managing multiple priorities
• Experience with grant funding processes
• Experience of developing organisational strategy within the sporting or charity sector
• Experience in partnership working with schools, councils, charities
• Leadership and staff supervision experience – managing coaches, volunteers or delivery staff
• Monitoring & evaluation skills – ability to track KPIs and write impact reports
• Budget management experience
• Confident IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office and database software
• Valid First Aid and Safeguarding qualifications (or willingness to obtain)
• Experience delivering health, inclusion, educational or behaviour-change programmesAbility to work to deadlines and meet project targets
• Understanding of health inequalities and barriers faced by children and families
• Understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion within community delivery
• A strong working knowledge of safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance and best practice within education and community settings.
• Strong commitment to high-quality, values led delivery
• A full valid driving licence and access to car to travel between sites throughout Bedfordshire.
• Willingness to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends
• Enhanced DBS clearance
• Degree or equivalent qualification, or demonstrable relevant professional experience.

Desirables

• Experience working in a football foundation or Trust
• Knowledge of EFL Trust or Premier League Foundation community programmes including Capability Code of Practice
• Valid First Aid and Safeguarding qualifications (or willingness to obtain)
• Event planning or matchday coordination experience
• Recognised sports coaching qualifications
• Youth Mental Health First Aid
• Leadership skills within a community or education setting

Abilities/Skills/Knowledge:

• Committed, enthusiastic and passionate about Luton Town Football Club.
• Must be pro-active, motivated, organised, responsible and able to work independently as well as in a team.
• Highly developed problem-solving skills, resilience, and the ability to perform well under pressure.
• Demonstrate good listening skills and have the ability to resolve issues where appropriate.
• Ability to multi-task whilst maintaining priority efficiencies.
• Focused on achieving Club, departmental and individual success.
• Willing to follow and promote the philosophy of the football club.
• Be an ambassador for the Club presenting the Club in a positive image at all times.

SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT

The Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The Club has systems in place to ensure that the welfare of vulnerable groups is dealt with appropriately and sensitively. Everyone working at the Club has a duty of care to safeguard the welfare of children and young people by creating an environment that protects them from harm. Our standards of practice ensure all staff are fully aware and understand their responsibilities under safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.

The Club ensures that all staff that have a direct responsibility for children, young people or vulnerable adults, have been subject to the most stringent of recruitment practices which include Criminal Record Checks and reference checks. These staff are alert to signs of abuse or maltreatment and will refer concerns to the relevant Designated Safeguarding Officers using the agreed safeguarding procedures.

EQUALITY STATEMENT

The individual must at all times, carry out their duties with due regard to the Clubs policies and procedures and in particular the Club’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

The individual must ensure a positive commitment towards equality and diversity by treating others fairly and not committing any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation, or harassment of any description and to promote positive working relationships between all internal and external stakeholders. The individual must contribute to encouraging equality and respecting diversity by embedding such values in the workplace and challenging inappropriate behaviour and processes.

The Organisation

Together We Learn is a charity registered in England and Wales, working in close partnership with Together We Learn Ethiopia, a registered NGO in Ethiopia. Operating as two distinct legal entities, the organisations work as sister charities with a shared mission and vision: to enable disadvantaged children to access high-quality education.

While Together We Learn in the UK leads fundraising, governance and international engagement, Together We Learn Ethiopia is responsible for implementing and delivering programmes on the ground.

Our approach focuses on improving both access to education and the quality of education systems, while supporting the wider wellbeing of students, families and communities. We work in partnership with state education systems to deliver sustainable, long-term impact.

By addressing educational needs both in and beyond the classroom, Together We Learn aims to create lasting change for children and communities across Ethiopia.

The Role

As CEO, you will lead the UK team of Together We Learn and work in close partnership with the Ethiopian team, providing guidance and support to enable them to deliver programmes to a high standard. You will provide overall leadership for the charity, with responsibility for fundraising and stakeholder engagement, oversight of programmes, and management of finance and operations.

The annual turnover of Together We Learn is £350,000, and you will be responsible for line managing two staff in the UK and occasional interns, as well as supporting our Ethiopian partner, who has 15 programme and 8 support staff working across two regional offices: Gondar in the Amhara region and Addis Ababa in the Oromia region. The charity is managed by an experienced board of 5 trustees who meet quarterly and provide ad hoc support in their professional areas of expertise.

The charity is in a stable position with funds secured for the current year and a fundraising plan in place for the year ahead. You will have a detailed handover to enable you to carry out the varied functions required by the role and will be supported in these by the Programmes Manager and Sponsorship Coordinator. You will report to the board on a quarterly basis.

Our current three-year strategy focuses on building the capacity of our Ethiopian partner so that they can take a greater role in leading the organisation. This runs through our approach in all aspects of our work, and specific targets have been identified to help us achieve this goal over the strategic period. You will have the opportunity to advance our strategy using your unique skills.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Line manage the Programmes Manager, Sponsorship Coordinator and interns.
• Collaborate with the Ethiopia Country Director and the staff or Together We Learn-
• Ethiopia on programme delivery.
• Deliver the organisational strategy.

Deliver High Quality Programmes

• Monitor delivery of activity plans related to projects, sponsorship and school linking.
• Track programme finances against budgets.
• Support the UK staff in their programme roles.

Finance and Operations Management

• Steward Together We Learn’s finances, including reconciling accounts, managing the finance database and tracking performance against the forecast and fundraising plan.
• Due diligence checks on Ethiopian partner finances.
• Prepare annual accounts for examination and develop the annual report for Charity Commission submission.
• Governance duties and other finance admin.

Fundraising

• Reporting and applications to trusts and foundations.
• Stewardship of donors and fundraisers.
• Oversight of the annual online fundraising campaign.

Communications and Stakeholder Engagement

• Quarterly supporter newsletters.
• Posting regular updates on our social media platforms.
• Maintaining the website content, including blog updates and basic SEO management.

The job of a CEO is hard to define, especially in a small charity, so the list above covers the key areas but is not exhaustive, and other duties may be required.

Person Specification

This role requires someone with excellent time management and interpersonal skills. The ideal candidate will have experience managing teams in a development or small charity environment, as well as significant experience managing finance systems, fundraising and having oversight of multiple programmes.

Essential Experience & Competencies

• Energetic and self-motivated individual who shares our mission.
• 3+ years of team leadership or experience in a senior management role directly responsible for staff and high-level reporting. Ability to provide positive, hands-on leadership to a small team of experienced and motivated individuals.
• 3+ years of financial management, including full-cost budgeting, tracking and reconciling finances, and reporting against forecasts and spending plans.
• 3+ years of proven experience in fundraising, a successful track record of securing and reporting on significant grants as well as maintaining positive funder relations.
• Experience working overseas in an international development or education context or working closely with overseas partners in the same sectors.
• A practical, collaborative and adaptable approach with good problem-solving skills.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Strong and adaptable communication skills, both written and verbal, to support sensitive cross-cultural working and inspire funders and supporters.
• Fluency with MS Office programs, gmail and shared drives.

Desirable Experience & Competencies

• Lived experience of Ethiopia, or of a comparable context, such as the Horn of Africa or East Africa, or a strong personal or professional connection to Habesha or other African cultures.
• Degree or master’s in international development, or similar field of study.
• Office management experience.
• Project delivery or programme management experience, especially in a small charity, international development or education context.
• Experience reporting directly to board level.
• Experience increasing online engagement or driving new donor recruitment.
• Familiarity with a CRM system (e.g. Salesforce).

Equal Opportunities

We value the benefits of a diverse team and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of the Ethiopian context, or from the African diaspora, for the knowledge and cultural insight they can bring to our work.

Flexible Working

Together We Learn operates a hybrid working style, where you will spend at least one day a week in the office. We find this regular face-to-face time beneficial as a small team, enabling positive collaboration, peer support and engagement with all areas of the organisation’s work. Other hours can be worked remotely or in the office according to individual preference.

You will be responsible for your own time management but must complete the majority of your work within office hours to ensure consistent management and collaboration with colleagues. This includes staff from our partner charity in Ethiopia (time zone GMT+3/ BST+2).

Ideally, we are looking for a candidate to work full-time; however we will consider an 80% part-time role or job share applications, for the right candidate. If you are applying for a job share, please clarify which responsibilities are best aligned with your abilities.

Please note that this post is subject to a satisfactory DBS check, and the successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK.

Application Process

To apply for this role, please submit a cover letter and CV by midnight on 8 March 2026.

The cover letter should explain how your experience and skills meet the criteria required for the role.

First-stage interviews will be held online during the week commencing 16th March, with second-stage in-person interviews at our London office during the week commencing 23rd March.

Role to start date from 13th April 2026.

We regret that we are not able to provide feedback on applications that are not shortlisted for interview.

Use of AI

We understand that AI may sometimes be useful in helping you clarify your ideas or check grammar. However, we want to learn about your voice and approach, so please ensure that the application submitted is written by you and a true reflection of your professional experience.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Established in 1997, Jigsaw4u provide a range of services for children, young people and families experiencing complex social and emotional difficulties in SW London.

Jigsaw4u is a rewarding place to work with a supportive team environment.  Working for us offers the chance to make a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families.

We are seeking a proactive HR Operations Manager to join our Management Team.  This key role oversees HR and operational management, ensuring that our people, systems and processes support high-quality, impactful services.   

Jigsaw4u’s HR Operations Manager will oversee the day-to-day HR and operational management functions, supporting staff wellbeing, organisational development, compliance and high-quality service delivery.  This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a values-driven environment and is passionate about helping a charity maximise its positive impact on local communities.

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification attached for full details.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews may take place before the closing date.  We therefore encourage early applications, as the vacancy may close prior to the advertised deadline

The Wave Project is seeking a Trust & Grant Fundraiser to help secure the income that powers our life-changing Surf Therapy programme, supporting over 2,600 children and young people each year with their mental health and wellbeing.

As part of an ambitious fundraising team generating £1.7m annually, you will manage and grow a portfolio of charitable trusts and foundations, securing grants ranging from smaller awards to significant six-figure gifts. You will develop compelling, impact-driven applications and reports that clearly demonstrate how funders’ support transforms young lives.

Working closely with the Head of Fundraising, you will strengthen existing funder relationships while building a robust pipeline of new prospects. Using digital fundraising tools and research platforms, you will identify and qualify new trust opportunities, combining data-led insight with creative engagement approaches.

This role is ideal for someone who is a strong writer, confident relationship manager, and proactive prospect researcher — motivated by the opportunity to expand access to Surf Therapy for children and young people who need it most.

Hofesh Shechter Company seeks a Head of Finance and Operations to join our leadership team at Somerset House. This pivotal role manages strategic three-year budget planning and core functions including Finance, HR, IT and Governance. 

Reporting to the Executive Producer, you will provide essential oversight to help achieve our creative and commercial goals. In this role, you will be expected to actively drive an entrepreneurial culture by adding your voice and ideas to the exploration of new income streams and providing the financial analysis and insight needed to strengthen fundraising initiatives and core business functions.

We require an experienced professional with accountancy qualifications and strong operational skills to oversee business functions and strategic planning. A supportive leadership style is essential.Knowledge of the arts or charity sector is required; experience with Theatre Tax Relief and NPO funding is highly desirable.

Job Title: Supporter Relations Executive

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week with occasional evenings and weekends

Salary: £28,000 - £30,000 FTE per annum depending on experience (includes London weighting)

Location: Coram Campus, Bloomsbury, London, hybrid working

About Coram

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.

We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

About the role

Coram has been growing its investment in Individual Giving (IG) for several years, has a loyal and very generous supporter base and an ambition to see this grow and develop further by embracing new ideas.

We are now seeking a highly motivated individual to join the team to support the day-to-day operations managed by the Supporter Relations Manager to support them in engaging and inspiring existing supporters and recruiting new supporters to grow income - specifically in the areas of mid-value and legacies. At the same time, we are developing a major donor programme to engage those generous individuals capable of giving at higher levels, and the Supporter Relations executive’s role will also provide support both these elements of our fundraising.

This role would be an ideal opportunity for someone to develop their fundraising skills in high value individual giving and effective stewardship of donors. Areas of work will include supporting on appeals, bespoke proposals, e-newsletters, events and ensuring accurate records on supporters (using Raiser’s Edge database).

This is a hybrid working role with three days a week office based.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.

Closing Date: Time: 3rd March 2026

Interview Date: 9th/10th March 2026

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from global majority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

Salary: £35,882 (outside London) - £37,778 (London)
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Location: Hybrid – Bristol or London office, or home-based with monthly travel to Bristol
Closing date: 1^st March
Benefits: 27 days Annual leave (excluding Bank Holidays), up to 8% pension contribution, enhanced maternity & adoption pay

We’re delighted to be working with Young Lives vs Cancer, a leading charity supporting children and young people facing cancer, as they look for a Sports and Challenges Manager (DIY Sports) — a pivotal & brand new role within their high-performing Mass Participation team.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape and deliver a compelling portfolio of sports and challenge events, including DIY and open challenges, Ultra Challenges, and Run for Charity events. You’ll help drive the charity’s ambitious objectives for growth, supporter engagement and long-term value, ensuring every participant receives an outstanding experience as part of Team Young Lives vs Cancer.

In this role, you will strategically manage a diverse events portfolio, lead on multichannel stewardship journeys, and collaborate with colleagues across Digital Marketing, Brand, Regional Engagement, Fundraising Operations and external suppliers. You’ll play a key part in positioning Young Lives vs Cancer as a stand-out, sector-leading events brand — ensuring excellent supporter journeys, impactful marketing, and seamless operational delivery.

To be successful as Sports and Challenges Manager, you will need:

• Strong strategic and operational experience within mass participation events
• Experience delivering effective, data-driven multichannel stewardship journeys
• Strong relationship?building skills, with experience working with suppliers, organisers and internal teams

If you would like to have an informal discussion, please contact Ashby Jenkins Recruitment and ask to speak to Jake.

Ashby Jenkins Recruitment is a specialist charity recruitment agency. We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion and take a relationship-led approach to recruitment in the sector. You can read more about our commitment to diversity on our website.

If enough applications are received, we reserve the right to close the application period early.

Job reference: 2871JP
 

What we're building

Level Water exists to solve a problem that shouldn’t exist: too many disabled children are still missing out on high-quality swimming lessons. 

Last year, our swimmers raised over £1m. This year we’ve sold out events in minutes and want to double the fundraising. We’re on the path to exponential growth and we need someone who can help us get there.

We're Level Water, a founder-led charity solving learn-to-swim for disabled children. We're not your typical charity. We own our events and run them like a business. We move fast, test everything, and we're building something that doesn't exist anywhere else. Our events are uniquely profitable, and we reinvest in quality and growth. 

We've just brought in a new Fundraising Director, and this Marketing role is a cornerstone of the team we're building. If you want to help define how a modern charity grows and does marketing, this is your chance.

The opportunity

This isn't a "post on social and send a newsletter" role. This is a “build something exceptional, then grow it” role. Marketing is at the heart of our flywheel, which means you’ll be integral to everything we are doing at Level Water. 

You'll own marketing strategy and execution across our entire operation: our iconic events, our life-changing swimming programmes, and our reputation as a charity. You'll drive growth, tell stories that matter, and build genuine communities that scale.

You'll have the freedom to experiment. Want to test a new channel? Launch a content series? Build a creator programme? Run paid campaigns that actually convert? Brilliant. Build the business case and let's do it.

You'll work with real impact. Children with disabilities are learning to swim because of us. Families are transformed by our lessons. Volunteers and incredible teachers make it happen. These are stories that deserve to be told brilliantly, and you'll be the one telling them.

This role is 80% growth and 20% impact storytelling, but the two are inseparable. We’re product-led and we launch and test often. Great stories fuel growth. Growth creates more stories. You'll understand that tension and thrive in it.

You'll work closely with our Fundraising Director and CEO to scale marketing as our most powerful growth lever. You'll also manage a network of brilliant freelancers (photographers, videographers, copywriters, designers) to help you execute at the highest level.

And you'll grow with us. We're scaling fast, and we need people who can scale with us. 

This is a mission-critical role in driving Level Water's growth. Every event you sell out, every story you tell, every audience you build helps unlock more funded swimming lessons, bringing us closer to a future where every disabled child can have a great swimming lesson with a confident, qualified teacher.

Marketing at Level Water isn’t just about selling events - it’s a core delivery mechanism in our Theory of Change. This role exists to move the levers that unlock more lessons, faster progression, stronger outcomes, and a sustainable income engine that funds it all.

This is the most exciting marketing job in the charity sector for the right person.

What you'll actually do

This role owns marketing as a growth engine. You'll set strategy, drive execution across multiple channels, and be accountable for how marketing translates into event sign-ups, fundraising growth, profile, and impact. You'll work closely with the Fundraising Director to shape priorities, influence decisions, and build something that scales.

Drive growth marketing that converts

• Own end-to-end marketing for our events portfolio: from launch campaigns to sell-out.

• Build and execute multi-channel campaigns across social, email, paid ads, PR, partnerships, and whatever else works.

• Test everything. Audiences, messages, creative, channels. Find what works, double down, and scale it.

• Use data to spot opportunities: which channels are converting? Where are we leaving growth on the table? What could we do differently?

• Manage our digital advertising and paid social strategy with a ruthless focus on ROI.

• Grow our email database and social audiences with intent, not just for vanity metrics.

• Be trusted to repeatedly turn £1 into £5 or £10. 

• Define and unleash our audiences: help them share their stories in a way that turns experiences into future sales, and makes everything that Level Water does easier.

• Build and manage our captain and ambassador programmes as genuine growth engines - nurturing relationships, setting expectations, and turning influence into measurable impact.

• Proactively convert interest into action. This includes direct outreach (e.g. picking up the phone to captains, engaging top fundraisers, activating ambassadors) to ensure intent turns into ticket sales and fundraising.

Tell stories that build belief

• Find, shape, and share the stories that show our impact: the children, the families, the teachers, the moments that matter.

• Build and curate a library of content (video, photography, case studies, testimonials) that we can use everywhere.

• Work with freelance photographers and videographers to capture our events and programmes at their best.

• Create content that our supporters, partners, and prospects actually want to engage with, not just content that ticks a box.

• Manage our website (fundraising, events, and programmes pages) to ensure it's always up to date, compelling, and optimised for conversion.

• Ensure our impact reporting to donors is rich with content about our work.

• Use storytelling internally to build shared understanding, momentum and belief across the charity as we scale.

Build our profile and partnerships

• Position Level Water as a leader in accessible swimming and outdoor challenge events.

• Build and leverage relationships with press, influencers, local authorities, and stakeholders.

• Identify partnership and sponsorship opportunities that align with our mission and drive growth.

• Amplify examples of inclusion within our pools, making them known and also making inclusive practice visible.

• Promote our swimming pool partners and recognise their contribution to our work.

Manage, measure, and improve

• Own the marketing budget and get maximum value from every pound spent.

• Manage our freelance network: scope projects, review proposals, and ensure quality work on time and on budget.

• Report regularly on what's working and what's not: campaign performance, audience growth, conversion rates, ROI.

• Stay ahead of the curve: what are the best organisations doing? What can we learn and adapt?

Who we're looking for

We care much more about how you work than where you've worked. You don't need charity sector experience .

People who thrive here have:

• Hustle and drive. You take ownership. You spot opportunities and go after them. You don't wait to be told what to do.

• A commercial approach. You think in terms of audiences, funnels, conversion, and scale. You understand what drives growth and you know how to execute it.

• Copywriting chops. You can really write. Headlines that stop the scroll. Emails people actually read. Stories that land. You know that words matter.

• A data brain. You can look at campaign performance and spot the story. You know that "CTR is up 18%" means something, and you know how to act on it.

• A bias for action. You test things. You move fast. You're comfortable with uncertainty and you learn by doing.

• Creative thinking. You generate ideas. You see opportunities others miss. You're not afraid to try something different.

• Organisation. Strong attention to detail, with the ability to run 12 products, 40 email journeys and 100 web pages without dropping anything.

• An entrepreneurial mindset. You think like an owner. If this were your business, how would you grow it?

Bonus points if:

• You've worked in a startup, scale-up, or high-growth environment.

• You've built audiences from scratch or scaled marketing profitably.

• You've led paid campaigns that actually delivered ROI.

• You've worked across multiple channels and understand how they work together.

• You love being outdoors (swimming, hiking, wild camping, anything that gets you outside). 

Why Level Water?

Our values: Bold, Driven, Personal, and Joyful are at the heart of this role. You'll be expected to bring ambition, move with purpose, care deeply about impact, and help create marketing that feels genuinely joyful to be part of.

Bold. This isn't a "follow the playbook" role. We want your ideas. We want you to challenge us. We want you to help us build something better.

Driven. We're growing fast and we need people who can scale with us. If you're ambitious, there's a huge opportunity here.

Personal. We're a small, founder-led team. We move fast, we debate hard, we test everything, and we care deeply about what we do.

Joyful. You'll work on some of the most iconic outdoor swims in the UK. You'll help tell stories that change lives. You'll be part of creating something people remember forever.

Practical details

• Flexible working: remote, hybrid, or (even better) office-based in Tunbridge Wells or Exeter, your choice.

• You'll attend weekend events throughout the summer (with time off in lieu).

• Salary: £30k–£45k depending on experience.

How to apply

We want to hear from you in whatever way best shows us who you are and how you think.

Get creative. It’s a marketing job so sell us on your personality and style. A traditional CV and cover letter? Absolutely fine. A video introduction? Great. A presentation deck? Bring it on. Whatever format helps you shine and show us who you are.

Here's what we'd love to know:

1. How you'd approach marketing growth:
Imagine we want to double sign-ups for one of our summer events (currently sitting at 500 swimmers). Walk us through your approach: which channels would you use, what would your messaging be, how would you measure success, and what would you test first?

2. What excites you about this role:
Tell us why this opportunity appeals to you specifically.

3. Something you're proud of:
Share one thing you've built, grown, or improved. Doesn't have to be in charity or even at work, it could be anything that shows your drive and ability to make things happen.

Before you apply

If you've got questions about the role, the team, or whether this might be right for you, please reach out. I'm Andy Punter, Fundraising Director at Level Water, and I'd genuinely love to chat.​

Deadline

20th March 2026

We're excited to meet you. Let's build something brilliant together.