Prospect Identification Manager

Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement (P&A) raises philanthropic funds in support of King’s College London and engages with the university’s worldwide alumni community. We are proud to enable the work of colleagues across the university and its health partners, helping them serve society through world-leading education, research and healthcare.Our activity includes a partnership with the Maudsley Charity in support of children’s mental health and initiatives between the university’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and the South London & Maudsley NHS Trust.

We are entering an exciting period as a team. Our work is identified as a key enabler of the new King’s Strategy 2030, with associated ambitions that include preparing for our next major philanthropic and engagement campaign. This will accelerate and energise our work in support of the University’s mission to be ‘in service to society through academic excellence’ – be that through exceptional, impact-led research; ensuring our students are supported to thrive during their time at King’s and beyond; or by helping the university to invest over the long-term into its people, ideas and infrastructure. We plan to deepen and scale engagement with our global alumni community, donors and other supporters, mobilising them behind these shared priorities. We are strongly values-driven with a focus on sustaining a strong and supportive culture, which we see as key to creating a successful team that can realise these ambitions.

More on King’s College London

For almost 200 years, King’s has been a place where ideas turn into action. From revealing the structure of DNA to reimagining nursing, from advances in medicine, law and the study of war and peace to shaping culture and public debate, our work has always been guided by a belief that knowledge should serve society. Over our history, King’s has been home to 14 Nobel Prize winners, and to scholars whose ideas and leadership have shaped thinking, policy and practice around the world. King’s has always been a place where knowledge is put to work for the benefit of others. King’s College London is a world-renowned university that delivers exceptional education and world-leading research. We're committed to creating positive and sustainable change in our local and global communities through outstanding education, impactful research, and genuine service to society.

King’s Strategy 2030 sets out how we take that purpose forward, with four key priorities including student success in and beyond university, investment in research and education excellence that responds to the changing world, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and delivering sustainable finances for a secure future.

About the role

King's College London is seeking a strategic and data-driven Prospect Identification Manager to play a pivotal role in supporting the growth of sustainable philanthropic income across the university. Reporting to the Senior Prospect Research Manager, this role sits within the Prospect Development & Business Intelligence (PD&BI) team and will lead the development and delivery of an innovative prospect identification strategy that strengthens fundraising pipelines and creates new opportunities for major and principal gift fundraising.

Working closely with fundraising colleagues, prospect development specialists and business intelligence professionals, the postholder will identify, analyse and prioritise high-potential philanthropic prospects to support fundraising ambitions across a diverse range of programmes. The role will have particular responsibility for developing the long-term pipeline of principal and major gift prospects, helping to identify individuals, trusts and organisations with the potential to make transformational gifts.

The successful candidate will combine research expertise with strong analytical skills to drive data-led prospect generation through prospecting projects, wealth screenings, data mining and the use of external information sources. They will work collaboratively across the department to understand fundraising priorities, identify gaps and opportunities within existing pipelines, and ensure prospects are effectively allocated and progressed. The role will also contribute strategic research to support high-value fundraising opportunities and gift acceptance processes.

As a key member of the PD&BI team, the Prospect Identification Manager will promote best practice in prospect data management, champion inclusive and equitable prospecting approaches, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the department. They will build productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, share insight and expertise internally and externally, and act as a deputy for the Senior Prospect Research Manager when required.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced prospect research or prospect development professional to help shape King's future fundraising success through strategic prospect identification and pipeline development

About you

Essential criteria

1.       Experience in prospect research, prospect development or a similar pipeline development role.

2.       Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering prospect identification activity that supports fundraising objectives.

3.       Strong prospect research skills, including use of online resources, databases and external information sources.

4.       Experience of using data, analysis and prospecting methodologies to identify fundraising opportunities.

5.       Experience of using CRM systems and maintaining high-quality prospect data.

6.       Experience of building productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and influencing priorities in support of organisational objectives.

7.       Strong attention to detail and consistent, methodological approach; proactive and independent work ethic.

8.       Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to distil complex information clearly for a range of audiences.

Desirable criteria

1.       Experience of identifying and developing prospects for major or principal gift fundraising programmes.

2.       Experience of using wealth screening tools and external prospect research resources.

3.       Good understanding of relevant data protection policy (EU GDPR 2018 and UK Data Protection Act 2018)

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

In P&A we want to build a diverse team, which represents the communities served by the organisations we support. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented.

We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including part-time, compressed hours and/or job shares, as appropriate and in the context of the business needs associated with the role.

We offer the opportunity of an “Ask Us Anything” Teams call on Tuesday 8th September at 11am. During this call you will be able to ask any questions you might have about the role, the selection process, our department, our core values and work culture, our current hybrid work policy, or simply listen to others’ questions.

This roles with have two interview stages, a standard skills-based interview followed (for up to two appointable candidates) by a Core Values interview. 

Closing date: Monday 14 September 2026.

First stage interviews are due to be held on w/c 28th September 2026.

Core Values interviews are due to be held on w/c 5th October 2026.