Director of Public Fundraising & Engagement

The Talent Set is delighted to be partnering with Mencap to recruit a new Director of Public Fundraising & Engagement. This is a rare opportunity to join one of the UK's leading disability charities at a pivotal moment of investment and renewed ambition. 

Director of Public Fundraising & Engagement
Salary: £85,000
Location: Hybrid (London HQ)

Mencap is embarking on an exciting period of fundraising growth and transformation, creating a rare opportunity for an ambitious and strategic fundraising leader to join the organisation as Director of Public Fundraising & Engagement. With strong backing from the Chief Executive, Board and Executive Team, public fundraising is recognised as a critical source of flexible, unrestricted income that enables Mencap to deliver meaningful impact for people with a learning disability and their families. 

This role will shape the future of public fundraising and engagement at Mencap. At a pivotal point in their strategy, you will lead an established and ambitious portfolio across Individual Giving, Community and Events, and Legacies, helping grow sustainable income, extend their reach and build deeper relationships with the people who support Mencap's work.

Many people who support Mencap have a personal connection to someone with a learning disability. You will build on these valued relationships while developing a compelling case for support that reaches further, inspires new people to engage with the cause and grows Mencap's supporter base. Working with colleagues across the organisation, you will turn awareness and commitment into meaningful action, strengthening their fundraising culture and helping make a greater difference for people with a learning disability and their families.

Recent investment in fundraising infrastructure, including the implementation of Salesforce, has created the foundations for future growth. The organisation is now focused on strengthening supporter insight, building a more integrated view of audiences and creating a smarter, more data-led approach to engagement and income generation. There is a clear appetite across the organisation to modernise and accelerate fundraising performance.

We are looking for a confident senior fundraising leader who combines strategic ambition with strong financial judgement, effective use of donor data and a clear understanding of regulation, compliance and return on investment. You will be credible with senior stakeholders, able to lead through change and passionate about building inclusive, high-performing teams focused on meaningful impact.

You will directly lead key roles across the function, including the Head of Public Fundraising and the Legacies Administration Lead, creating the leadership, confidence, systems and ways of working needed for public fundraising to grow. This role is for someone who can set direction, build the conditions for teams to succeed and help the function scale income and deliver lasting impact.

This role sits at the heart of Mencap's growth strategy. While there are areas of strong performance and established success, there are also significant opportunities to strengthen strategic planning, prioritisation, audience development and supporter engagement. The successful candidate will help shape the organisation's next fundraising strategy, ensuring investment decisions, income ambitions and delivery plans are aligned and achievable.

Potential Early Objectives / Success Measures

• Develop and begin delivering a public fundraising and engagement strategy aligned to Mencap 2030.
• Agree income, investment and performance measures across Individual Giving, Community and Events, and Legacies.
• Establish reporting that supports clear decisions on income, expenditure, compliance, risk, impact and return on investment.
• Build a stronger approach to audience understanding and segmentation to support growth in engagement and income.
• Strengthen ways of working with Brand and Communications to improve supporter journeys and fundraising conversion.
• Strengthen leadership, systems and processes so the public fundraising function has the capability and infrastructure to grow sustainably.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• A strong track record of senior fundraising leadership, with significant expertise in individual giving and supporter acquisition.
• Experience managing and growing large-scale public fundraising programmes.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of legacy fundraising and its strategic value within a diversified fundraising portfolio.
• Experience leading fundraising transformation, organisational change and income growth initiatives.
• The ability to use data, insight and technology to improve fundraising performance and supporter engagement.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and influencing skills, with experience working effectively across complex organisations.
• Proven experience building collaborative relationships across multiple functions and senior leadership teams.
• Exceptional people leadership skills, with experience of developing high-performing teams and creating clarity around strategic priorities.
• The confidence to challenge constructively, make evidence-based decisions and balance immediate needs with long-term growth ambitions.
• A strategic and commercially minded approach combined with a strong commitment to Mencap's values and mission.

Above all, we are looking for an inspiring and collaborative leader who is excited by the opportunity to modernise, strengthen and grow one of the sector's most important public fundraising portfolios. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of fundraising at Mencap, building on strong foundations while unlocking significant untapped potential across supporter engagement and income generation.

How to Apply
The deadline for applications is Friday 2nd October with 1st stage interviews to take place w/c 12th October. To apply, please submit your CV demonstrating your suitability for this role via our website using the apply now button.
If you have any initial questions before applying, please get in touch. We aim to get back to all successful candidates within 48 working hours.

Commitment to Diversity
The Talent Set is committed to inclusive recruitment practices and welcomes applications from all backgrounds. We actively encourage applications from people with diverse experiences and are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments required throughout the recruitment process.