Senior Fundraising Manager

Overview of the role

PBE uses economics to improve lives, working with charities, funders, firms and policymakers to tackle the causes and consequences of low wellbeing. The Senior Fundraising Manager will be responsible for managing the full fundraising cycle for major donors, trusts and foundations, corporate partners and institutional funders. Reporting to a Co-CEO, this is a senior, hands-on role for an experienced fundraiser who can work independently, take ownership of the income pipeline and deliver against agreed targets. The postholder will develop a portfolio of funder relationships, building partnerships and proposals. They will enable the Co-CEOs and trustees to lead relationships, agreeing responsibilities and coordinating cultivation, stewardship and reporting. Working collaboratively with colleagues, they will secure project, unrestricted and multi-year funding, including through corporate partnerships and collaborative or consortium bids.

Post type: Permanent, full-time.  The role will be hybrid - PBE has an office in London with no minimum office attendance required except to attend our in-person team meeting once every six weeks.

Reports to: Co-CEO

Benefits of working at PBE include:

• 28 day annual leave per year (excluding bank holidays)
• 7% employer pension contributions
• Group life assurance scheme and sickness cover
• Employee assistance programme
• Enhanced parental leave policy
• Generous personal development budget
• A flexible work environment committed to employee wellbeing

Main duties and tasks:

Fundraising and income generation:

• Deliver agreed income targets, leading funding opportunities through prospect research, cultivation, proposal development and pitches, securing support and renewal. Support Co-CEOs and trustees to make asks or work directly with funders where appropriate.
• Build and manage a prioritised pipeline across major donors, trusts and foundations, corporate partners and institutional funders, identifying and qualifying prospects whose interests align with PBE’s work.
• Develop persuasive, tailored grant applications, proposals and pitches for project, unrestricted and multi-year funding, adapting the approach to each funder and income stream.
• Develop, manage and renew corporate fundraising partnerships, identifying opportunities for philanthropic support and working with colleagues to shape appropriate engagement and stewardship.

Funder and stakeholder relationship management:

• Own and lead an agreed portfolio of funder and prospect relationships, acting as the principal contact and developing tailored cultivation and stewardship plans.
• Build, grow and renew trusted, long-term relationships by understanding funders’ priorities, demonstrating PBE’s impact and working with colleagues to make timely, well-judged asks for renewed or increased support.
• Agree and facilitate the respective roles of the postholder, Co-CEOs, trustees and colleagues in cultivation, pitches, asks and stewardship, providing clear briefings and ensuring timely follow-up.
• Work with events, research and communications colleagues to use donor events, roundtables and panel events, online and in person, for funder cultivation and stewardship. Shape fundraising objectives, priority guest lists and engagement opportunities, and own relationship follow-up and next steps.

Developing fundable propositions:

• Work with research and communications colleagues to turn PBE’s expertise into clear, compelling applications.
• Work with delivery and finance colleagues to develop realistic budgets, outcomes and reporting commitments, aligning funder interests with PBE’s priorities and capacity.
• Coordinate collaborative and consortium funding applications with research institutions, foundations and other partners.

Grant management and income reporting:

• Manage application, stewardship and reporting deadlines; coordinate accurate narrative and financial reports and ensure grant conditions are understood and met.
• Maintain accurate CRM records and income forecasts, tracking progress against targets and budgets and giving the Co-CEOs clear updates on prospects, funding gaps, risks and next steps.

Fundraising planning and collaboration:

• Work with the Co-CEOs to translate PBE’s income strategy into a practical fundraising plan, taking ownership of day-to-day delivery and recommending where to focus effort.
• Use prospect insight, funder feedback and results to strengthen fundraising approaches, build a sustainable funding base and contribute to longer-term income planning.

Responsible fundraising:

• Ensure fundraising activity follows relevant regulations, the Code of Fundraising Practice, data protection requirements and PBE’s policies.
• Undertake appropriate funder due diligence, protect confidential information and escalate ethical, reputational or delivery concerns to the Co-CEOs.

Person Specification

Experience

• Substantial hands-on fundraising experience, with a demonstrable personal track record of securing income and delivering against agreed targets across major donors, grant-making trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and institutional funders.
• Owning the full fundraising cycle: researching and qualifying prospects, building relationships, developing grant applications and proposals, delivering pitches, making funding asks, securing gifts or grants, and managing stewardship and renewals.
• Proven success in developing compelling proposals and pitches and securing multi-year funding, with the ability to demonstrate personal responsibility for successful outcomes.
• Owning and leading a portfolio of funder relationships, representing an organisation confidently in meetings, and working with senior leaders and trustees to secure sustained support.
• Coordinating multi-contributor funding applications, agreeing responsibilities, inputs and timetables; direct experience of formal consortium bids is desirable.
• Using events and targeted engagement to cultivate and steward funders, working with colleagues on objectives, invitations and purposeful follow-up.
• Coordinating colleagues and external partners to develop proposals, budgets and grant reports, managing deadlines and grant conditions, and using CRM records and income forecasts to manage a fundraising portfolio.

 Skills and Competencies

Skills include:

• Organisation and planning: Ability to prioritise a fundraising portfolio, put effective systems and tools in place, coordinate fundraising and stewardship activities, and manage competing deadlines with strong attention to detail.
• Relationship management: Ability to lead funder relationships, build credibility and trust, listen to stakeholders’ priorities, influence effectively and handle funding asks and sensitive conversations with confidence.
• Fundraising judgement: Ability to assess prospects, match funding opportunities to organisational priorities and judge when to progress, reshape or decline an opportunity.
• Persuasive communication: Excellent writing, presentation and pitching skills, translating complex research and economic evidence into accessible grant applications, proposals and compelling funding asks.
• Financial understanding: Ability to interpret and develop project budgets with finance colleagues, understand funding restrictions and reporting commitments, and maintain realistic income forecasts.

Core competencies

• Self-directed and accountable: able to set priorities, sustain momentum and deliver high-quality work.
• Proactive and resourceful: takes the initiative to open doors, follow up opportunities and address obstacles.
• Collaborative: builds productive relationships across a small team and draws on senior colleagues’ and trustees’ involvement where it adds value.
• Resilient and adaptable: responds constructively to setbacks and uses feedback to improve fundraising approaches.
• Ethical and professional: exercises sound judgement, understands responsible fundraising and handles confidential information carefully.
• Committed to PBE’s mission and a working culture of inquisitiveness, generosity, honesty and respect.

Desirable characteristics include:

• Experience of fundraising for a research-driven organisation, think tank or charity working to influence policy or strengthen the social sector.
• Experience of working in a small charity, balancing independent delivery with close collaboration across different functions.
• Experience of Salesforce or a comparable fundraising database.
• Experience of developing collaborative funding bids involving research institutions or other external partners.
• Understanding of wellbeing, economic evidence or the funding environment for social sector research.

About us

PBE prides itself on its flexible working environment, culture of learning, focus on employee wellbeing and the strength of our employee relationships. PBE offers a strong benefits package, opportunities for development and a team working at the top of their game. PBE’s mission is to end low personal wellbeing in the UK. We do this by helping charities and social enterprises understand their economic and social impact, so they can improve their overall effectiveness. We enable professional economists from the private and public sectors as well as academia to volunteer their skills to tackle some of the most pressing issues in society. We have worked with over 600 charities since our inception in 2009. Alongside our connection with the social sector, our key research areas of interest include children and young people’s mental health, loneliness, households in financial distress, and arts and culture.

PBE is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We encourage applications from all parts of the community, and we give all applicants and employees fair and equal treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality. We also guarantee an invitation to interview for all applicants with disabilities who show evidence that they can meet the role’s ideal criteria.

For details of our applicant’s privacy policy, please visit our website.

Timeline*:  

Closing date for application: Monday 07 December @ 10.05am

There will be two rounds of interviews:

• First round: Interviews will take place remotely via Microsoft Teams during the week commencing 14 December 2026.

• Second round: Interviews will be held in person, with dates to be confirmed and communicated to candidates at a later stage.

• Interview questions: Candidates will receive the interview questions in advance.

* Timeline dates are estimated and are subject to change.

Use of AI

 At PBE, we acknowledge the value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and search engines in supporting work-related tasks. However, we advise against relying solely on AI-generated answers when responding to the sift as well as interview questions for this role. Our goal is to assess your personal understanding and your capability to perform the role. Therefore, we expect your answers to be thoughtful, personalised, and appropriately referenced. Please note that we utilise commonly available AI tools, detectors, and platform features offered by Applied to identify AI-generated responses and ensure authenticity during the shortlisting process.

Flexibility Policy:

We value the ability to work flexibly and to support employee needs. We have an office in Elephant and Castle, London that is available to staff every day, but we also work to a 0% requirement to be in the office. We do ask that staff travel to the office once every six weeks for our collaboration days, and for meetings and events as required. Travel costs to London are not covered by our expenses policy, as our pay policy is based around paying staff a salary based on London weighting that is not dependent on where people live.

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role, so applicants must have full right to work in the UK.