Philanthropy Manager (South East)

About us

Our purpose is simple: to save lives at sea. 24 hours a day, every day, RNLI lifesavers are ready to launch to the rescue. We’re looking for a new Philanthropy Manager, homebased in the South East of England, to join our expanding Philanthropy Team. The Philanthropy Team supports the RNLI by working with individuals who are passionate about our work and want to make a difference through high-value gifts.

This is an exciting time to join the team as we are about to embark on a £150m capital appeal which the Philanthropy Team will be a key part of delivering. This is a new role, our second in the South East, and you will work closely with our experienced Philanthropy Manager who has been managing the whole area. You will have a dedicated geography of focus around but not exclusive to Essex, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and part of London.

Some of the benefits

• Flexible working
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Competitive pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan option
• Training & Development in Major Giving

Your role

As a Philanthropy Manager, you will be tasked with focus on the following areas:

• Growing and managing a portfolio of up to 70-90 major donors, to solicit and close five, six and seven figure gifts
• Building compelling cases for support that inspire and align with donors’ interests and identified needs
• Developing and hosting a small number of engagement, prospecting, and recognition events
• Providing excellent customer service and stewardship

About you

We’re looking for someone who loves meeting people and has a natural aptitude for selling and prospecting. You’ll thrive on developing relationships, inspiring others in the work of the RNLI. Your great communication skills will allow you to flex your style to a wider range of audiences, whether colleagues, senior stakeholders, donors or prospects. You’ll be self-motivated working as part of a remote team and be comfortable working outside regular office hours and travelling occasionally within the rest of the UK and Ireland as the job demands.

To be considered as a Philanthropy Manager, you will need:

• Ideally you will be able to have easy access to your key geographical areas highlighted above
• Relevant or transferable experience of account managing and developing and maintaining excellent relationships with individuals. You excel at Customer Service.
• Experience of working with stakeholders at all levels both internal and external, securing and managing meetings with senior stakeholders, flexing style to the audience.
• Excellent numerical skills and ability to prepare financial information, and ability to discuss and present complex information, and the ability to communicate with passion and authority
• This post requires a valid driving licence

So, as a Philanthropy Manager if you have the drive and enthusiasm to be part of our One Crew to achieve our Philanthropy goals and want to see how you can support our organisation’s aim to reduce drowning, this could be the role for you. To apply, please visit our jobs page.

Closing date: 9 August 2026.

Interview date: 18 August 2026.

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.