Development manager jobs in London

Looking to use your fundraising expertise to make a real global impact? This is your opportunity to join a world-leading international organisation driving change where it matters most. As a Development Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping fundraising strategy, securing critical funding, and managing donor relationships across a global network.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality grant proposals, donor reports, and communications
• Oversee grant compliance, budgeting, and financial reporting processes
• Support fundraising strategy, forecasting, and pipeline development
• Conduct donor research and provide strategic insights to internal stakeholders
• Coordinate cross-team collaboration to deliver effective fundraising outcomes

Essential Skills & Experience
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in fundraising, donor relations, or development
• Proven track record securing funding from foundations and government donors
• Strong proposal writing, reporting, and storytelling skills
• Experience building donor pipelines and developing new partnerships
• Financial literacy, including budgeting and grant reporting

My client can offer flexible working arrangements, with 1-2 days a week in the office.

Applications for this role are now under review, and the deadline could well be brought forward if the suitable candidate is found. Therefore, do not delay in submitting your application!

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Referral, Assessment and Operational Development Manager located at our Head Office in Islington.

£40,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week.

Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

The Referral, Assessment and Operational Development Manager is a senior operational role within the Mental Health and Complex Needs Directorate, responsible for leading the end-to-end coordination of referrals, assessments, placements, tenancies, and transitions across the portfolio.

What you'll do:

• Receive, monitor, and respond promptly to referrals from commissioners, brokerage

teams, and direct contacts.

• Coordinate and quality-assure person-centred assessments

• Complete and submit needs assessments, including costings and support package

requirements.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with commissioners, brokerage teams, care managers, and housing partners.

• Support compliance with Ofsted regulations across assessment and placement reviews.
• Develop and embed best-practice tools and processes aligned with regulatory requirementS

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

• Highly customer-focused, championing customer rights, choice, dignity,

independence, and positive outcomes.

• Empathetic and values-led, able to balance compassion with professional boundaries.

What you'll bring:

Essential:

• Significant operational experience within Young People's and/or Mental Health services, including supported living, residential, or health and social care environments.

Desirable:

• Strong understanding of how local authorities, councils, and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) commission, procure, and agree services, including pathways and decision-making processes.

About us:

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

Prospectus is excited to be working with our client to help them recruit for a n Business Development Senior Manager to join their team. The organisation is the UK body of a worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network. At the heart of their work is providing help to people in crisis, both in the UK and overseas. The organisation is committed to helping people without discrimination, regardless of their ethnic origin, nationality, political beliefs or religion.

This role is offered on a full-time permanent basis with a salary of £54,145 to £57,627 per annum (plus Inner London Weighting, £3,344, if applicable) with flexible hybrid working arrangements at their London office.

The Senior Business Development Manager plays a pivotal role within the New Business Development sub‑team, driving the acquisition of high value, multi‑year corporate partnerships that deliver meaningful shared value for the organisation and its partners. They are responsible for developing and securing six‑ and seven‑figure strategic partnerships, ensuring each relationship aligns with organisational priorities and delivers clear, measurable impact. The post holder will work closely with teams across the organisation—including Volunteering, Retail, Marketing and Communications, UK and International Operations, and other partner organisations—to shape compelling propositions and deliver an integrated, organisation‑wide approach to securing new corporate relationships.

They are looking for someone with demonstrable experience of leading approaches and negotiations to secure new, strategically aligned, multi-year six- and seven-figure corporate partnerships in line with the organisation's Corporate Partnerships strategy and agreed income targets. They are looking for a candidate with demonstrable experience in cultivating, progressing, and maintaining a high-quality pipeline of corporate prospects, applying best-practice partnership development and insight-driven prospecting. The ideal candidate will have knowledge and understanding of corporate fundraising, the UK fundraising landscape, and the charity sector.

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex/gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity. If you have any disability and require reasonable adjustment/s to any part of the process, then please contact Firas El Dib at Prospectus.

If you feel you meet some of the criteria but not all, we really hope you'll enquire and learn more. Prospectus can advise and support on each part of the role and hopefully your application, so we look forward to hearing from you. 

In order to apply please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will arrange for a meeting to brief you on the role. You'll then have all the information you need to formally apply. We are looking forward to connecting with you soon. 

Role Purpose:

This is a very exciting time for The Social Change Nest. We continue a trajectory of steep growth, onboarding and supporting hundreds of new groups every year. We are working closely with funders worldwide, helping them move large amounts of funding to unincorporated movements at the frontlines of social change. We are spending more time than ever raising awareness on how capital flows impact the ability of communities to create change, and how we can hack the system to enable more money to flow in an equitable way to unincorporated movements. We are looking for somebody who is excited about all this and ready to hit the ground running.

About the Social Change Nest

At the Social Change Nest (SCN), we’re radically transforming the funding landscape and strengthening civil society. We remove the financial and administrative barriers – like bank accounts and legal structures – that often prevent communities, grassroots groups and informal movements from accessing funding and focusing on their core mission. We also work closely with funders, enabling them to support social action with confidence and transparency.

We currently support over 700 groups across the UK and abroad addressing issues such as social injustice, climate, housing, wellbeing and animal rights. We are at the forefront of fiscal hosting in Europe and, since our inception in 2021, we have supported groups in securing over £50 million in funding, helping them take advantage of opportunities that may have otherwise been unavailable.

How We Work

You’ll be joining a close-knit team, the Development team, which is responsible for business development and marketing and communications. You’ll be supported and developed to be the best you can be. We believe that every member of our team brings a unique perspective from their experiences and abilities, and we encourage everyone to be curious about how we can improve everything we do, from how we interact as a team to how we deliver for our clients and communities.

Underpinned by our values of collaboration, curiosity, courage, and creativity, we work closely and with care with our partners because we believe relationships are the glue that holds us all together.

We’re a growing business and operate at pace to keep up with the challenges that the sector faces. We have established a lot, but as we grow, we’re still working some things out. The ideal candidate will enjoy working within a fast-paced and evolving organisation and have a natural curiosity about how their role fits into the bigger picture. You’ll thrive on problem-solving and will feel comfortable handling multiple priorities at once, always seeking collaborative solutions. You’ll be adaptable and able to shift focus quickly when things change, ensuring strong communication across the team and with clients to keep everything aligned.

Key Responsibilities:

 Business Development

• Work with the Development Lead and the Head of Development to ensure that all new groups have an excellent onboarding experience that is both timely and values aligned.
• Deliver high-quality bid proposals and pitch documents to support business growth.
• Develop and implement client management and engagement strategies, including our philanthropic networks, enhancing relationships and delivering value.
• Quickly build strong rapport with funders and community groups to ensure effective implementation of our strategy.

Pipeline & Financial Management

• Analyse and present HubSpot data to inform strategic decisions and refine our offering.
• Support the Head of Development in managing the budgeting processes and preparing essential documentation for pitches and contracts.

Integration

• Support the integration of Development with other departments.
• Work closely with other members of the Development team to ensure our work is an orchestrated effort to deliver our strategic goals.
• Spot opportunities for increased efficiency, build processes where missing, contribute to the overall development of the organisation.

Skills and Experience:

• Proven business development expertise in the philanthropic sector with a track record of winning new business, and able to apply these skills to enhance our business development strategies.
• A good understanding of the philanthropic and grant-making sectors in the UK, Europe and the USA, with the ability to use this to enrich our strategies and client interactions.
• Able to use your knowledge and skills to identify and seize opportunities for growth through partnerships, projects and clients.
• Numerate and adept at analysing data to derive insights that guide business planning and strategy.
• Outstanding customer service skills, both proactive and reactive. Your reliability, trustworthiness, and ability to respond to our clients’ needs set you apart.
• Excellent pitch/proposals and bid-writing skills with an ability to craft compelling proposals that resonate with our target audience, including design and pricing.
• Ability to adapt communication style, pitch and materials to a wide range of audiences, from grassroots community groups to large global foundations.
• Capable of anticipating and evaluating the potential risks and returns of projects and able to assess risk as part of the process.
• Experience in managing complex work strands and coordinating across different teams, demonstrating your leadership skills and strategic awareness.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a confident communicator. You excel in bringing people together to achieve shared objectives.
• Experience in mentoring and supporting team members.
• An advocate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• A demonstrable commitment to serving underrepresented groups in the UK or abroad.

How to Apply

We strongly encourage applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are committed to our staff representing the wide variety of backgrounds represented in the communities we work with. If you are concerned that you may not fit 100% of the job specification – please throw your hat in the ring. We never put formal education requirements on any role as we value lived experiences as highly as formal education and training qualifications.

Please send your CV and answers to the following questions to Careers4Change.

• Please tell us why you want to join The Social Change Nest (400 words max)
• Please tell us how your previous experience working in philanthropy is relevant to this role (400 words max)

Job title: Senior Development Manager

Location: Hybrid/London, Farringdon 2-3 days in the office

Reporting To: Head of Development

Contract:Full time permanent

Salary: £45,000

Date Closes: Thursday 30th April

The Development Manager is a new key role working closely with the Director to expand our fundraising and development activity, supporting artists and our charitable mission. You’ll be part of a collaborative, purpose-driven organisation with opportunities to shape our future development strategy and make a meaningful impact.

Development Manager 
Hybrid – London / Remote
Term: June 2026 – April 2028 (22 months), with possible extension 
Hours: 0.6 FTE (3 days per week)
Salary Band: £30,000–£35,000 FTE (pro rata)

For full details and how to apply, please read the Role Description via the website

About the Role

The Arts Foundation is seeking an energetic and experienced Development Manager to join its small, high-impact team. This is a key role supporting the Director in expanding the charity's fundraising and development activities and producing a series of high-quality events in support of artists and the Foundation's charitable aims and objectives. The post holder will be responsible for:

● Leading on prospect research, pipeline management, and the production of high-quality funding proposals and applications

● Stewarding and growing the Arts Foundation's portfolio of trust and foundation funders, donors, patrons and corporate sponsors

● Coordinating individual giving and legacy giving programmes, and developing an alumni programme.

● Setting up and overseeing a CRM system and maintaining accurate records

● Planning and delivering fundraising and other associated events

This is a central role that calls for someone who combines exceptional written communication and relationship-building skills with meticulous project and event management ability, and who is equally comfortable working independently and as part of a small collaborative team.

About Us

The Arts Foundation is a registered charity that supports individual artists and creatives in the UK with unconditional financial fellowships of £20,000 through the Arts Foundation Futures Awards. Since it was founded in 1993, the Arts Foundation has awarded over £2 million to the most promising artists in the UK at a pivotal moment in their careers to enable them to concentrate on their creative development, experiment, and realise their artistic potential. Our Fellows include leading figures across disciplines, and we are proud to champion artists shaping the future of the arts.

Deadline: 9am, Thursday 30 April 2026
Interviews: Week of 11 May 2026 (in person, West London)

Please note all applicants must have the right to work in the UK

We look forward to hearing from you!