Head of Direct Dialogue
Location: Flexible / Home-based (with regular travel to London and nationwide)
Salary: £65,000
Contract: Permanent
Shelter is leading the movement to defend the right to a safe home, and to win this fight, they are expanding their award-winning income generation team. Shelter is now looking for a strategic and ambitious Head of Direct Dialogue to lead its high-impact face-to-face fundraising programme.
As Head of Direct Dialogue, you will set the vision and strategy for one of Shelter’s most vital acquisition channels. This is a senior leadership role within the Individual Giving team, responsible for managing a £4m investment budget to deliver sustainable, long-term growth across cause-led and lottery products.
Leading a hybrid model of in-house teams and external agencies, you will oversee the end-to-end delivery of campaigns that inspire thousands of new supporters. You will be a highly visible leader, spending time in the field to support non-desk-based teams while ensuring the highest standards of compliance, risk management, and supporter experience. This is an opportunity to innovate, using data-driven insights to optimise supporter journeys and embed direct dialogue expertise within the wider mobilisation plans.
Shelter is looking for a commercial and entrepreneurial leader with extensive experience in large-scale direct dialogue campaigns. You will bring:
- Strategic Expertise: A proven track record of leading complex fundraising programmes across in-house and agency channels.
- Contract Management: Experience managing high-value partnerships (£1.5m+) with the ability to negotiate and drive high performance.
- Analytical Thinking: A data-led approach to budget modelling, forecasting and scenario planning in evolving environments.
- Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of the Code of Fundraising Practice and Gambling Commission regulations.
- Inclusive Leadership: A commitment to diversity and the ability to foster an equitable, high-performing team culture where people can be their authentic selves.
For further information on the role and how to apply, please download the Candidate Pack.
Closing date: Monday 4th May, 9am
There are two parts to the Primary Science Mentor role. The majority of the role will focus on strengthening primary science teaching and leadership by leading our third Priority Areas initiative in North-West England. Through their knowledge of and passion for primary science education, the successful candidate will inspire transformational change in schools taking part in this project. They will build close working relationships with participating schools and create a vibrant and exciting learning community based on mutual support and the sharing of expertise.
The remaining hours in the role will be as a Primary Science Mentor: joining PSTT’s growing team of primary science experts who provide bespoke support directly to individual schools, multi-academy trusts and other school groupings and organisations. This includes developing and delivering training in a variety of contexts, including online; working individually with Science Leaders; being a leading voice, expert and advocate for primary science (both regionally and nationally); and creating partnerships with other organisations that support science within the region.
A crucial part of the role is to ensure collection of appropriate data for both Priority Areas and Primary Science Mentor activities, so that we can evaluate our work against intended outcomes.
Our vision is to see excellent teaching of science in every primary classroom in the UK.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Purpose of the job
As Major Donor Manager, you will support the delivery of UK Youth's major donor programme, cultivating high-value, long-term relationships with high-net-worth (HNW) individuals in support of UK Youth's mission and vision. You will build and manage a pipeline of major donors and prospects, working towards income targets that grow year on year, and play a critical role in securing unrestricted funding, programme funding and transformational capital investment.
This role requires a strategic, relationship-led approach and a deep understanding of major gift fundraising. You will work closely with senior leadership to ensure credibility, effective stewardship and meaningful donor engagement. The Major Donor programme prioritises depth of relationship and long-term value over short-term income targets, and you will be instrumental in embedding this culture across the organisation.
The role sits within the strongly performing and highly motivated Fundraising department, including events, corporate, trust and foundation fundraising.
Why work at UK Youth?
Every young person deserves a youth worker. UK Youth exists to make that a reality. As the UK’s infrastructure body for youth work, we support a network of thousands of youth organisations to improve young lives every day. At the same time, we are transforming the policies, investment, and ideas needed to future-proof youth work for generations to come.
UK Youth exists to widen the reach and deepen the impact of youth work and outdoor learning. By joining UK Youth, you can help create a society that backs young people – through each spark, struggle and success.
Key responsibilities
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Major Donor Fundraising and Pipeline Development
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Cultivation, Stewardship and Events
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Capital Appeal Support – Avon Tyrrell
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Communications and Engagement
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Strategy and Performance
Experience we're after
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Proven experience in major donor fundraising, with a track record of cultivating and securing five or six figure gifts from HNW individuals.
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Experience of building and managing a major donor pipeline from prospect identification through to solicitation and stewardship.
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Experience of senior stakeholder management, including working with CEOs, trustees and senior volunteers.
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Experience of managing a diverse workload with multiple deadlines, stakeholders and deliverables.
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Experience of thinking strategically and developing compelling fundraising propositions aligned to organisational priorities.
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Experience of delivering cultivation and stewardship events for major donors.
What we can offer you
We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance, excellent learning and development opportunities and vibrant organisational culture:
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Flexible/Agile Working
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27 days annual leave (24 days + 3 days winter closure) plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)
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Funded training provided in; Safeguarding, GDPR, Information and Cyber Security & Equality & Diversity
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Other training available in support of your personal and professional development
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Pension scheme (currently UK Youth match employee contributions up to 5%)
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Membership of our life insurance scheme which would pay-out up to 4 times your salary
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Employee Assistance Programme to support employees both professionally and personally
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20% discount off bookings at Avon Tyrrell, our New Forest Outdoor Centre, including camping, lodges and outdoor activities.
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IT equipment provided for the duration of contract
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CycleScheme and TechScheme
How to apply
If you would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity, please complete an application via our completely anonymised recruitment system provided by Applied which looks to create a fair and unbiased application process for all. Scroll to the top of the page and start your application.
Closing date: 29th April 2026 at 23:59 (midnight)
Provisional Interview Dates: TBC
As this role involves working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks, which include criminal record check and employment reference.
UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.