This is an exceptional opportunity at one of the world's most prestigious universities at a time of extraordinary ambition and philanthropic momentum.
Associate Director of Development – Principal Gifts
Employer: University of Oxford
Salary: £65,336 - £82,255 with scope to go beyond for a leading professional with outstanding experience and track record
Location: Oxford (Hybrid)
Here at the University of Oxford, we are recruiting three Associate Directors of Development – Principal Gifts to join our incredible team. These are new positions, part of an expansion of our friendly, collaborative and successful Principal Gifts team.
As Associate Director of Development – Principal Gifts, you will operate at the highest levels of the University to secure transformational gifts at the eight-figure-plus level, advancing Oxford’s mission and global impact. Your work will help ensure that Oxford continues to attract the brightest minds, pursue world-leading research, and address the most urgent challenges facing humanity.
You will work closely with the Vice-Chancellor, Chief Development and Alumni Engagement Officer, Director of Development – Principal Gifts, and other senior leaders to align principal gift opportunities with institutional priorities and articulate a compelling case for support to some of the world’s most significant philanthropists.
Your impact will be enduring – enabling breakthrough discoveries, expanding opportunity for students, and strengthening Oxford’s position as a global leader in education and research. The Associate Director of Development role offers the chance not only to secure transformational gifts, but also to shape the future of Oxford’s philanthropic culture and leave a legacy at an institution that has been changing the world for over nine centuries.
This is a chance to join a dedicated, professional and ambitious team at a time when Oxford’s fundraising is at unprecedented levels. With strong support from the Vice-Chancellor, a proven track record of principal gift success, and an unparalleled global reputation, you will have every opportunity to make your mark, both at Oxford and in your career.
You will be passionate about what we do here, not phased by complexity and ambiguity, and comfortable orchestrating a myriad of stakeholders. We hope to hear from you!
The University of Oxford is partnering with Erin Hall-Westfall and Joanna Logan of Constellate Global Talent on this search.
Closing date: midnight on Monday, 6 April 2026.
Interested?
Please familiarise yourself with the attached Candidate Pack.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter.
Diversity and Inclusivity
The University of Oxford is committed to equal opportunity, and to being a place where everyone belongs and is supported to succeed. We recognise how the diversity of our community enriches our ability to deliver on our academic mission.
We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-represented within higher education. No applicant or members of staff shall be unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
No agencies please
If you would like to have a confidential discussion about the role, please email info (at) weareconstellate (dot) com
Please see attached candidate pack. Applications are by CV and covering letter.
Registered Charity 
More than 1000
Thank you!
We’re recruiting an experienced, creative and hands-on communications specialist to work with Platform Places and Footwork over the next 10 months – to develop our bold narratives and inspiring content that help drive locally-led neighbourhood transformation.
- Target start date: 11th May 2026
- Time input: 3 days per week (0.6 full-time equivalent), with flexibility for up to 4 days per week in certain busy periods, by mutual agreement
- Remuneration: £55,000-£61,500 per year (pro rata) depending on experience
- Flexible working: Work hours can be flexible as long as role objectives are met
- Location: Hybrid, remote or in-person (option to work from our London office). Monthly in-person team days in London, plus occasional trips to partners in Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool, Bristol and London and learning gatherings (expenses covered).
- Contract type: PAYE employment contract. 10 months fixed term.
- Eligibility: Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.
About us
In 2025, Platform Places integrated with Footwork Trust, becoming what we call ‘civic partners’. Together we facilitate locally-led neighbourhood transformation – so people have the power to live affordably, sustainably and together.
About Platform Places
Platform Places is a national cross-sector collaboration and not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to unlock town centre buildings for amazing ideas that help us live affordably, sustainably and together. We convene councils, community leaders and asset owners around the country to build powerful partnerships, to unlock buildings for local benefit. We support these Partnerships with access to funding, technical expertise and networks.
Our deeper intention is to localise and democratise who owns, controls and transforms town centre and neighbourhood buildings, so that communities can:
- design spaces to meet local needs – whether affordable space for arts, music, healthcare, local food, housing, nature connection, reuse & repair, childcare etc
- retain and reinvest the wealth generated by these buildings.
We’re inspired by pioneers like Hastings Commons, Stour Trust, SAFE Regen, Civic Square, Nudge Community Builders, Makespace Oxford and other members of the Mycelial Network.
About Footwork Trust
Footwork (UK charity Footwork Trust) supports local people to transform their neighbourhoods for the better and builds alliances to make this possible.
Since 2022, Footwork’s ‘People and Place’ programme has supported over 50 community innovators to turn their bold ideas into lasting positive change, in response to a local social or environmental challenge. Often reviving land and buildings for community use, they are part of a growing force for fairer, locally-led regeneration, making the places they call home more resilient and equitable.
Through national and local events, Footwork creates spaces for peer support and shared learning, showcases inspiring examples, and convenes built environment practitioners to enable true collaboration with community partners.
Together, Footwork and Platform Places co-facilitate the Mycelial Network for Community Asset Developers.
About the Local Property Partnerships pilot, 2024-2027
Thanks to National Lottery players, Platform Places and partners have received almost £2.5 million over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The funding is being used to enable communities to come together and secure long-term spaces for the activities and services that they need the most.
This fund and programme resources local leaders in neighbourhoods in Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool City Region, Bristol and London – working towards shifting multiple buildings into long-term local ownership. We’re also supported by our national partner organisations Architectural Heritage Fund, Power to Change and Social Investment Business. Our intention is that this work will lay the groundwork for a larger follow-on funding programme, which catalyses England-wide adoption of this approach.
The role
We’re looking for an experienced, creative and hands-on communications specialist to join our small team and network of local and national partners.
The Communications Lead will focus on our key programmes, with the below time distribution. The challenge and opportunity is to hit the ground running and drive communications across our key channels – to help attract allies, funding and support, and inspire replication of these approaches in neighbourhoods around England.
2 days per week, ‘Local Property Partnerships’:
- You’ll lead on promoting, and sharing learnings from, Platform Places’ exciting pilot programme (funded by National Lottery Community Fund) – which is localising and democratising who owns, controls and transforms town centre buildings in five neighbourhoods across England.
0.75 days per week, ‘People and Place’:
- You’ll promote, and share learnings from, Footwork Trust’s ‘People and Place’ programme – which supports community innovators to turn their bold ideas into lasting positive change for their place.
0.25 days per week, Wider movement building:
- You’ll work on ad hoc broader communications opportunities that support our mission and the programmes – for example, creating a content piece with local or national partners from our wider network, or pitching a media story that cuts across all our programmes.
This involves the following areas of responsibility:
- Build on our working communications strategy
- Work with co-directors to develop our bold, inspiring core messaging, and update our boilerplate narratives
- Manage digital channels for Platform Places and Footwork: a) plan and create regular social media content; b) write newsletters (approx. quarterly); c) upload and edit website content, on Squarespace (drag-and-drop editor) and occasionally Wix (guidance available).
- Strategic media relations: build journalist relationships and pitch stories (local or national), op-eds and comments
- Work with local and national partners to share inspiring and compelling stories
- Develop practical how-tos and templates, together with partners (you'll have support initiating partner relationships)
- Provide comms guidance to local programme partners
- Support co-directors and partners with speaking engagements and event opportunities
You’ll start from a strong foundation of communications activities, along with our established tone, visual identity and branded templates – with lots of freedom for new ideas.
About you
- You’re as comfortable with creative storytelling as you are with practical resources
- You’re a campaigner for systems change – experienced in attracting allies and creating communications for diverse audiences
- You make it sing – you turn dense or complicated materials into clear and effective narratives to shift opinion and action
- You’re a collaborator – you can effectively hold relationships with local and national partners to plan and deliver coordinated communications
- You can ‘wear all the hats’: you get stuck in on strategy and roll up your sleeves on delivery; you know when to pitch to media and when the tactic is digital; you can knock up great copy or quick Canva graphics without aiming for perfection
- You’re efficient and resourceful, comfortable leading on comms in a small (and collaborative) team, and know how to make things happen on a small budget (and when to seek external specialists)
- You’re passionate about community-led places and social and environmental justice – and you’re knowledgeable about at least one of: high streets, property, retrofit, community business, heritage buildings, cultural venues, town planning, neighbourhood governance
We know you likely have a particular comms specialism, with more strengths and experience in some areas than others. We’d love to hear about this, and about your approach to getting stuck into the rest.
Our team & culture
You’ll be joining our small, agile team of six people across Platform Places and Footwork. We meet in-person on a monthly basis to have lunch together and plan ahead, and have weekly online huddles to check-in and discuss priorities.
We work flexibly around our needs, whether a caring responsibility or otherwise.
Our culture is driven by our values: generous sharing, diverse perspectives, active listening and curiosity, staying networked and joy.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.