Investor research manager jobs in Manchester

The School for Social Entrepreneurs backs people with purpose — entrepreneurs building organisations that change their communities. We're looking for a National Partnerships Lead to work directly with our CEO, driving high-priority national funding partnerships, diversifying our income, and building the relationships that fund our impact. 

You'll identify major funding opportunities, negotiate with trusts, corporates and government partners, and lead complex proposals from first conversation through to a signed agreement — including the budgets, risk assessments and value propositions behind them. You'll also act as a sounding board for the CEO, pressure-testing ideas and sharpening how we tell our story to funders. 

We're looking for sustained experience supporting a CEO or senior leader, a track record of leading multi-million pound funding initiatives end-to-end, and the versatile writing skills to move between board papers and detailed funder tenders without losing accuracy under pressure. Sharp budgeting and numeracy matter for this role, alongside real comfort building trust with senior external stakeholders. 

This position is for someone who thrives on ambiguity, enjoys solving complex problems, and wants their work to directly fund entrepreneurs changing their communities. 

This is an exciting opportunity to join Cause4’s Development Team as a Development Manager, supporting a varied portfolio of charities and social purpose organisations with fundraising, strategy and organisational development.

This opportunity provides a fantastic opportunity for someone to work as part of a passionate and hard working team to hone their consultancy skills to fast track into more senior positions within the organisation.

The role offers the chance to work across multiple sectors including arts, heritage, education, health, sport and community organisations, helping clients to develop fundraising strategies, secure funding and build sustainable income streams. Alongside client work, you will play an active role within the wider Cause4 Development Team, contributing to research, organisational planning, training delivery and business development activity.

This position offers broad exposure across a wide range of organisations, fundraising disciplines and consultancy projects, making it an excellent opportunity for someone looking to accelerate their career within the charity or consultancy sectors.

THE OPPORTUNITY WHO THIS ROLE MAY SUIT

• This role could particularly suit: Someone looking to step into their first consultancy or Development Manager role.
• A fundraiser wanting broader experience across multiple organisations and income streams. Someone currently working in the charity, arts, education or cultural sectors looking to transition into consultancy.
• An ambitious individual seeking a fast-paced role with clear progression and development opportunities.
• An existing manager looking to build their consultancy skills to fast track into more senior positions in the sector.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Fundraising & Client Support

• Supporting a portfolio of clients with fundraising strategy development and delivery.
• Writing compelling funding applications, Cases for Support and donor-facing materials.
• Supporting funding approaches to Trusts & Foundations, statutory funders, corporates and individual donors.
• Conducting research into prospective funders, partners and opportunities.
• Supporting the development and delivery of fundraising events and engagement activities. Building positive relationships with clients, funders and wider stakeholders.
• Supporting the delivery of fundraising training and wider Cause4 programmes.

Research & Consultancy

• Producing high-quality research, reports and briefing papers.
• Supporting the development of programme ideas, evaluation frameworks and measurable outcomes.
• Contributing strategic thinking to fundraising campaigns and organisational development projects.
• Supporting wider consultancy and innovation work across the organisation.

Team & Organisational Development

• Contributing to Cause4’s business development and growth activity.
• Sharing knowledge, expertise and fundraising insight across the team.
• Supporting the wider strategic and operational needs of the organisation.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Cause4 is a fast-paced consultancy environment offering significant opportunities for learning and career development.

Skills & Experience

We are particularly interested in candidates who are ambitious, adaptable and keen to grow within a consultancy environment. You may already have experience in fundraising, charity operations, programme delivery, arts administration, partnerships, research or strategy work.

We are looking for:

• Strong written communication skills and the ability to produce compelling, engaging and high-quality written material.
• Strong research and analytical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to interpret and synthesise large and complex amounts of information and data from a range of sources.
• Experience within a charity, fundraising, arts, education or consultancy environment.
• An interest in fundraising, philanthropy and organisational development.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively.
• Confidence working with a range of stakeholders and building professional relationships.
• Strategic thinking, creative and problem-solving skills. Strong organisational and coordination skills.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience using online platforms such as Zoom or Teams.
• Alignment with our company values.

Experience across fundraising or income generation is desirable, but we are equally interested in candidates with strong transferable skills and the ambition to develop into a client-facing consultancy role.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your CV together with either: a Cover Letter (maximum two pages), or a Cover Video (maximum three minutes) to Ben Wilson, Director of Development and Enterprise.

The deadline for applying is 5pm on Tuesday 1 September 2026.

Please also include a completed Equal Opportunities Form downloadable from the Cause4 website.

Do you understand how financial systems influence climate outcomes?

Are you excited by the prospect of using that knowledge to help accelerate the transition to more sustainable food and agricultural systems?

Prospectus are delighted to be supporting our client in the search for a Global Finance Campaigner to join its Protein Transition Team.

This role sits at the intersection of climate advocacy and financial systems change. Working across campaigns focused on agricultural methane, deforestation and nature, you engage with investors, financial institutions, regulators and corporate stakeholders to drive meaningful environmental progress.

You'll contribute to advocacy campaigns, develop partnerships, produce research and briefings, engage with shareholder and investor groups, and identify opportunities to influence policy and regulation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver advocacy campaigns focused on climate, nature and financial accountability.
• Engage with investors, banks, asset managers and shareholder groups.
• Develop briefings, reports and campaign materials.
• Support research into corporate climate commitments and financial systems.
• Identify opportunities for regulatory and policy intervention.
• Support shareholder engagement and AGM activity.
• Build relationships with partners across finance, policy and civil society.

The successful candidate may come from sustainable finance, responsible investment, policy, public affairs, ESG, advocacy or financial regulation.  We're looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• An understanding of financial institutions and financial systems.
• Experience influencing decision-makers through advocacy, engagement or campaigning.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Knowledge of climate, nature or sustainability issues.
• Excellent written communication skills and the ability to translate complex issues into compelling messages.
• A collaborative and adaptable approach.

Experience in sustainable finance, stewardship, corporate accountability or environmental campaigning would be particularly valuable.

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. Please let us know if we can help you with the application process in any way. We are more than happy to make any reasonable adjustments to enable all interested candidates to apply. If you have any disability and would like assistance with completing an application please contact Catherine Bunting at Prospectus.

If you are interested in applying to this leadership position, please submit your CV and a covering letter in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will arrange for a call and/or 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

About Us
The National Landscapes Association represents and supports the UK’s National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) - places where we want nature and people to flourish together. These living, protected landscapes are vital to the UK’s nature recovery, climate resilience, sustainable farming and wellbeing.

We work collaboratively and inclusively to ensure these treasured places are protected, restored, and accessible to all. We are looking for a proficient and motivated individual to help drive it forward.

About the Role

The Development Officer will support the delivery of the Association’s income generation and partnership strategy, helping to diversify and grow funding streams across corporate partnerships, philanthropy, grants and strategic collaborations. The role exists to support the identification, development and stewardship of partnerships, with a particular focus on outreach to secure private finance and build long-term relationships with partners, investors and philanthropic funders alike. You will play a key role in supporting the full partnership lifecycle, from prospecting and engagement through to proposal development, account management and delivery.

This role is for an enthusiastic and proactive development professional, who is looking to grow their experience in partnerships, fundraising and income diversification within a purpose-led organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Outreach and pipeline development: Support proactive outreach to corporate partners, funders and investors through research and identification to build a strong pipeline of opportunities that are successfully managed through a tailored engagement approach.
• New business and proposal development: Support the development of high-quality partnership proposals, drafting compelling narratives and supporting materials aligned to potential funder interests and organisational requirements.
• Partnership and stakeholder management: Support the management of existing partnerships, ensuring strong relationships are developed and maintained and that outputs are delivered as agreed, assisting in monitoring, comms and impact reporting.
• Events representation, networking and engagement: Attend and represent the Association at events, conferences and networking opportunities, helping to raise the profile of National Landscapes as an investment opportunity within the nature and environmental sector.
• Income diversification trend and insight monitoring: Support the exploration of new income streams and partnership models, including private finance and blended finance approaches, monitoring market trends, funding opportunities (both corporate and philanthropic) and competitor activity to inform strategy.
• Team support and collaboration:Work closely with the Head of Partnerships and Fundraising, the Development Team and wider Association Team to deliver programme priorities and contribute to a collaborative, supportive and high-performing team culture.

See the role description for more information, including the person specification.

Why Join Us?
At the National Landscapes Association, you’ll be part of a passionate and forward-thinking team making a meaningful impact. You’ll gain experience working dynamically alongside experts across the UK, and help shape the future of our most valued landscapes.

We are looking for a Safeguarding Lead to provide dedicated safeguarding leadership as our flagship Drive Project working with high-harm, high-risk perpetrators of domestic abuse, scales across England and Wales. Acting as a Safeguarding Lead, you'll hold oversight of safeguarding governance across our network, lead a shift from compliance towards collaborative, relational learning, and support delivery partners as a trusted peer and source of expertise. This is a pivotal, newly created role for someone energised by culture change, skilled at holding both accountability and compassion, and comfortable working in complexity.

Closing date: Tuesday 25th August, 9am. Please refer to the job description for further details.

To apply, please visit Respect UK website