A great opportunity to join our Sussex focussed charity as we embark upon a new 4 year strategy.
This is a senior, high-impact post. You will lead on business development and income generation — writing bids, building partnerships and developing strategy — working closely with the Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team.
A key part of the role is dedicated to securing funding for our Lost Woods Project, a multi-agency community development initiative running until November 2027.
Key responsibilities include:
- Designing and driving an organisational Business Development Strategy
- Writing and submitting high-quality grant applications and competitive tender bids (including £150k+ bids)
- Maintaining a strong pipeline of funding and contract opportunities
- Building and sustaining strategic partnerships across the public, voluntary and private sectors
- Leading on AirS communications, marketing and profile-raising
- Supporting smooth handover of awarded contracts into delivery
What We're Looking For
Essential:
- Proven track record of securing grant funding and winning contracts, including large bids of £150,000+
- Experience of collaborative bidding and partnership development
- Management experience in a similar organisation.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience of CRM systems
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
- Knowledge of the national and local funding landscape and public sector commissioning
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
Desirable:
- Knowledge of the voluntary and community sector in Sussex
- Experience of Social Value and Theory of Change impact evaluation
- Formal fundraising or project management qualification
- Knowledge of community asset development, rural housing or nature-based solutions
Personal attributes: You are self-motivated, highly organised, calm under pressure, and a genuine completer-finisher. You can write compelling bids, build trusted relationships, and present confidently to a range of audiences.
Accountable to: Head of Finance and Operations Staff responsibilities: None initially (line management potential)
Salary: £45,000 (pro rata) Hours: 35 hours per week (part-time considered at 28 hours) Contract: Permanent Location: Lewes, Sussex — hybrid working.
AirS is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.
To increase the capacity of rural communities to manage change for the benefit of all their constituents.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
You will provide clinical direction and maintain oversight of elop’s counselling services, bringing understanding and experience of delivering trauma-informed approaches to support the emotional health and psychological wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people.
You will oversee and contribute to clinical operational responsibilities, service coordination and delivery, ensuring a professional, safe, smooth running, efficient and well managed service is maintained. You will work alongside the senior leadership team across both strategic and clinical operational levels ensuring lead responsibilities for our counselling teams and services. Working collaboratively with the senior leadership team, implementing clinical delivery decisions, ensuring the counselling service effectively maintains ethical and professional standards of practice and communication across key staff, other agencies and service users.
You will proactively contribute to building a robust and compelling evidence base that continues to demonstrate impact, improved wellbeing, and increased resilience, and have a key role in monitoring, evaluation, and supporting the wider counselling team with reporting and using data to drive operations, and evidence-based best practice.
Your role will also include overseeing referrals and allocation of clients; undertaking client assessments; providing role-management, and clinical support and supervision to trainee and sessional counsellors; line-management of key service personnel; some clinical support work with more complex or acute needs clients; recruiting, inducting and training key staff and volunteers; and liaising with the clinical supervision team.
Full Time: 37 hours per week
There will be one regular evening/ week, and occasional other evening and weekend working required.
Salary: £34,000 inclusive London Weighting
Closing deadline for submission of application: 10.00am Monday 1 June 2026
Initial Interviews: taking place Wednesday 10 June between 9.00am – 3.00pm
N.B. at this current time all elop services are operating via a mix of in-person and remotely via online platforms, whilst we await completion of building works and relocation to new premises.
To better the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ people, and to challenge the discrimination and inequalities that our community face.


The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.