Major gifts officer jobs in Bristol, bristol city

Our client is a federated charity made up of a national organisation and more than 170 local organisations supporting families in communities across the UK. United by a shared purpose and values, each local organisation is rooted in its community and able to respond to the needs of local families. This unique model combines national reach with deep local knowledge, enabling our client to create lasting change for families while remaining connected to the communities it serves. They are now looking to hire a Director of Fundraising and External Affairs and Prospectus is leading the search.

Director of Fundraising and External Affairs
Permanent
£82,000
Remote with regular travel to meetings with donors, for events and to the central office in Leicester
Closing: Sunday 28 June 2026

The organisation is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to drive fundraising, communications and external affairs across the organisation. Reporting as a member of the Executive Team, the postholder will lead high-performing teams with clear accountability for income growth, supporter engagement and organisational profile. With responsibility for trusts and foundations, major donors, corporate partnerships, individual giving, communications and external affairs, you will grow and diversify income, build influential partnerships and strengthen the organisation’s position as a leading voice for families and children across the UK..

The selected candidate will have a strong track record of securing six and seven-figure gifts, building long-term partnerships, delivering sustainable income growth and leading high-performing teams. You will be a self-starter, a clear strategic thinker, and a pace-setter within an organisation growing and making enormous impact. An exceptional communicator and relationship-builder, you will be comfortable engaging and influencing funders, policymakers, trustees and senior stakeholders, bringing the credibility, resilience and vision needed to operate at Executive level.

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 Ryan Burdock or Jessica Stoddart 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 send you the full job description and 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.

 

Weston Hospicecare is seeking a Director of Retail to lead and develop our retail division at a pivotal moment in our journey. This is a senior leadership role with influence and autonomy, giving the opportunity to shape a vital income stream that directly supports specialist palliative and end-of-life care for our local community.

About the role

As Director of Retail, you will provide strategic leadership for a diverse retail portfolio comprising 16 shops across North Somerset and Somerset, e-commerce operations, and the associated logistics and donation processes. Reporting to the Chief Executive and working closely with the senior leadership team and Trustees, providing significant Board-level engagement, you will develop and deliver a forward-thinking, sustainable retail strategy that responds to evolving customer behaviours, high street trends, economic pressures and developments within the wider charity retail sector.

Just as importantly, you will lead, inspire and develop a committed team of paid staff and volunteers, creating a high-performance, values-led culture where people feel supported, accountable and proud to be part of their local community.

By building strong relationships across the hospice and working collaboratively, you will maximise income opportunities, strengthen community engagement, and protect and enhance the hospice’s reputation.

What you will bring

We are looking for a leader who combines commercial credibility with warmth, empathy and purpose, and who can confidently operate at both strategic and operational levels.

You will demonstrate:

Commercial and strategic leadership

· Significant experience of maximising resources and delivering strong commercial performance within a retail setting

· The ability to develop, articulate and deliver a clear, ambitious and sustainable retail strategy

· Agility and confidence to move comfortably between board-level conversations and front-line retail operations

People and culture

· A proven ability to lead, inspire and develop diverse teams of paid staff and volunteers

· A collaborative leadership style that brings people with you, fostering ownership and accountability

· Resilience to lead effectively through challenge and uncertainty, responding openly and constructively to feedback and change

· Credibility, confidence and presence to inspire others and lead effectively through change

Values and behaviours

· A genuine passion for charity retail and the difference it can make in communities

· Warmth, empathy and compassion, personifying our hospice values in how you lead

· A values-led approach with a commitment to encouragement, inclusion, collaboration and continuous improvement

· A strong commitment to building effective relationships with trustees, colleagues, supporters, customers and donors, patients and their loved ones

Why join us?

In return, we offer:

· A senior leadership role with real influence, autonomy and purpose

· The opportunity to take our retail division to the next level at a crucial time

· A supportive, flexible and collaborative working environment with passionate, committed colleagues

· A sector-competitive salary and benefits package

· Access to training, professional development and wellbeing support

We are seeking to appoint a permanent Director of Retail; however, we will also welcome applications from experienced interim retail leaders who can bring immediate expertise, stability and momentum during this important period while we recruit to the permanent role.

Weston Hospicecare is located in the quiet village of Uphill on the North Somerset coast, and was founded by our local community over 30 years ago. We are the major provider of specialist palliative care within the catchment we serve, offering in-patient, community, day care and related services to patients, and bereavement support to their families and loved ones. All our care is provided free of charge to whomever needs it, however it costs approximately £7 million every year to provide our full range of services, of which less than 20% is funded by the NHS. The remainder is raised each year through a combination of our retail division income, our multi-varied fundraising activities, and gifts in wills.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or any other category protected by law.

About Us
Head and neck cancer is one of the fastest-growing cancers in the UK, now affecting around 17,000 people each year. Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK is a mission-driven national charity dedicated to improving head and neck cancer patient quality of life and outcomes in the UK through support of key programmes, raising awareness and addressing growing healthcare inequalities.  We fund groundbreaking research that changes lives and we collaborate across the sector to maximise impact for patients.

The role

We’re seeking a strategic, hands-on Fundraising Manager with broad experience across all income streams but may consider either trusts or corporate fundraising as a speciality. We need someone energetic, committed and with a flexible approach who will be willing to contribute to everything that our small charity has to offer.

Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK is currently moving towards a new direction and we have a unique and exciting opportunity to develop an organisation that creates maximum impact for head and neck cancer patients and their families. This is your chance to be part of a small charity with big ambition.

What We Offer

· Competitive salary.

· Remote working.

· Professional development and mentorship.

· Meaningful work with measurable impact and a collaborative team environment.