The Pepper Foundation is a local charity funding children’s hospice care at home, specialised play and family days for children living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The Community Fundraiser will be joining Pepper at an exciting time as we launch our new three-year fundraising strategy. Backed by committed investment and with full Board approval, we are delighted to be growing the charity to deliver sustainable income that directly supports local children and families with hospice care in the comfort of their own homes.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced relationship-builder to lead and grow community fundraising and challenge events activity, helping to raise vital income for The Pepper Foundation.
You will take ownership of a varied portfolio of community fundraising activity, building and developing relationships with volunteers, schools, clubs, local businesses and community groups, while also nurturing existing supporters and creating an excellent experience for everyone who engages with us. You will lead the day-to-day delivery of our community fundraising and challenge events activity, proactively identifying new opportunities, developing a strong pipeline of support and managing your portfolio to grow income and deepen engagement with The Pepper Foundation.
Hours: 30 hours per week (37.5hrs FTE) working from home - applicants must live within Hertfordshire or Buckinghamshire (or surrounding counties)
Salary: £25,600 pro-rata (£32,000 FTE)
Key Responsibilities:
Financial
• Deliver or exceed agreed income targets across community and challenge event fundraising activities.
• Manage agreed budgets for community fundraising activities and challenge events, monitoring income and expenditure and ensuring activity is delivered in line with agreed targets and plans.
• Ensure activities are delivered as cost-effectively as possible, monitoring expenditure and helping to maximise return on investment.
• Develop and refine fundraising products, activities and supporter experiences that put supporters at the centre of what we do and encourage long-term engagement.
• Develop and maintain a pipeline of community fundraising opportunities, identifying prospects, converting enquiries and building repeat support from individuals, groups and local organisations.
• Help convert one-off supporters and new enquiries into repeat fundraising relationships through strong stewardship, follow-up and tailored engagement.
Communication
• Build and develop strong long-term relationships with community groups, schools, clubs and individuals to increase awareness, support and donated income.
• Support and manage key fundraising volunteers to help deliver income and activities.
• Work with the Head of Fundraising and marketing partners to ensure community and challenge fundraising activities are promoted effectively through suitable online and offline channels.
• Confidently communicate the work of The Pepper Foundation and inspire support through a variety of channels, including informal conversations, networking, presentations, written materials, newsletters and website copy.
• Deliver a high standard of donor and supporter care to maximise fundraising potential and encourage long-term support.
• Contribute ideas and content for promotional materials within agreed budgets and timelines.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to broaden participation in community fundraising and increase supporter engagement across the region.
• Proactively identify, develop and secure new community fundraising opportunities with local schools, groups, businesses and supporters to grow income and broaden engagement.
• Ensure relevant staff and volunteers are well briefed on community fundraising activities.
• Always represent The Pepper Foundation positively and professionally.
• Communicate confidently with a wide range of supporters and stakeholders, handling queries and resolving issues in a calm and professional way.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the fundraising team to ensure community fundraising activity is aligned with the wider fundraising strategy and income goals.
Management
• Recruit, train, support and motivate fundraising volunteers to help deliver community fundraising activities and events.
• Manage relationships with external suppliers and partners, such as venues and event providers, to support successful delivery.
Planning and Organisation
• Develop and deliver activity, stewardship and campaign plans for community and challenge event fundraising within agreed priorities, budgets and income targets.
• Deliver high-quality fundraising events that raise awareness of The Pepper Foundation across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.
• Use Donorfy, our fundraising CRM, to administer and manage fundraising activity accurately and effectively, working with the Database Volunteer as needed.
• Produce post-event evaluations and recommendations in line with agreed requirements.
• Use insight, pipeline information and performance data to review results, identify trends and recommend improvements to future activity.
• Manage the day-to-day planning and delivery of key events and campaigns, making decisions within agreed plans, budgets and fundraising procedures.
• Take responsibility for health and safety in community fundraising activities, ensuring appropriate risk assessments are completed and relevant fundraising and safety procedures are followed.
• Respond appropriately to unexpected incidents at community fundraising events, following agreed procedures and escalating where needed.
• Take an active role in setting up and clearing down events and community fundraising activities, including periods of standing and occasional unsocial hours.
• Arrange appropriate Pepper Foundation attendance at local community events when needed.
• Manage resources effectively, including volunteer support, to maximise reach, income and engagement.
Reporting
• Produce regular reports on pipeline, activity, outcomes, income performance and learning for the Head of Fundraising, highlighting opportunities, risks and recommendations.
How to apply: For further details about the role, please download our recruitment pack. Please send your CV with a cover letter explaining why you would make a great candidate for this role and how you meet the job description.
Closing date: Monday 13th July 2026 at 5pm
Interview dates: First-round interviews on 22nd and 23rd July with second-round interviews on 29th July 2026.
Interviews will take place at our office in Berkhamsted. Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements or need any adjustments for the interview.
If appointed, an enhanced DBS check will be required.
Registered Charity 
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About Adolescent Health Study
The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.
Purpose of the post
The Procurement Lead is responsible for developing and delivering a robust procurement and commercial strategy that ensures value for money, compliance with Procurement Act 2023 regulations in line with AHS being primarily public funded and supports AHS study and operational objectives. The role will lead on sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and commercial governance, ensuring ethical, transparent, and efficient use of public funds.
Main responsibilities
Procurement Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and implement a procurement and commercial strategy aligned with organisational goals and funding requirements.
- Lead procurement planning across research programmes, operations, and corporate services.
- Act as a subject matter expert on public procurement policy and best practice.
- Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, systems, and capability.
Tendering and Contract Management
- Oversee end-to-end procurement processes including tendering, evaluation, and contract award.
- Ensure compliance with UK public procurement regulations (e.g., Procurement Act and associated guidance).
- Draft, review, and negotiate complex contracts, including research, clinical, and grant-related agreements.
- Manage contract lifecycle including performance monitoring, renewals, and extensions.
Commercial Governance & Compliance
- Establish and maintain procurement policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
- Ensure all procurement activities meet audit, transparency, and reporting requirements for public funding.
- Identify and mitigate commercial risks across supplier engagements.
- Support internal and external audit processes.
Supplier & Stakeholder Management
- Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, ensuring high performance and innovation.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders (research teams, finance, legal) to understand needs and deliver value-driven procurement solutions.
- Work with external stakeholders including funders, partners and strategic advisors to develop optimum outcomes
- Provide commercial advice and guidance to senior leadership and project teams.
- Promote sustainable and ethical sourcing practices.
Financial & Value Management
- Deliver value for money through effective sourcing and negotiation strategies.
- Monitor procurement spend and identify cost-saving or efficiency opportunities.
- Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
- Ensure funding is used appropriately, ethically and in line with public funding requirements.
Knowledge, skills and experience
Essential
- Professional qualification in procurement or supply chain e.g., CIPS Level 5 or equivalent
- Degree or comparable experience in business, finance, law, or related field.
- Proven track record of managing complex procurement exercises and contracts.
- Experience in procurement or commercial roles within regulated procurement environments, specifically those classed as a public authority
- Strong understanding of UK public procurement regulations and best practice.
- Commercial acumen with strong negotiation and contract management skills.
- Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
- Knowledge of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
- Strong experience in supplier and stakeholder management.
- Excellent analytical, financial, and problem-solving abilities.
- Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of an organisation.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.
Desirable
- CIPS Level 6 or equivalent
- Membership of a professional body (e.g., MCIPS or FCIPS).
- Experience managing high-value and complex contracts, including collaborative or partnership agreements
- Experience in procurement or commercial roles within charity and/or research sectors
- Detailed understanding of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
- Detailed knowledge of the UK Procurement Act (or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 historically) and transitions between them.
- Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
- Understanding of subsidy control, state aid, or funding compliance frameworks.
- Ability to analyse procurement data and generate insights using tools such as Excel, Power BI, or similar.
- Experience leading organisational change or transformation programmes in procurement.
- Ability to build procurement capability across a non-procurement stakeholder base.
Dimensions
- This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
- Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK. Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
- AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.
Application Process
All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job.
Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.
Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.
The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 12th July 2026.
Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th August 2026.
Equal Opportunities Policy Statement
AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:
- Gender, including gender reassignment
- Marital or civil partnership status
- Having or not having dependants
- Religion or belief
- Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Age
We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination.
Values
It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.
All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job, within Supporting Documents.
Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.
Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.
The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 12 July 2026.
Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 August 2026.
