People manager jobs in braintree, essex

About you

You’re entrepreneurial, independent, and driven. You treat your work like it’s your own business - spotting opportunities, testing ideas, and chasing results.

If you’re a traditional charity fundraiser, this probably isn’t for you. But if you’re excited by risk, growth, and pace - keep reading.

Over the past three years, we’ve bought and scaled swim events, turned others down, failed fast, and doubled our unrestricted income. We want someone who’s up for that kind of journey over the next three years too.

You’re as comfortable pitching to a corporate partner as you are writing fundraising copy, tweaking button text, or building a forecast. You can move between detail and vision, instinct and data, phone calls and spreadsheets.

You know how to deepen supporter journeys, grow fundraising per head, and develop new income streams. Bonus points if you like outdoor swimming.

About us

We’re a Founder-led charity working to solve learn-to-swim for disabled children - and we aim to do that in the next ten years.

We’ve grown our impact 5x in the past three years and now raise over £1m in unrestricted income annually through our swim events. Our events attract 5,000 swimmers and 3,000 fundraisers, and we own and operate some of the UK’s most iconic outdoor swims - including the Dart10k and Bantham Swoosh - alongside a growing series of 24-hour relays in lakes and lidos.

We’re small, ambitious, and fast-moving. Strategy and delivery happen side by side. We work on multiple projects, test constantly, and keep things flexible and responsive. You’ll need to thrive in that environment to enjoy the role.

The role

We’re all driven, and you’ll need to be too - this is a fast-paced, ambitious environment with lots of learning and change.

We’re looking for a strategic, creative Head of Fundraising to lead our next phase of growth.

Your first focus will be stewarding our 3,000 fundraisers - overseeing segmented email journeys, managing a £40k prizing fund, and improving supporter care through deeper, more personal touchpoints. That might mean calls, events, or just finding ways to help people feel more connected to their impact.

Beyond that, you'll help us develop and test new income streams - from matched giving and regular giving, to sponsorships, repeat fundraising, and post-event conversion. You'll also play a key role in evolving our Challenge Events portfolio across in-person, virtual, and blended formats.

This role requires someone with a strong track record in fundraising growth, a test-and-learn mindset, and the ambition to build something big.

Core Responsibilities

• Strategy Development and Implementation
• Develop and execute a fundraising strategy aligned with the charity's objectives.
• Identify and cultivate new fundraising opportunities to diversify income streams.
• Defining our fundraising growth strategies, specifically around our event series.

Community and Events Fundraising

• Oversee the planning and execution of community fundraising initiatives, specifically with our event fundraisers.
• Engage and mobilise volunteers and supporters for fundraising activities.

Fundraiser Care

• Customer Lifetime value / retention / regular giving.
• Build and maintain relationships with donors, ensuring effective stewardship.
• Develop and implement donor retention strategies to increase long-term support and regular giving.

Trusts and Foundations

• Working closely with our Head of Programmes to oversee our bids process, working with specialists and utilising learnings from previous years.
• Deepen strong relationships with grant-making bodies and ensure compliance with grant requirements.

Corporate Partnerships

• Manage and develop corporate partnerships and event sponsorships. 
• Develop tailored proposals and pitches to attract corporate support.

Team Leadership

• Lead, inspire, and manage a small fundraising team, fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration.
• Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities for team members for both fundraising and marketing.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Track and report on fundraising performance against targets.
• Provide regular updates to the Senior Leadership Team. 

Qualifications and Experience

• Proven experience in a senior fundraising role.
• Proven experience working on fundraising events and event fundraising.
• Demonstrable success in developing and implementing successful fundraising strategies.
• Strong track record of securing major gifts, grant funding and/or corporate partnerships.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience in digital fundraising and leveraging social media platforms.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.

Optional / Ideal Responsibilities

Marketing & Comms

• Developing Level Water’s marketing and communications strategy
• Leading strategy implementation and ensuring that we’re representing our Programmes work and impact work in the best possible way to our different groups of stakeholders. 

Digital Fundraising

• Leverage digital platforms, advertising and social media to enhance fundraising.
• Implement innovative online fundraising campaigns and initiatives.

Event growth and innovation

• Understanding the mass participation event landscape and its opportunities, ideally within the swimming sector but other sports experience very welcome.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about the mission and values of Level Water.
• Strategic thinker with a results-oriented approach.
• Creative and innovative mindset.
• Resilient and adaptable, with a positive attitude.
• High level of integrity and commitment to ethical fundraising practices.

Please send a CV and Cover Letter (which can be a 2-3 minute video) to apply.