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Release Counselling and Therapy for Women is entering an exciting new chapter. 

Founded in Brighton and Hove in 2013, Release has grown from a small local charity into a financially robust organisation with a growing national reach. Under the leadership of our outgoing CEO, the charity has been transformed—moving from a challenging financial position to one with strong reserves, clear sustainability, and ambitious plans for growth. 

We now provide affordable 1:1 online counselling to women across the UK, alongside specialist group programmes supporting maternal mental health and key life transitions. One-to-one counselling is a core offer and a vital income stream, enabling us to extend our reach while staying true to our values. 

This period has also seen Release grow to working with over 20 dedicated volunteer counsellors, strengthening our capacity and community impact. 

As our CEO steps down, Release is ready for its next phase—building on strong foundations, amplifying our national impact, and remaining firmly rooted in our purpose: being a charity that supports women’s mental health, run by women, for women.

Are you a senior income generation leader ready to build something joined‑up, ambitious, and sustainable?

We’re looking for a Head of Income Growth to lead integrated fundraising, marketing, and communications across the Age UK Oxfordshire group, helping deliver our Strategy to 2030: For a fairer later life. This is a new, pivotal leadership role. Working closely with the CEO, you’ll bring clarity, focus and momentum to how we grow income, strengthen our public profile, and deepen relationships with supporters, volunteers, and communities.

Location; Hybrid (minimum 3 days a week in the Abingdon Office)

Contract; Permanent

Hours; Full time, 35 hours a week (0.8FTE to be considered)

Salary; circa £55,000 per annum

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the development and delivery of a clear, evidence‑based income growth strategy, diversifying, and growing income streams
• Hold overall accountability for fundraising, marketing and communications, ensuring they operate as a coherent, integrated system
• Grow and engage our community of supporters, donors, volunteers, ambassadors and advocates, increasing participation and long‑term value
• Use data, insight, and performance discipline to improve return on investment and keep a clear grip on income and engagement
• Lead, develop and inspire a multi‑disciplinary team, building confidence, capability, and shared ownership of results
• Act as the charity’s most senior income and external‑engagement lead, working with trustees to raise profile, credibility, and influence

What You’ll Bring:

• Substantial senior‑level experience in income generation, marketing, communications, or supporter growth, ideally across more than one discipline
• A strong track record of developing and delivering income or growth strategy aligned to organisational purpose
• Experience leading and integrating teams to deliver measurable results
• Confidence using insight, data and evidence to inform decisions and report performance at leadership and Board level
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust across staff, volunteers and trustees

This is an exciting opportunity to shape a new, senior role in a trusted, forward‑thinking local charity with an appetite for change. If you’re motivated by impact, clarity, and collective success, we’d love to hear from you.

This new role is an investment and will lead a step‑change in line with our Underpinning Principles (above) and staff‑expressed appetite for clearer, more joined‑up external engagement. The postholder will lead on two strategic priorities:

·To diversify and grow income by strengthening our public profile, propositions, and routes to support.

·To increase voluntary support by growing and energising our community of supporters, volunteers, and ambassadors.

Interviews. First interviews will be held on Tuesday 2nd June, with second interviews being held on Tuesday 9th June.

Job Purpose:

Working closely with the CEO to ensure the charity’s ambitions, as described in the Strategy to 2030 and the 2026–27 Plan on a Page are delivered, the role holder will proactively lead integrated fundraising, marketing, and communications work. The role is pivotal in aligning planning and tactical decisions to build a sustainable income engine, strengthening the charity’s profile, performance, and impact at scale.

Role Description

1.Income strategy and delivery

Lead the development and delivery of a clear, evidence‑based income growth strategy, diversifying and growing income streams to deliver the charity’s agreed income ambitions and reduce reliance on any single source.

2.Integrated fundraising, marketing, and communications

Hold full accountability for all fundraising, marketing and communications activity, ensuring strategy, brand, propositions, campaigns, and channels are integrated, coherent and focused on measurable impact.

3.Supporter growth and engagement

Grow and deepen relationships with supporters, including donors, volunteers, ambassadors and advocates, increasing participation, loyalty, and lifetime value in line with our strategic ambitions.

4.Insight, data, and performance discipline

Use insight, data, and performance management to inform decision‑making, strengthen propositions, improve return on investment, and give the CEO and Board a clear grip on income and engagement performance.

5.Leadership, culture, and capability

Lead and line‑manage all fundraising, marketing and communications staff, setting clear priorities, expectations and accountability, and building a confident, high‑performing culture aligned with the organisation’s values and Principles.

6.Organisational leadership and profile‑raising

Act as the organisation’s most senior income and external‑engagement leader, working closely with the CEO and trustees to raise the charity’s profile, influence, and credibility, contributing actively to collective leadership and strategic delivery.

The above list is comprehensive but not exhaustive. You will be expected to undertake other responsibilities, reasonable and relevant to the role.

NB. The postholder is expected to ensure full compliance with Charity Commission guidance and the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice, and to apply recognised sector best practice in all fundraising, marketing and communications activity, safeguarding public trust, the charity’s reputation, and regulatory standing.

Person Specification:

Qualifications

a)Educated to degree level or demonstrable equivalent (i.e. capacity to learn at pace, analyse information, apply insight, exercise judgement, and sustain delivery through complexity and challenge).

b)Professional qualification in a relevant field (e.g. fundraising, marketing, communications), and membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IoF, CIM)

Desirable: Evidence of accredited continuous professional development (Level 7), e.g. digital transformation, data‑led growth, commercial strategy.

Experience

c)Substantial senior‑level experience across most areas of income generation, including at least two from:

·voluntary income (e.g. trusts & foundations, legacies, individuals, community)

·marketing and communications

·supporter or audience growth and engagement

·digital fundraising or campaigns

·brand, proposition, or programme development

d)Proven experience of successfully leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing people, including line management and leadership through influence/matrix working to deliver shared outcomes.

e)Experience demonstrating a strong understanding of integrated income and engagement models, with proficiency in leading fundraising, marketing, and communications as a joined‑up system rather than discrete functions.

f)A proven record of developing and implementing income or growth strategy aligned to organisational purpose, values and long‑term direction, including delivering measurable results or step‑change improvement.

Desirable: Demonstrable success delivering income growth, diversification, or transformation in a VCSE or mission‑driven organisation operating at scale.

Knowledge

g)Strong grip of contemporary fundraising, marketing, communications models, inc. audience‑led growth, brand‑led fundraising, digital, data‑driven approaches.

h)Knowledge of the regulatory, ethical and governance framework for fundraising in the UK, inc. Charity Commission guidance and Fundraising Regulator’s Code.

i)Knowledge of risk management, public trust considerations, and safeguarding principles as they apply to fundraising, communications, public‑facing activity.

j)Awareness of current VCSE sector trends, income challenges and emerging best practice in income generation, supporter engagement and profile‑raising.

Desirable: Authoritative knowledge level in one or more specialist areas e.g. major giving, digital fundraising, brand and communications strategy, income diversification

Skills

k)Strategic and analytical thinking skills, with the ability to set direction, prioritise effectively and translate strategy into delivery at pace.

l)Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present complex information, develop compelling narratives and write credible Board‑level papers.

m) Advanced interpersonal and influencing skills, able to build strong relationships, collaborate across functions and influence stakeholders, including trustees.

n)Excellent organisational and planning skills, including leading and delivering programmes of work, managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines.

o)Advanced people leadership and team development skills, including leading high‑performing teams through change, integration, and growth.

p)Strong capability in using data, insight, and evidence (e.g. income metrics, ROI, pipeline performance, benchmarks) to plan, monitor, report and make decisions.

q)Ability to establish professional credibility quickly and operate effectively with staff, volunteers, managers, and trustees across the organisation and externally.

r)High-level of self‑awareness and commitment to continuous professional and personal development.

s)Commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) and understanding of how this informs ethical, inclusive fundraising and communications.

t)Confident user of MS Office applications, with the capacity to master CRM, digital fundraising platforms and insight or marketing systems (e.g. Donorfy, Just Giving)

You are expected to commit to the vision, mission, and values of the Age UK Oxfordshire group, and be keen to learn / develop new skills and take on challenges. 

Apply now and help us build sustainable income to support a fairer life for older people and carers in Oxfordshire.