Our client was founded in 1984 and is dedicated to providing high-quality, modern actor training rooted in British and European classical theatre traditions. They have a rich history of alumni support and will now hire their new Head of Development and Prospectus is leading the search.
The Head of Development, reporting to the Managing Director, will lead the fundraising strategy and day-to-day operations to sustainably grown and strengthen the organisation’s fundraising activity. You will develop and own the fundraising strategy including targets and will communicate effectively donors, staff, trustees, and other stakeholders to develop a compelling plan for fundraising that includes appeals and major donor giving, of which a healthy level of activity will be inherited by the postholder.
The appointed candidate will have experience of working in a development function and will have experience of tactical philanthropy fundraising experience as well as setting strategy. You will be highly experienced in good relationship management and will enjoy working within a small team that supports a specific cause. The Head of Development will work independently and will shape new fundraising strategy, so experience of working at pace through your own momentum and ambitions will be advantageous.
At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex/gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity. If you have any disability and require reasonable adjustment/s to any part of the process then please contact Ryan Burdock at Prospectus.
If you feel you meet some of the criteria but not all, we really hope you'll enquire and learn more. Prospectus can advise and support on each part of the role and hopefully your application, so we look forward to hearing from you.
In order to apply please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will arrange for a 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.
Thank you!
At Samaritans, our vision is that fewer people die by suicide. Every day, our volunteers and staff provide life-saving emotional support to people in distress, and behind that work is a culture built on compassion, inclusion, learning and human connection.
Samaritans is seeking an experienced and ambitious Trust and Grants Manager to lead and grow a vital income stream supporting our life‑saving work. Reporting to the Head of Trusts and Statutory Income, you’ll play a central role in delivering an ambitious Trusts programme raising over £2 million annually, while inspiring and leading a talented team.
Contract
- £40,000-£45,000 per annum plus benefits
- Full Time (35hrs per week)
- Permanent
- Hybrid working - Meeting in person and working collaboratively are things we value. This role is linked to our Ewell (Surrey) office with a blend of home working and option to work out of our London office as required.
- In-person working - expectation of a minimum of 1 office day each week on Tuesdays in Ewell.
- We are passionate about flexible working, talk to us about your preferences
About the role
As Trust and Grants Manager, you’ll be responsible for developing and delivering our Trust Fundraising Strategy, ensuring strong performance, excellent funder stewardship and long‑term growth. You’ll manage high‑value relationships, lead strategy and planning, and provide inspiring line management to Trust fundraising colleagues.
Working closely with colleagues across Income Generation, Business Development and operational teams, you’ll ensure Samaritans’ work is communicated compellingly to Trust and Statutory funders, grounded in evidence, insight and lived experience.
What you’ll do
- Lead the development and delivery of the Trust Funding Strategy, with clear KPIs, work plans and performance analysis
- Oversee a Trusts programme raising over £2m per year, with responsibility for future growth
- Personally manage a portfolio of high‑value Trust relationships, delivering £600k–£700k annual income
- Shape and deliver donor cultivation and stewardship approaches that create inspiring funder experiences
- Line manage and develop Trust fundraising staff, supporting performance, wellbeing and professional growth
- Produce compelling, high‑quality funding applications, cases for support and reports on Samaritans programmes and projects
- Lead prospect research and pipeline development, identifying new large Trust opportunities
- Work collaboratively with colleagues across Samaritans to ensure strong alignment with organisational priorities
- Contribute to senior leadership discussions, team planning, away days and cross‑departmental initiatives
- Embed learning, insight and sector best practice into team ways of working
About you
You’re an experienced Trust fundraiser with a strong track record of securing six‑figure grants and building effective relationships with major Trusts and Foundations. You combine strategic thinking with attention to detail, and you’re motivated by making a meaningful social impact.
You enjoy leading and developing others, thrive in collaborative environments, and are confident working with data, budgets and complex funding requirements. Above all, you’re committed to Samaritans’ vision of fewer people dying by suicide, and to working inclusively, ethically and with compassion.
What you will bring:
- Proven success in securing six‑figure Trust, Foundation, Lottery or public sector funding
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including persuasive storytelling
- Strong grant management, stewardship and donor care expertise
- Experience developing and managing fundraising strategies, plans and pipelines
- Confidence working with financial information, budgets and full cost recovery models
- Analytical skills and the ability to translate evidence into compelling funding cases
- Experience line managing or supporting the development of staff (desirable)
- A collaborative, curious and values‑driven approach to work
- Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, safeguarding and lived‑experience principles
Full outline in the Job description below.
Why Samaritans?
At Samaritans, people matter deeply. We know that meaningful impact starts with how we support each other.
We are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive and flexible workplace where everyone can thrive. We value diversity of thought, background and lived experience, and we actively encourage applications from people from all communities.
Every person at Samaritans plays a role in helping fewer people die by suicide. If you are motivated by purpose, compassion and the opportunity to make a lasting difference, we would love to hear from you.
For further information about Samaritans, including our charity structure, values, employee benefits, and application process, please read our recruitment brochure available below. You can also visit our careers website to access this.
We recognise the enormous benefits and the social justice imperatives of ensuring diversity at every level of our organisation. Samaritans is wholly committed to inclusion and diversity and to building a culture and environment where everyone is appreciated for the unique person they are. To ensure Samaritans is representative of those we support and who support us, we particularly welcome applications from disabled, racialised minority and LGBTQ+ candidates, as these people are under-represented at Samaritans.
To Apply
Please complete the application questions including those outlined below, and submit your CV.
Please note the following questions have a 300-word limit for each answer.
Q1 What interests you about Samaritans and our work? What do you think might make Samaritans compelling to Trust Funders?
Q2 Tell us about your demonstrable experience securing six‑figure Trust or Statutory grants. What approaches did you use to build your pipeline, cultivate funders and secure large or multiyear grants?
Q3 This role requires strong project leadership, cross‑organisational collaboration and stakeholder management. Can you share an example of how you have led a large programme application, and what your approach to collaboration and stakeholder management was in delivering a successful outcome?
We kindly ask that you don’t rely on AI tools for your application answers, or to generate interview answers. We want to see your own unique ideas and writing skills. We want your application to stand out from the rest and showcase your own strengths.
Applications close at midnight on Monday 25 May
Interviews
All applicants will receive notification of the outcome of their application, at the appropriate time.
1st stage interviews will be online: w/c 1 June
2nd stage interviews will be held in person in our Surrey office (KT17 2AF). Date TBC.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
We prevent suicide through the power of human connection. Connecting people in crisis with trained volunteers who will always listen.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Grade: 4
Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week (flexible working considered)
Position type: Permanent
Responsible to: Senior Brand Manager
Direct reports: None
Location: ShelterBox HQ, Truro, Cornwall
Travel: Ability to work away from home required. This may be UK or an in-country deployment in a content gathering role or representing ShelterBox.
ROLE PURPOSE:
As part of in an in-house brand and creative team this role will help plan, shoot, create and oversee the production of quality audience-led graphic design and multi-media content under the ShelterBox brand.
Working with the Senior Brand Manager and wider Brand and Content team, the successful candidate will deliver end-to-end projects to bring the brand alive and support our fundraising, communications and international teams to drive income, awareness and support successful user journeys.
The role will advise all ShelterBox teams to work within brand guidelines and enable teams to access and use assets and templates by maintaining accurate systems. They will also support wider development of a purpose-led brand, using insight and by building strong relationships with audience and channel owners.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Are you looking to join an in-house Brand and Content team? This role would suit someone who's keen to work across all areas of the organisation, championing brand guidelines and managing and delivering a wide range of creative projects under the ShelterBox brand.
You must be able to edit video and have a good knowledge graphic design and brand. It is a requirement of this role to have a working knowledge of Premier Pro, After Effects, Indesign and Illustrator, with experience across Adobe Creative Suite. You'll also be able to demonstrate great copywriting skills and have excellent attention to detail. The successful candidate will have experience in practical photography and film.
You will need to be able to plan and lead a shoot and confidently pick up a camera and capture ShelterBox footage and interviews in the UK and in the countries where we work. This role will, at times, be required to deploy in both major disasters and pro-active content trips - gathering content themselves and supporting external freelancers.
MAIN ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Within this role you will be a great relationship builder working across a wide range of ShelterBox teams, external agencies, partners and freelancers.
A strategic thinker - able to work on multiple long and short project deadlines and prioritise to objectives.
Driven by audience needs - whether that's optimising creative in response to Digital Marketing data and insight or getting under the skin of key strategic funders to make the right content at the right time to drive objectives.
Experienced in working across fundraising and communications channels for both warm and cold audiences to drive income and awareness.
We are looking for a creative talent who can get to the core of ShelterBox's mission whilst remaining up to date with the detail, picking up new ideas and concepts easily. You'll understand the power of story in fundraising and communications, be self-motivated, with a can-do approach and be flexible in supporting the wider team.
DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
Brand:
- Support and train the wider organisation to effectively create content within ShelterBox brand guidelines
- Support the continued development of an online brand hub
- Support the development of a purpose led brand. Help to develop and implement a brand strategy.
- Help drive brand and values led storytelling across the organisation driven priority audiences
- Position ethical storytelling as a central thread of the ShelterBox brand
Creative and content development:
- Manage creative projects for key ShelterBox teams working across multi-media disciplines including video, scriptwriting and graphic design. Lead projects from creative brief stage through to asset delivery including all production. Responsible for core projects split across the team including warm and cold supporter journeys, evergreen and explainer content for digital optimisation, celebrity videos, philanthropy and partnerships, Rotary.
- Support the digital marketing strategy. Responsible for creating asset sets for Always On and time-framed campaigns. Work to tight deadlines and respond to agency and internal feedback to continually optimise creative.
- Support ShelterBox to develop our in-house creative approach. Facilitate workshops and creative exercises to ensure we create objective and audience led products.
- Support a review of design across the organisation and enable teams to design via templates.
- Support the development and re-fresh of templates for both design and video.
- Work with external agencies, freelancers and partners.
- Use audience insights to inform all plans and work with the insight team and others to measure success.
- Ensure all projects follow sign-off processes
Content gathering:
- Plan and lead shoots in the UK and in countries where ShelterBox works.
- Film a wide range of ShelterBox spokespeople including CEO, board members, programme staff, partners and high-level celebrity supporters both at an in-house studio or on location.
- Photograph and film events in the UK and overseas.
- Shoot and manage a bank of studio photography of ShelterBox aid items - responding to audience insight and channel requirements.
- Develop and deliver quality content training for ShelterBox staff
- Help to manage ShelterBox photography, sound and video equipment and studio
- Work closely with the ShelterBox operations team and partners to ensure we are gathering high-quality content across all our live deployments.
- Process and edit raw content from deployments - case studies, photos, video.
- Deploy to gather content or train partners - dependent on funding and strategic need. At times this may involve taking freelancers on agreed trips. Note: Deploying in major disasters or to partner organisations may involve operating within ERA areas so role will need to be HEAT trained.
- Interview and film communities affected by disaster
- Gather content to ShelterBox ethical guidelines.
Planning and team working
- Be an integral part of team planning
- Offer knowledge of best practice and innovations from other organisations and sectors.
- Support a measurement-based approach by contributing to monthly reporting as well as spotting trends and opportunities.
- Any other specific projects given by the Senior Brand manager.
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The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.