Philanthropy & Trusts Lead

Salary: £53,333 per annum. (this includes Inner London Allowance of £3,333).

Location: Farringdon, London Hybrid working. If you are not based in London, you will not be entitled to the Inner London allowance of £3,333 but will be paid expenses for travel to the London office.

Contract: Permanent, 35 hours per week.

Benefits:

Over 7 weeks inclusive paid leave (including bank holidays) and the option to buy or sell leave.
1 well-being day per year.
Cycle to work scheme.
Excellent training and the opportunity to undertake professional training for some roles.
Flexible maternity, paternity and adoption packages.
Up to 7% employer pension contribution and life assurance cover.
Blue Light Card eligibility with discounts at 15,000 national retailers.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It is the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

A bit about the role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and shape Action for Children’s Philanthropy & Trusts programme. As Philanthropy & Trusts Lead, you will inspire and develop a talented team of high value fundraisers to secure significant support from Major Donors, Trusts & Foundations, helping to change outcomes for children and young people across the UK. You will play a key role in driving income growth, cultivating transformational six and seven-figure opportunities and building meaningful relationships with some of our most committed supporters.

There will be an expectation to travel per the requirements of this role to attend donor meetings and events across the UK.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Lead, develop and motivate a high-performing team.
Set clear direction and leadership, enabling the team to identify, develop, manage and convert high-value funding opportunities, whilst delivering significant team and personal income targets.
Lead the development of complex and strategically important funding opportunities.
Take overall responsibility for the delivery of a robust and continuous pipeline of prospective donors.
Lead the consistent delivery of excellent relationship management, stewardship, grant management and reporting, championing best practice and ensuring effective collaboration with Children’s Services and wider organisational colleagues to maximise supporter engagement and long-term value.
Work in partnership with other teams to develop and maximise the high value fundraising pipeline.
Manage team income and expenditure, ensuring KPI and ROI targets are achieved.
Champion a culture of data quality, effective prospect management and evidence-based decision making.
Contribute fundraising expertise, market insight and proposition development recommendations to support team priorities.
Champion a culture of data quality, effective prospect management and evidence-based decision making.
Act as the organisation’s subject matter in philanthropy fundraising.

Let's talk about you

Proven experience of Major Donor, Trust and Foundation fundraising, with a strong track record of securing significant gifts, including six and seven-figure funding.
Proven experience of leading, developing and motivating fundraising teams to deliver challenging and ambitious income targets.
Experience of managing complex portfolios of prospects, donors and funders.
Experience of designing and delivering successful fundraising programmes, propositions and initiatives that drive sustainable income growth and donor engagement.
Excellent communication, influencing and relationship management skills.
Demonstrable strategic thinking, commercial awareness and innovation, with the ability to identify opportunities, analyse performance and implement new approaches that improve fundraising outcomes.
Experience of using fundraising databases and data insight tools.
Demonstrable financial, analytical and reporting skills.
Good understanding of tax efficient giving, fundraising regulations and sector best practice.
Demonstrable experience of applying equity, diversity and inclusion principles.

Please see the Job Description below attached for the full list of accountabilities and requirements.

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

At Action for Children, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we are taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.

We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.

Closing Date: 5pm Thursday 22nd October 2026.

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 27 October over MS Teams.

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Philanthropy & Trusts Lead