Fundraising and Communications Manager

This new role will lead in the development of the financial resilience and overall vision of the organisation to achieve a strong, effective and ethical finance function.

Working closely with the core staff team, Treasurer and the Finance team, it will develop and maintain financial policies, systems and procedures to enable smooth financial management and transparency.

This role will lead on financial reporting and financial oversight, working with the Management Group and the Treasurer/Trustee team to enable financial compliance and sustainability for Platform. 

As part of building more resilient financial systems, this role will lead and develop our fundraising function, including reviewing and building the systems, processes and policies that enable an effective long-term fundraising strategy.

Details:

Hours: 4 days: 32 hours per week based on a 40 hour week, flexible hours possible.

Contract: Permanent, subject to 6 months probation.

Salary: Baseline salary as of March 2024 is £42,248 pro rata  (£33,791 at 4 days a week) and is subject to Platform’s Socially Just Waging System.

Location: Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, London, E2 6HG, but remote working is possible. Most Platform staff are supported to work from home most of the time, but all permanent members of staff are expected to attend in-person monthly meetings, and other in-person meetings when required. 

Responsible to: Management Group, Trustees (in conjunction with the Treasurer)

Duties and responsibilities:

Work with the Finance Team, People and Process Manager, relevant trustees and the wider staff team including project budget holders to deliver:

• Financial management 

  • Strategic Development 

    • Design and implement systems to enable sustainable financial strategy, integrating finance and fundraising, including budgeting, income projections

    • Jointly lead a review of the Socially Just Waging System

  • Planning  & Delivery

    • Finance software implementation, maintenance and development.

    • Implementation and oversight of organisational finance policies, processes and procedures

    • Support programme managers to produce programme budgets

    • Provide insight on financial risks and opportunities to the staff team to support collective decision making

  • System Maintenance

    • Oversight of pass through grants and financial partnerships 

    • Managing financial service providers (payroll, auditors, book-keepers, software systems development)

  • Financial Compliance and Governance.

    • Coordinating annual audits 

    • Reporting to Companies House, and Charity Commission in conjunction with HR staff

    • Delivering quarterly management accounts to the staff team and Trustees.

    • Support external audits in conjunction with project staff. 

• Fundraising management and coordination

  • Strategic Development

    • Lead and facilitate the collective delivery, monitoring and development of a sustainable fundraising strategy to build financial resilience, in line with Platform’s values to meet the organisation's agreed financial objectives. 

    • Update and ensure active practice of ethical fundraising policy

  • Planning & Delivery

    • Work with staff team to implement short, medium and long-term fundraising plans

    • Develop and manage the fundraising pipeline, including, researching, scoping and supporting bid writing in collaboration with programme managers.

  • System Maintenance

    • Support grant management and reporting using appropriate software.

• Collective organisational management

  • Pro-actively participate in sociocratic, consensus decision making in our team meetings, contributing to the general strategic development of Platform.

  • Participate in line management processes, including line management of colleagues after probationary period

  • Active participation and collaboration in Platform’s restructure process, including development of roles, circles and teams.

Any other reasonable requests made by the Platform staff team and/or Trustees.

Person Specification

Outlined below is our understanding of the skills, experience and knowledge that would be beneficial in the role of Finance and Fundraising Manager. We define this as skills, knowledge and experiences, whether in paid work for charities, SME’s, grassroots campaigning, volunteering or through your lived experience. 

We welcome people to apply even if they do not meet all of the criteria: we are very aware that people, in particular those who are racialised and/or otherwise minoritised may not have had formal opportunities to demonstrate their skills and competence. 

Please do get in touch if you have any questions or want more information about the role.  

Essential 

• Commitment to Platform’s vision, values and principles - in particular anti-oppression

• Experience of developing integrated financial and fundraising systems.

• Experience (2 years or more) of managing organisational finances, specifically:

  • Using finance software 

  • Managing payroll and pensions

  • Managing financial service providers

  • Financial compliance and governance

• Experience of developing long-term fundraising strategies focussed on trusts and grants.

• Experience of supporting staff to manage budgets and/or fundraise 

• Experience of collectively running a group, and/or working and/or organising within a collective management structure and/or a flat or non-hierarchical structure

• Excellent collaboration and team working skills, including clear and timely communication, openness to feedback and willingness to engage with conflict when necessary and with care

• Ability to work independently and autonomously within a collective, with a good ability to adapt to changing need and circumstance  

Desirable 

• Track record of generating income for an organisation through fundraising, including managing and reporting on grants.  

• Knowledge of and interest in anti-oppressive Fundraising and financial practices including; 

  • Ethical fundraising policies and practices

  • Equitable budgeting 

  • Socially just pay practices

  • Developments and debate in the philanthropic community

• Experience of developing and maintaining financial policies for an organisation

• Good networks across the social and environmental justice  fundraising/philanthropy sector

• Strong communication skills: able to write and speak in effective, persuasive and inspiring ways, tailored to different audiences.