Head of Income Generation

The Youth Endowment Fund 

Head of Partnerships 

Reports to:Director of Change 

Salary: £65,000 

Contract: 2-year Fixed term (potential to extend). Minimum of 3 days to full time. 

Location:Central London, Hybrid* 

Closing date: 9:00am Thursday 21st March 2024

Interviews: w/c 2nd April 2024 

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice. 

In recent years violent crime has risen significantly. Homicides, assaults, robberies and offences involving weapons have all seen sustained growth. We have also seen increases in violent crime involving children and young people. This is a tragedy. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. 

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a £200m endowment and a mission that matters. We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by funding great initiatives, finding what works and working to scale them up and spread great ideas. 

About the Change Team 

The YEF funds research and trials to find what works to reduce violence affecting young people. This is pointless if things don’t change as a result. That’s why our Change team uses this evidence to work for lasting change that will improve the lives of children and young people most at risk. We build excellent relationships and sharing evidence of what works with organisations and key individuals across the public, private, third sectors and local communities. A key part of this is getting more funders spending money on things that are proven to work. We want to do more of this. That’s where your role comes in. 

Key responsibilities 

Most fundamentally, your job is to shape and drive our strategy to deliver £50m of funding over the next five years. To do this you will:  

• Build and nurture fantastic relationships with potential funding partners.  
• Work collaboratively with a range of funders, including other grantmakers, corporates, philanthropists, commissioners and government departments, thinking creatively and strategically to maximise opportunities. 
• Develop, deliver and report on our fundraising strategy and tactical plans to ensure we achieve our target.  
• Test and hone our materials, approach and systems to improve our fundraising asks and stewardship strategies.  
• Work closely with colleagues across the YEF to gather information, coordinate activities and ensure partnerships are realistic, deliverable and aligned with our wider priorities.  
• Clearly define the role of senior leadership team members in your strategy and tactics, leveraging the team’s networks and expertise to facilitate introductions, open doors and build strong relationships.  

As a senior staff member you will also: 

• Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.  
• Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.  

About you 

You’re this sort of person: 

• You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You have built great partnerships that are celebrated by all involved. You’re comfortable asking for funding, support and partnerships. 
• You make things happen. You have experience of getting to the heart of a strategy and turning it into operational plans. You especially excel in situations of ambiguity where there are not clear rules to follow, previous patterns to copy or clear evidence of what will work.  
• You write well and have experience in writing successful funding proposals. You have that rare skill of being able to translate complex information into plain English that everyone can understand and engage with. You know that attention to detail in written communication really matters. 
• You work hard. You have the energy and enthusiasm to achieve ambitious targets. You’re tenacious, prepared for failure and ready to bounce back from setbacks. You’re focused and work smart.  
• You learn fast but remain humble. You’re very quick at getting your head around things. You like learning. You’re very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know. You know that you can learn more. You know that it's easy to assume you know when you don't. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You’re a great and supportive team player. 
• You’re highly organised and love well-designed systems. You work smart. You’re committed to designing and maintaining the best systems to make sure we manage our fundraising and partnerships activity well.  
• You consistently work well under pressure: You can meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment while managing different priorities. 
• You don't want your days to pass without making a difference. You want to play a significant part in preventing children from becoming involved in violence.  
• You’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. You believe and act in a way that celebrates and encourages a range of experiences, views and values. 

While it’s not a criterion, we’re especially interested to hear from applicantswho have lived experience of youth violence.  

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.  

Additional benefits include   

 £1,000 professional development budget annually, 28 days plus Bank Holidays, four half days for volunteering activities.   

Hybrid working details   

 The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.    

To apply  

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this" button by 9:00am Thursday 21st March 2024.  

When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within a maximum of 1000 words, the following questions:  

1. Please share why YEF’s mission is motivating you to apply for this role.  
2. Give clear examples where your experience directly relates to the “About You” section in the JD. 

You should also include the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be approached with your express permission.  

You will also be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. As part of our commitment to flexible working, we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage.    

Interview process  

Interviews will take place in the week commencing the 2nd of April 2024.  

There will be a task to prepare for in advance.  

Personal data  

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.