Philanthropy Manager

Salary: £36,648 starting salary (salary range will increase to max £39,186 via the length of service) per annum (pro rata where applicable). Plus £4,087.65 Inner London Weighting if based in London.

Contract: Permanent

Full time: 35 hours per week (excluding lunch breaks), although there is some flexibility around this for the ideal candidate

Location:  Any Refugee Action Office – London, Manchester, Birmingham, or Bradford. We will consider UK hybrid working options. (Some travel in the UK with occasional overnight stays away from home may be required).

 About Refugee Action

Refugee Action exists to work with refugees and people seeking asylum who’ve survived some of the world’s worst regimes. We are a national charity with more than 40 years’ experience of empowering people who’ve survived some of the world’s worst regimes to secure the protection and support that they need to live with dignity and respect and build a new life in the UK. We do this by providing expert advice and casework, building the capacity of partner organisations and campaigning on the policies that affect them. 

It's an exciting time to be part of Refugee Action as we embark on our new ambitious seven-year strategy. Our future focusses on gaining systemic change through our campaigns, our direct services, and our work to strengthen and connect other service delivery organisations.  

You can read more about what we do here. 

About the role

Join our award-winning team, voted Fundraising Team of the Year by Third Sector 2022. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a passionate Philanthropy Manager to join our expanding Major Partnerships team and help grow our philanthropy programme.

The philanthropy programme at Refugee Action is on an upwards trajectory, growing new business and with plans to double income in the next 3 years. Collaborating with the Senior Philanthropy Manager and the brilliant Major Partnerships team, you’ll be a big part of driving forward new business to continue this growth, to help raise vital funds for people seeking safety. We’re looking for an ambitious person who will be motivated by these growth plans and targets and who wants to make the UK a more welcoming, and anti-racist country for refugees.

As someone who is committed to being impact led and driving systemic change, you’ll be passionate about centring the experiences of people seeking safety in the UK and driven to achieving Refugee Action’s mission. You will be experienced in bringing new business whilst maintaining relationships with existing major donors. Your curiosity and ability to inspire others will mean you have experience of putting together creative and inspiring proposals and making asks for five+ figure gifts.

To succeed in the role you will need to demonstrate:

• Commitment to removing barriers to power for people with lived experience, and commitment to anti-racist practices.
• Understanding of how the UK’s hostile refugee protection and asylum system impacts those affected by it. 
• Ability to identify new business and build a robust prospect pipeline through effective prospecting skills.
• Engaging communicator with demonstrable experience in relationship building and the ability to persuade, motivate and inspire people through excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Ability to make face to face asks for £10,000+ gifts.
• Target driven with experience of securing new income and meeting KPIs.
• Strong organisational skills and experience of keeping up to date with and applying good practice in your role, recording information accurately with very good attention to detail, and using databases to report against targets.
• Proven experience of working constructively and collaboratively with colleagues from different teams.
• Passion and motivation to raise vital funds to support refugees and people seeking asylum in the UK.
• Experience and understanding of cultural diversity and the ability to work with people from a range of different cultures.

For more information and to apply please visit our website: 

Those with lived experience as a refugee are particularly encouraged to apply.

Closing Date: 23:59 on Sunday 25 February

Interview date: Tuesday 5 March 2024 (on Zoom)

Refugee Action only operates in the UK, so all roles are UK-based, and you must have the right to work in the UK.

This role is not on the Shortage Occupation List.  If you have permission to work that is restricted to the Shortage Occupation List, we will be unable to appoint you to this role.

You can find out which roles are on the shortage occupation list via these two links:

·       Skilled Worker visa: shortage occupations 

·       Skilled Worker visa: shortage occupations for healthcare and education

We are currently campaigning for people seeking asylum to have the right to work in the UK, see our Lift the Ban campaign here.