Senior Grants Officer (Business Development)

The Senior Grants Officer (Business Development) will join ClientEarth’s thriving and growing Business Development team. A key role for securing new grant income, the postholder will play a crucial part in the research and cultivation of potential new funder relationships, and will develop and submit winning funding proposals to trusts, foundations and institutional donors. 

They will manage their own portfolio of prospective funders, and undertake detailed prospect research into the foundation donor market whilst liaising with ClientEarth’s global teams across different programme areas and geographies. Working closely with the Business Development Manager, they will identify potential alignment with ClientEarth’s strategic priorities and inform decision-making in relation to funding opportunities. 

Meet your Manager

In this role, you will be managed by Alex Wright. A fundraiser for over 12 years, Alex previously worked for a range of national music charities and is a trustee of two arts education charities. As part of the Business Development Team at ClientEarth, he manages the cultivation of new relationships with trusts and foundations in the US and securing new grant income. Alex joined ClientEarth in 2024 and is based in our London office.  

Main Duties

• Prospect research and pipeline development - Proactively undertake research to identify, qualify and prioritise new funding prospects/ opportunities to support the build of a pipeline of high quality leads to guide future fundraising efforts; 
• Business Development and Income generation  - Draft clear and compelling written fundraising materials including cases for support, funding proposals, and concept notes;  
• Systems and processes - Provide timely and accurate information to the Business Development Manager on funding opportunities in their portfolio and progress with workplan, as requested, to enable accurate monitoring and reporting to the Head of Business Development;
• Understanding of ClientEarth’s programmes and funding needs 

Role requirements

• Fluent CEFR level C2 in English 
• Experience of working in a fundraising or Business Development role for a charity, NGO, private or public entity; 
• Experience of drafting compelling and successful proposals for trusts, foundations and statutory institutions and securing multi-year grants, ideally at the six-figure level and above; 
• Experience of supporting the relationship development process with a new donor, from prospect research through to ask.
• Strong project management skills to lead the proposal development process to meet funder deadlines, including stakeholder management; 
• Strong alignment with ClientEarth’s values and commitment to our vision, and mission and equity, diversity and inclusion strategy objectives.  

Note to candidates: We know that long lists of criteria can be daunting and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

Further Information

Have a question about this job? Please visit our Careers site for advice on applying, FAQs, and more.

Flexible working:  We are proud to be a Flexa accredited Employer. Visit our Flexa Employer Page for more information on our approach to flexible working. Our flexible working policy allows our people the choice to decide to work from home in the country where their contract of employment is issued for 80% of their month, with the other 20% of their month being office-based.  See our Benefits page for more

ClientEarth values diversity and inclusion and the benefits this brings. We aim to appoint the most suitable candidate at all times and welcome applications from people from all different backgrounds. 

Please note that ClientEarth is only able to employ those who have the pre-existing legal right to work in the UK.

ClientEarth is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal services to third parties.