Development & Alumni Relations

Location:  Highfield Campus
Salary:   £25,627 to £27,116 per annum
Full Time Permanent
Closing Date:  Monday 22 November 2021
Interview Date:   To be confirmed
Reference:  1566421CD

At the University of Southampton, our aim is to change the world for the better, bringing together realms of academic research, creativity and knowledge to have a truly collaborative, immersive and ground-breaking impact. We care about the challenges that humanity is facing, and work to support others on a local and global scale.

In the Office of Development & Alumni Relations (ODAR), our job is to galvanise our community to solve these challenges and to make a difference. Would you like this to be your job too?

About the role

The Legacy Officer will play a central role in securing significant future philanthropic income for the University. We already receive around £750,000 in legacy income each year, but with your help we will aim to grow the number of prospects pledging a gift in their will. Gifts in wills make a huge difference at Southampton – helping to find more effective treatments for cancer, supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and contributing to our beautiful campus. If you want to make a real difference to people’s lives, this job is for you.

You will be the first point of contact for legacy enquirers, providing excellent customer service and building enduring relationships with legacy pledgers through the Moore Circle. The role will focus on embedding legacies within everything ODAR does, creating compelling communications to help our alumni consider making a gift in their will. The role will also lead on legacy administration, working with solicitors and executors to receive income. You will also help to steward legacy gifts we have already received, allowing family members to see the impact of their loved one’s gift. This is a new, wide-ranging role and an exciting way to make an impact. 

About you

Above all, you will be excellent with people, fielding legacy enquiries and building lasting relationships with our alumni and supporters. You will recognise the importance of sensitivity and empathy, whilst also being a confident ambassador for the University and speaking with passion about how legacy gifts make a difference. Your excellent writing skills will complement your experience of working with others to generate high-quality communications and stewardship pieces. Experienced at managing data and with excellent attention to detail, you will be able to work with colleagues to produce high quality mailings and other communications. 

About Us

We are planning our first University-wide fundraising and engagement campaign. Together, we want to raise more money and to engage more alumni and friends with Southampton so that we can change the world. And with the full support and investment of our University leadership, we are growing our team over the next few years. We are so excited.  

We need people with intellectual curiosity and people who have different ideas. We need people with direct experience or transferable skills and the interest and drive to take on a new challenge.    We are actively determined to welcome a diverse group of colleagues into our inclusive team. Every day will be different, you will meet incredible people and the rewards will be huge.  

Imagine fundraising for medical technologies that could cure cancer or dementia. Or engaging a volunteer who can help a student improve their graduate prospects. Or connecting alumni around the world and reawakening important friendships and partnerships. Or seeing the look on a student’s face when they learn they will be the first person in their family to attend University—because of a scholarship that you secured. That could be you.

The only thing holding us back is more talented people. This could be a career-defining and remarkable opportunity.

Help us change the world. Join us.

Thank you for your interest in joining our team

To learn more about working in the ODAR team, visit our Join ODAR website. If you’d like to have an informal chat about this role or ask any questions, please contact Richard Wilson, Development Manager (Major Gifts and Legacies) on 07780227715 or Richard.Wilson@southampton.ac.uk. Please do contact us if you feel you don’t meet all of the selection criteria and want to discuss the role further.

Application Procedure  

You should submit your completed online application form at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Hannah Farrance (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 2750 or email recruitment@soton.ac.uk.  Please quote reference 1566421CD on all correspondence.