Development Manager, Major Gifts Fundraiser

Development & Alumni Relations

Location:  Highfield Campus
Salary:   £31,406 to £38,587 per annum
Full Time Permanent
Closing Date:  Sunday 20 February 2022
Interview Date:   Thursday 03 March 2022
Reference:  1668122CD

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 and ground-breaking impact. We care about the challenges that humanity faces, and work to support others on a 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

This important position is responsible for raising significant philanthropic income to help advance the University. Building personal, creative and rewarding partnerships with individuals and organisations, this position is crucial in connecting donors with Southampton’s fantastic research and education. Working amongst world-leading researchers and managing a varied portfolio of interesting, generous and engaging alumni and supporters, you will get to see truly life-changing impact in action. 

You will line-manage a fundraising colleague and oversee our Special Gifts Programme (£1,000+ donations). You will be based in the Development Team where you will work alongside other brilliant fundraisers who share years of experience but are equally eager to learn from the expertise and perspective of others. Our current priorities cover an innovative student scholarship programme and a range of medical research projects. There are exciting times ahead as we plan for our new campaign, ensuring this is a varied, enjoyable and rewarding role.

About you

You will be a confident, engaging and enthusiastic fundraiser, motivated by seeing the impact of philanthropy. You will have demonstrable experience of working face to face with donors on 5/6-figure+ gifts and recognise the personal and creative approach required to engage with each partner you work with. You will be an excellent writer, with expertise in creating compelling proposals and personalised stewardship communications. You will have a desire to enable interesting opportunities to connect with, cultivate and steward your donors and you will be tenacious and creative in attracting new contacts, ensuring a positive future of philanthropic support for Southampton.

 About us

We are planning our first University-wide fundraising and engagement campaign, involving more alumni and supporters with Southampton so that we can change the world. With the full support and investment of University leadership, we are excited to be growing our team considerably.

We need people with intellectual curiosity and 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 and flexible team. Every day will be different, you will meet incredible people and the rewards will be huge.

This could be a career-defining opportunity and we want to hear from you. See Join ODAR to learn about our team and current opportunities. If you’d like to have an informal chat about this role, please contact Joanna Watts, Senior Development Manager, on 023 8059 7727 or joanna.watts@soton.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 (HR Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 2507 or email recruitment@soton.ac.uk  Please quote reference 1668122CD on all correspondence.