Fundraising& Partnerships Manager in Manchester

The Partnerships & Fundraising Manager will have responsibility for all aspects of fundraising including the design and delivery of Smart Works Greater Manchester’s annual fundraising strategy and activity plan with a clear purpose of ensuring our long-term sustainability. They will focus on the corporate and stakeholder partnership fundraising activity, to generate a six‑figure annual income portfolio.

Smart Works Greater Manchester opened its first centre in 2015 and expanded with a second centre in Manchester city centre in 2023. Our ambition is to support more than 1,200 women each year across our two centres, helping them gain the confidence, clothing and coaching they need to succeed at interview and secure employment.

As we continue to grow our service, we are committed to ensuring that every unemployed woman across Greater Manchester is aware of and able to access the transformative support available through Smart Works.

They will work with the Head of Smart Works Greater Manchester and the Board of Trustees to deliver the fundraising strategy, activity plan and support the organisation’s long‑term sustainability.

Therefore, we are looking for an energetic, creative and forward-thinking individual to join our dynamic team and ensure the long-term future of Smart Works in Greater Manchester. The role requires a self-starting and proactive approach, excellent communication and networking skills and experience in generating income.

This role will be primarily based at our Smart Works centre in Manchester city centre, with some cross‑centre working at our Stockport location. As part of the wider centre team, the successful candidate will also support key events, which may occasionally require evening and weekend working.

If you’re passionate about supporting women, then this is an ideal opportunity for you.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Representing Smart Works Greater Manchester when working with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Developing new ways to engage our corporate and supporter audiences.
• Managing corporate relationships and associated fundraising, building excellent relationships to forge new partnerships and generate income.
• Stewarding and growing existing partnerships, ensuring excellent relationship management to maximise engagement, retention and long‑term support.
• Working closely with the Events and Communications Lead to develop and deliver integrated fundraising campaigns, maximise supporter engagement and amplify campaign reach.
• Managing our annual fundraising campaigns such as Step Up for Smart Works, leading on corporate engagement and collaborating with colleagues to ensure successful delivery and promotion.
• Using an excellent network to identify appropriate grant opportunities, with support from Head of Smart Works GM to write grant applications, and ensuring that monitoring and reporting of progress to funders is both timely and effective.
• Delivering financial activities to target, maintaining an up‑date database with relevant income tracking and pipeline information to facilitate regular financial reporting to the Board of Trustees.
• Working collaboratively with the wider Smart Works Greater Manchester team, including the Centre Manager, to identify and coordinate partnership opportunities such as corporate volunteering days, donation drives, client‑facing activities and other engagement initiatives.
• Act as a key liaison across the organisation, working closely with other Smart Works centres and Smart Works Charity Group to ensure corporate partnerships are effectively activated, shared opportunities are maximised, and partnerships deliver meaningful benefit.
• Supporting the wider Smart Works Greater Manchester team across our two centres. Smart Works is a community that shares a passion to empower women to thrive in work, determined to meet our aim of helping as many women as we can back into work. The successful candidate will therefore build strong working relationships across this community, with their own immediate staff team as well as other local centres across the UK and HQ in London.
• Proven ability to steward, cultivate and maintain long‑term relationships with funders, donors, corporate partners and other key stakeholders, ensuring high levels of engagement, satisfaction and ongoing support.
• Demonstrable experience of managing partnership stewardship activities, delivering excellent relationship management and identifying opportunities to grow and diversify support.
• Strong track record of building trusted partnerships and securing repeat investment through effective stakeholder engagement and relationship management.
• A proven track record of working with funding applications and strategies and generating income from a variety of sources
• A detailed understanding of the fundraising landscape in Greater Manchester
• Proven ability to manage relationships across varying levels of seniority and sectors
• Outstanding interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Target-driven, with excellent organisation and time management skills
• Creative approach to problem‑solving with an entrepreneurial attitude towards fundraising #Willingness to work as part of a dynamic team
• Self‑starter with a strong track record in being proactive and flexible
• Ability to work with autonomy and as part of a team
• Occasionally supporting service delivery in the Manchester City Smart Works centre
• Experience of working with volunteer teams
• Willing and a flexible attitude when required to work at third party locations across Greater Manchester

General duties of a Smart Works staff member:

• Represent the Charity’s entrepreneurial drive and focus on tangible outcomes, helping to deliver big results from a small staff team
• Work collaboratively and cooperatively with all team members and take an active part in staff meetings and discussions
• Adhere to our policies and procedures and be an ambassador for our charity

Key information

• Employer: Smart Works Greater Manchester
• Locations: Greater Manchester, Manchester, Stockport
• Role Type: Permanent
• Working Hours: Full-Time
• Working Hours Per Week: Up to 40 Hours

More about this role

• Closing Time: 5pm
• Anticipated Interview Date: Friday, October 9, 2026 - 13:00
• Contact Name: Human Resources
• Contact Information: recruitment@smartworks.org.uk.
• Employee Benefits: 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New YearHealthcare cashback plan via Simply Health including money back on eyecare, dental care, prescriptions, diagnostics and moreOption to add a partner for a cost and up to 4 children for free 24/7 wellbeing phoneline and free face‑to‑face counselling on referral3% Employer Pension Contribution, 5% Employee Contribution.Enhanced maternity/paternity pay after 1 years serviceOther enhanced compassionate and family leave policies to support colleaguesVIP access at some Smart Works sales, events and pop‑up shops.Positive working environment with investment in training and progression.All successful applicants must provide references and complete a satisfactory Basic DBS and Right to Work check.
• Working Pattern Details: Full-time role - happy to discuss flexible working. Monday to Friday - Based in Manchester City centre.
• Would You Consider A Job Share For The Role?: Yes