Patrons Lead in London

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity. Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. We connect. We inspire.

Purpose of the Role:

The objective of the Patrons Lead is to manage and grow UK based membership of our Patrons Global Circle. You will be responsible for all aspects of donor acquisition and stewardship, working closely with our UK Patrons Chair and our Head of Individual Giving (HNWI) to meet our annual income targets and grow our supporter circle.

Accountabilities are, but not limited to:

• Strategy and planning: Support the Head of Individual Giving HNWI to increase our support from UK based individual philanthropy. Work with Private Sector team to shape our integrated income plan, ensuring that activities to ensure we can increase our support from UK based individuals are integral to our plans. Analyse and assimilate multiple commercial data sets and indicators to produce tailored reports on performance and trends that enable further development of British Council fundraising. In collaboration with the Head of Individual Giving (HNWI) and programme leads, devise and implement strategies for acquisition and retention of UK Patrons to ensure we grow overall membership in line with agreed targets.
• Sector/subject expertise: Supports Head of Individual Giving (HNWI) with systems, processes, checks and balances to ensure we meet the standards of the Fundraising Regulator. Knowledge and expertise of tax efficient giving schemes in the UK. Proactively build and maintain a sound working knowledge of major developments in the fundraising market to develop intelligence that can be fed into future planning and decision making for British Council fundraising. Provide leadership and expert guidance on individual giving for the teams. Contribute to the development and delivery of the thought leadership strategy for development for the team so that the British Council is recognised by external stakeholders and audiences as a respected, credible partner with regard to philanthropic giving to support all our programmes.
• Relationship & stakeholder management: Lead on the planning, establishment and account management of all British Council relationships with UK based individual donors in line with the relationship strategy and objectives established through the fundraising strategy. Ensure that there is a research, cultivation and stewardship implementation plan with SMART KPIs in place and that relationships are maintained and nurtured to the highest standards. Develop and manage key patron relationships. Design and deliver an annual cultivation and engagement programme, leveraging the Council’s sector activities across to solicit, steward and engage donors as part of the annual regular individual giving schemes. Develop trust-based relationships with key partners, network-organisations, opinion formers and stakeholders to promote the British Council global programmes as activity that supports the partnership work in the UK and that will offer opportunities for UK organisations.
• Business Development: Undertake research and identify new prospects and creatively identify and secure new patrons who share the British Council’s values and ethics. Work with global colleagues to map current and potential stakeholders and donors as appropriate. Work closely with the programme leads to ensure that the British Council’s multi-disciplinary programme is leveraged to maximise philanthropic income.
• Programme Management: Manage the UK element of our individual giving income strand as part of the wider British Council development plan to support Global Programmes. Develop and deliver cultivation and stewardship activities that are in line with British Council processes and resources ensuring that the programme is designed to engage donors by leveraging the Council’s Education, Arts and Culture and English and Schools Education activities across both in the UK and internationally, as well as major external events worldwide.
• Leadership & management: Deputise for the Head of Individual Giving (HNWI). Set and oversee comprehensive work plans to meet income targets as part of the wider Global Private Sector implementation plan, created in collaboration with the Head of Individual Giving (HNWI) and Head of Global Private Sector.
• Commercial, financial & resource management: Draw up and manage philanthropic income and expenditure budgets as part of the wider Global Private Sector Budget, working in collaboration with the Head of Individual Giving (HNWI) and Head of Global Private Sector and with programme teams to ensure that income and expenditure targets for our Global Circle are realistic and achievable.
• Professional services expertise: Maintains a deep understanding of the British Council’s wider suite of programmes, products and businesses to inform and improve commercial performance and cultural relations impact. Maintains an authoritative knowledge of the UK’s strengths, reputation and capacity within Cultural Engagement’s key markets in order to work with colleagues, partners and external practitioners to maximise its contribution to cultural relations impact.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Experience of managing a membership or individual giving scheme within a charity.
• Substantial experience of face-to-face fundraising with a proven record of cultivating gifts.
• A demonstrable commitment to excellent donor stewardship at the highest level.
• Experience of close working with programme teams and ability to identify and re-shape existing activity and offers into compelling fundraising opportunities.
• A broad range of contacts within the UK Development sectors.
• Experience of writing copy and corresponding with donors demonstrating strong literacy skills and the ability to create a compelling case for support, both written and verbal.
• Experience of budget management and presenting financial information to philanthropists.
• Experience of reporting to Trustees and Senior Leadership and managing internal senior stakeholders to drive a fundraising culture internally.
• Experience of managing fundraising systems and processes (e.g. CRM, due diligence).
• Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills, and the ability to communicate complex ideas in appropriate ways to a range of audiences, including Ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
• Robust donor research skills and the ability to think creatively to identify new fundraising opportunities.

Important Information:

• Department: Cultural Engagement, Business Strategy & Engagement.
• Contract type: Two Year Fixed Term Contract.
• Pay band: 8. Salary: Starting from £43,479.
• Benefits for the UK include, but are not limited to: 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays; 3 days volunteering leave; Career average defined benefit pension scheme.
• Hours: Full time, 36 hours per week.
• Location of the role: London, UK only.
• Closing Date: Sunday 4th October 2026 at 23:59 UK time. Please note that candidates must have the pre-existing, legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.
• Interviews are planned for the end of October 2026.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement: We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement: The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.