Development Manager in London

The Development Manager will be a dynamic and experienced fundraiser with strong technical skills in grant and funding solicitation, management and stewardship across Crisis Action’s current donor targets including major foundations, governments, and High Net Wealth Individuals (HNWI). They will serve as the anchor of a newly configured fundraising team designed to support Crisis Action to nurture its existing donors and secure the next generation of support for its ground‑breaking work. This role is pivotal in ensuring excellence in our outreach, proposals, reporting and communication to drive resource mobilisation that is essential for the organisation’s financial sustainability at a time when our distinct model and way of working is needed more than ever.

Principal Responsibilities

• Donor engagement and communications: Oversee and coordinate day‑to‑day engagement with current and prospective foundation, government and individual donors by members of the Crisis Action team. Represent the organisation vis‑à‑vis donor representatives. Support HNWI donor benefits structure and cultivation plans. Prepare compelling and timely donor reports, donor updates, letters of receipt and other outreach materials in collaboration with finance and campaign teams.
• Grant management and oversight: Ensuring timely and skilled drafting, consultation and sign off of high‑quality grant proposals. Timely acknowledgement of all contributions and compliance with donor requirements. Preparation of high‑quality proposal budgets and financial reports for donors in compliance with grant specifications and deadlines, in close cooperation with the Finance Team. Review all grant agreements and monitor/ensure the organization’s adherence to its contractual commitments.
• Strategic vision and guidance: Provide strategic support to the Chief Executive Officer on short‑ and long‑term fundraising strategies and broader resource mobilisation initiatives to ensure our fundraising strategy and its implementation helps achieve organisational goals. Set fundraising targets and produce periodic funding forecasts in consultation with members of the team.
• Research and intelligence: Carry out donor research and provide strategic insights and donor related updates and background information to relevant colleagues. Monitor and ensure a solid pipeline of donor prospects.
• Team coordination and collaboration: Ensure that there is a clear workplan that anticipates what has to happen when to guide team resource allocation and workload management. Ensure effective and efficient processes of gathering and sharing information across the team to support timely donor engagement and stewardship with clear protocols on the cadence of team calls and written updates. Support colleagues to adhere to agreed fundraising roles and responsibilities.
• Communications: Ensuring effective and timely communications to donors, Crisis Action’s board and team. In collaboration with the CEO, ensure timely and regular flow of information to the team on fundraising progress. Timely production of high‑quality fundraising updates for our Board.
• Data and Systems Management: Sustain, manage and where possible further develop the relevant administrative infrastructure, including grant tracking and reporting systems, Salesforce contact database, events calendars, contact lists, donor profiles, website and annual report donor acknowledgement lists and meeting minutes.

Job Specifications

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in fundraising, donor relations, or development within the non‑profit or international advocacy sector.
• A proven track record of engaging with foundations and government officials to secure and manage grants.
• Demonstrated ability to forge new donor partnerships, and a track record of bringing in new revenue.
• Strong understanding of government and foundation funding landscapes with at least some familiarity with differences between them and the stewardship of major gifts from individual giving.
• Experience in drafting compelling fundraising proposals, reports and donor updates for a variety of donors – foundations, governments and individuals.
• Strong all‑round communication and storytelling skills.
• Experience producing a range of communications materials for different audiences.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate organisational goals into actionable fundraising plans.
• Proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and grant management tools.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and cultures with colleagues dispersed across the world.
• Financial literacy and a proven ability to understand and construct budgets.
• Collaborative and empathetic approach to team and donor engagement.
• Enthusiasm, initiative and willingness to learn.
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills, including a systematic approach to maintaining donor tracking systems.
• Fluency in oral and written English.
• Proficiency in Salesforce and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability/willingness to travel to staff retreats and for donor visits.
• Legal right to work in the UK.

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Proficiency in additional languages.
• Established donor networks.
• Experience managing major gifts and cultivating individual donor relations.
• Knowledge of conflict, human rights, or social justice issues.

Key Relationships: Senior Management Team, Development Team, Finance Team, Campaign Leads, Office Directors.

Other Duties: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Salary & Benefits:

Salary: We have set bands for the salary range for all positions at Crisis Action. The baseline of our salary range for this position is £40K per annum.

Benefits: 25 annual leave days (30 days after 3 years). Up to 6% contribution to pension. 3-month long service leave after 6 years and one-month sabbatical leave in year 10. CA additionally offers an annual inflationary increase, and 2% salary increase in years 2, 4 and 8 subject to availability of funds.

DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Statement: Crisis Action values and nurtures an inclusive culture that sees the diversity of its board, staff, partners, and all we work with as a strength and source of innovation and creativity. We welcome applications from anyone no matter your background, gender identity and expression, nationality, language, ethnicity, colour, caste, race, sexual orientation, ability, religion or belief, age, marriage, civil partnership, or parental status. Equality among all is a driving force in our work and a feature of our recruitment. We strive to ensure that all employment decisions are made entirely on merit.