Director of Development in Surrey

A rare and newly-created opportunity to join the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) as a Director of Development at a pivotal moment of growth. As part of the Senior Management Team (SMT), you will help shape the future direction of the Foundation, leading its fundraising strategy, inspiring support and delivering significant and sustainable income growth. We are looking for a collaborative team player, who leads with integrity, warmth and passion. Experience in the conservation sector is an advantage but not a prerequisite. The right candidate will be the person who can prove that they are able to ignite action, build lasting relationships and generate meaningful growth in support of the DSWF’s mission.

Throughout the interview process we’ll be keen to hear about your track record in fundraising at a leadership level and your experience of making an impact on an organisation of our size or larger. You will demonstrate how you develop strategies and implement them successfully, show an understanding of DSWF’s existing development portfolio, and a view on where you see you might help to take us over the next 3 years and beyond.

To apply, please send a CV and supporting statement of no more than two pages to dswf@davidshepherd.org no later than Monday 15th June.

Summary of the Role:

The Director of Development (DoD) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all fundraising income and supporter engagement activity at DSWF. The role is accountable for delivering sustainable, diversified revenue growth aligned with DSWF’s mission across conservation, education and art, while building lasting relationships with major donors, trusts, foundations, corporate partners and senior supporters. Working in close partnership with the CEO, COO, CFO, and Board of Trustees, the DoD translates organisational strategy into compelling Cases for Support, effective fundraising plans and measurable outcomes.

The postholder leads and develops a high-performing Development team, ensuring strong delivery and continuous improvement. As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the Director shares responsibility for shaping the Foundation’s overall direction, contributing to governance, organisational culture and high-level strategic decision-making. This is a pivotal position combining senior management with hands-on major gift fundraising and team leadership. Central to enabling the Foundation’s long-term impact and growth, the DoD is a driving force behind DSWF’s ability to successfully deliver its mission to protect endangered species in Africa and Asia.

Key responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Lead on the development, implementation, delivery and continuous refinement of DSWF’s multi-year Development strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and long-term financial sustainability.
• Advise the CEO and Trustees on fundraising performance, trends, risks and opportunities.
• Own and articulate the organisational Case/s for Support, ensuring a clear, compelling narrative that integrates conservation impact, education outcomes and artistic heritage.
• Working closely with the rest of the SMT, embed a culture of philanthropy across the organisation, enabling all team members, Trustees and ambassadors to actively support income generation.
• As part of SMT, be jointly responsible for overarching decisions regarding the direction of the Foundation, its mission, strategies and culture.

• Supporter Engagement: Represent DSWF externally with senior donors, partners and sector peers, enhancing the organisation’s profile and credibility.
• Oversee a high-quality supporter journey across all touchpoints, ensuring donors feel valued, informed and connected to impact including lower-level individual giving.
• Champion systematic all level stewardship, donor care and impact reporting to maximise retention, lifetime value and advocacy.
• Ensure accurate, GDPR-compliant data capture and effective use of CRM systems (Beacon) to drive insight-led fundraising.

• Events: This senior role will have overall responsibility for any fundraising or donor profile events (at present this would include the Wildlife Ball which is an annual fundraising/profile raising event that takes place at the Dorchester Hotel).
• Working closely with the rest of SMT, this role will direct the Development team to ensure that all events deliver optimum, high level donor experiences and are run professionally (with logistics and operational support from the COO and team).
• This role will have overall responsibility for ensuring the CEO has all information required to support engagement with donors at all events.