Senior Poppy Appeal Manager in South East London

Each November, something special happens. The nation comes together to remember, reflect, and support, and right at the heart of that is the Poppy Appeal. As the UK’s largest fundraising campaign, it means a great deal to millions. As our Senior Poppy Appeal Manager, you’ll be leading this incredible effort across half the country, with responsibility for a major regional area that’s likely to include London and either the South or Eastern side of England.

This is a key leadership role with national reach. You’ll oversee a multi-million-pound income target, lead a team of around 30 staff, and support thousands of passionate volunteers across towns, cities, and rural communities. Reporting into the Head of Poppy Appeal, you’ll play a central part in delivering our new strategy and ensuring the campaign continues to grow and evolve for the future.

You’ll need to be a confident, inclusive, and hands-on leader, someone who can build strong relationships, manage busy projects, and bring people with them. You’ll have experience of leading large, dispersed teams and volunteers, working under pressure, and delivering strong fundraising results at scale. Ideally, you’ll also hold a relevant qualification in fundraising.

The role involves regular travel, including to our head office in London and to meetings and events across your region. You’ll need to be flexible, well-organised, and comfortable managing your time across a wide geographical area.

Above all, we’re looking for someone with energy, resilience, and purpose. Someone who’s excited by the chance to take on a high-profile, meaningful challenge and who’s ready to help lead the next chapter of one of the UK’s most iconic fundraising appeals.

At the Royal British Legion, we know the importance of flexibility, so we offer options like our 9-day fortnight while also considering other flexible working arrangements to suit your needs. We want you to feel supported in balancing work with life’s other joys!

You will be contracted to your home address, where you will be expected to work when not travelling. Please be aware a full UK driving licence is required for this role.

Employee benefits include:

• 28 days paid holiday (plus bank holidays) increasing with service, with optional annual leave purchase scheme of up to 5 working days
• Generous pension contributions, with Employer contributions ranging from 6% to 14%
• Range of flexible working options may be available, depending on your role
• Employee Assistance Programme providing confidential counselling, financial and legal advice
• Range of courses delivered by learning specialists to support your development goals and objectives
• Opportunities to volunteer
• Travel loans, Cycle to Work, and more!

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the armed forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics.

We may close this vacancy early if we believe we have enough strong applications to be able to successfully fill the role(s). Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.