Director of Development – Downe House School in Newbury

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious, experienced and highly motivated fundraiser to deliver Downe House's Centenary Campaign for inspirational buildings and transformative bursaries. Downe House is a leading UK independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11-18. Located in the village of Cold Ash, near Newbury, in rural Berkshire, Downe has long enjoyed a reputation for delivering a world-class education, focused on outstanding academic and extracurricular provision, and pastoral excellence.

The School currently has 550 pupils of whom over 80% board and has a strong national and international reputation with boarders from over 20 countries. The campus is set on a beautiful 110-acre woodland estate and combines cherished historic buildings with recent developments such as the stunning state-of-the-art Murray Centre. Transport links are excellent, with the M4 motorway just two miles away providing easy access to Heathrow (45 miles) and central London (60 miles).

The Headmistress and Governors are seeking to appoint an exceptional Director of Development to grow the School’s fundraising programmes, deliver against the Centenary Campaign goals and continue to develop a culture of philanthropy. Downe’s fundraising programme is integral to its future development and will require a Director of Development who can build effective professional relationships with key internal stakeholders to raise the profile and understanding of philanthropy and engagement.

Reporting directly to the Headmistress, the Director of Development, who will be a member of the School’s Leadership Team, will be joining the School at an exciting time as it looks to the future with ambition and purpose. The Downe House Centenary Campaign is a long-term strategy to keep the School at the forefront of global education by investing in the people and places that will shape the next 100 years. Priorities centre around three enduring commitments: Curiosity (a Maths and Digital Innovation Centre), Creativity (a Music School and Performance Hall) and Community (an endowment for two bursaries in perpetuity) – each reflecting a vital aspect of a Downe House education.

The Director of Development will build on the success of the past three years, shaping and delivering a transformative campaign that is aligned with the School’s strategic priorities. They will bring a track record in major gifts solicitation and managing small but high-performing teams. The successful candidate will have extensive knowledge of broad fundraising programmes gained from within or outside the education sector and will demonstrate proven success in converting engagement to donations and be able to demonstrate sensitivity to the history and strong community of the Downe House family around the world.

Interested candidates are invited to contact RSAcademics to arrange an informal and confidential discussion about the role. The closing date for applications is 10.00am on Monday 2 March 2026. Applications should be made electronically to RSAcademics. To submit your application please click on “Apply Now” and follow the instructions provided. As part of your online application you will be asked to upload a PDF version of your covering letter addressed to the Headmistress, Mrs Emma McKendrick. The letter should be a maximum of two pages and should explain your reasons for applying and outline your suitability for the role.

If you have any questions about uploading your application documents, please contact Laura Cave, Project Coordinator (Leadership Appointments) at: applications@rsacademics.com. Laura can also be reached by calling our Head Office on +44 (0) 204 6269 791.

Downe House School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. The safeguarding responsibilities of this post are detailed in the candidate information brochure. RSAcademics is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and to promoting diversity and inclusion in schools.

The closing date for applications is Monday 2 March 2026, 10.00am UK time. Preliminary Interviews will take place with RSAcademics via Teams on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 March 2026. Longlist interviews will take place at the School in the week commencing 16 March 2026. Shortlist interviews will be held at the School in the week commencing 23 March 2026.