Fundraising and Engagement Officer in Exeter

Do you want to help us unlock potential with young people and their communities? Do you love a challenge? We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and inspiring Fundraising and Engagement Officer, who will work within our Marketing and Fundraising team.

About the job

• Location: Devon-Wide, based in Exeter
• Employment Type: Permanent
• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Deadline for application: 5pm on 22nd September 2026

About Space

We are an ambitious and innovative charity committed to ‘unlocking potential with young people and their communities’. Building on an established reputation of successful youth work and other services, Space is seeking to support even more young people by developing current and new services and increasing the scope of what we do.

Space’s core values are:

• Integrity - doing what's right even when no one is looking
• Respect - interacting with fairness, kindness and dignity
• Determination - we give people a second chance and a third, fourth
• Collaborative - doing great things together and with others
• Accountable - managing risk, taking responsibility and being accountable to each other and our stakeholders
• Dynamic - creating fun and a little bit of weirdness

What is the role

In this varied and dynamic role you will work within a small, collaborative team and across the wider organisation. You will support the Business Development and Fundraising Lead to develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy across a full range of income streams. You will research and locate new avenues of funding, grants, and income opportunities, initiating fundraising activities and events that reflect both local and county-wide aims.

A core part of this role is working alongside local teams, guiding and enthusing colleagues across multiple sites to notice and capture the incredible impact they have on young people, and translating those grassroots success stories into powerful, data-informed cases for support and successful grant applications.

Proven Fundraising Experience: You have a track record of demonstrable success in a paid fundraising role, with specific expertise in community and/or corporate fundraising, events, and securing income.

Exceptional Communication & Storytelling: You can communicate clearly and with genuine enthusiasm about our impact. You are a great listener who can write compellingly for different audiences and build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

Brilliant Coordination & Admin Skills: You possess top-tier organisational, administrative, and record-keeping skills. You are independent and highly reliable, capable of managing multiple projects, meeting tight deadlines under pressure, and 'herding cats' across different geographic locations and teams.

Mobility & Flexibility: You have your own transport and a valid driver's license to travel between our various sites, and you are happy to work flexible hours (including occasional evenings and weekends) to support community events across centres and services.

Positive Team Player: You spot potential and opportunity and can enthuse others to achieve shared goals whilst understanding work pressures across the organisation and finding creative solutions and ways to collaborate effectively.

Desirable skills we’d love to see:

• Experience using fundraising CRMs, the Google Suite, Canva, and social media platforms (like Meta Business Suite).
• A background in donor stewardship, writing successful grant applications, or building a funding base from scratch.
• Knowledge of legal and financial fundraising regulations (including the Fundraising Regulator Code of Practice).
• Familiarity with securing funding within Devon or the wider South West region, and experience working alongside volunteers or directly with young people.

Space is an inclusive and learning organisation. Our employees should strive to achieve the best they can and must be committed to seeing the best in others. As part of our ambitions to improve equality and diversity, we would particularly welcome applications for this role from those who identify under any of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include race, age, disability, gender, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

What We Offer

• Annual leave: 6 weeks for the first 5 years then increased to 7 weeks (pro-rata’d for part-time roles)
• Additional 3 Statutory days given between Christmas and New Year plus bank holidays
• Pension contributions starting at 6% rising to 8% in the third year
• Employee assistance programme 24/7
• Casual dress code
• Continuous Professional Development: Formal and informal training opportunities
• Chromebook and work mobile

Safeguarding Statement and Pre-Employment Checks

At SPACE, we work with young people and are fully committed to ensuring their safeguarding and welfare is a priority at all times. As part of our Safeguarding Policy and Procedures, all of our employees, contractors and volunteers will be expected to comply. Upon a conditional offer of appointment being made, all employees will also be required to satisfy our pre-employment screening process which will include:

• An identity check (photo ID)
• Receipt of satisfactory references cover for 3 years to current
• Documentary evidence of right to work in the UK
• A satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)