Head of Compliance and Supporter Care (Maternity Cover)

Head of Compliance and Supporter Care (Maternity Cover)

Job Summary

Salary: circa £55,000 per annum (full-time equivalent)

We are a multi-award-winning, creative and innovative organisation with a busy and varied fundraising portfolio. We are seeking an experienced leader with significant expertise in fundraising compliance, risk management and supporter experience to help shape and enable our fundraising ambitions while ensuring the highest standards of governance, ethics and regulatory compliance. This is a maternity cover role until December 2027.

As Head of Compliance & Supporter Care, you will lead our Fundraising Compliance, Supporter Care and Office Management functions, providing strategic oversight across these critical areas. Acting as War Child UK's senior lead for fundraising compliance and due diligence, you will work closely with the CEO, Leadership Group and Board of Trustees to manage organisational risk, strengthen compliance frameworks and support innovative fundraising activity within an ethical and regulatory framework.

You will also lead our Supporter Care function, ensuring an excellent supporter experience, high service standards and continuous improvement, while providing strategic oversight of office management, facilities, health and safety to ensure colleagues have the environment and support they need to deliver our mission.

Reporting to the Supporter Engagement Director, this is a highly visible leadership role requiring strong judgement, relationship-building skills and the ability to balance organisational ambition with effective governance and risk management.

Hybrid working: This role is based on a hybrid working arrangement, with an expectation of two days per week in our London office. There is flexibility regarding which days these are, depending on business and team needs. Given the nature of the role, regular in-person attendance is important for office oversight, relationship-building and key meetings.

If you share our values and believe that children’s lives should not be torn apart by war, we want to hear from you.

Your Role

The Head of Compliance & Supporter Care is accountable for the leadership and performance of the Fundraising Compliance, Supporter Care and office management functions within the Supporter Engagement Directorate. They are responsible for setting strategic direction, establishing priorities, allocating resources and ensuring delivery of agreed outcomes and service standards. The role exercises significant independent judgement in relation to compliance, due diligence and supporter care matters and leads cross-organisational initiatives that support the delivery of War Child UK's strategic objectives.

In the area of Fundraising Compliance, the postholder provides strategic leadership for War Child UK's approach to fundraising compliance, due diligence and ethical fundraising. Working across all fundraising disciplines, including Philanthropy, Individual Giving, Music, Gaming, Challenge & Community and Partnerships, they ensure compliance considerations are embedded within organisational decision-making and fundraising strategy. The role balances innovation and risk, exercising professional judgement to enable ambitious fundraising activity whilst safeguarding the organisation's legal, regulatory and reputational interests.

The postholder is accountable for the development, implementation and continuous improvement of War Child UK's compliance, due diligence and support acceptance frameworks. Working closely with the CEO, Directors and senior stakeholders, they shape organisational approaches to risk management and ensure policies, processes and governance arrangements remain fit for purpose, aligned to organisational objectives and reflect emerging legislation, regulatory requirements and sector best practice. They represent War Child UK in relevant external forums and collaborate with War Child Alliance colleagues to promote consistency, influence best practice and support organisational learning.

The postholder leads the Supporter Care function and has overall accountability for its performance, service standards, strategic development and continuous improvement. They are responsible for ensuring resources are effectively deployed to deliver an excellent supporter experience whilst identifying opportunities to improve processes, efficiency and organisational effectiveness. The role also provides strategic oversight of office management and facilities and, from time to time, leads significant cross-organisational projects and change initiatives that support the delivery of War Child UK's strategic priorities.

Your Responsibilities

Lead Fundraising Compliance and Due Diligence

• Lead War Child UK's approach to fundraising compliance, ethical fundraising and regulatory requirements, providing expert advice and strategic guidance to fundraisers, the leadership team and Board of Trustees.
• Lead the development and evolution of War Child UK's fundraising compliance and due diligence framework, compliance policies, processes and guidance, ensuring they remain fit for purpose, align with legal and regulatory requirements, and reflect sector best practice.
• Own the Support Acceptance & Due Diligence framework, providing advice, oversight, risk-based recommendations and ownership of the relationship with our vetting software supplier.
• Lead War Child UK's response to developments in fundraising regulation, data protection and relevant legislation, assessing organisational impact, recommending strategic action, and ensuring appropriate changes are implemented across the organisation. This includes the Charities Acts, Charity Commission guidance, Fundraising Code of Practice, Information Commissioner’s Office guidance, Advertising Standard Authority Codes, PCI Compliance assessment and Ofcom requirements for premium rate services.
• Represent War Child UK as the senior lead for fundraising compliance, due diligence and supporter care matters with regulators, sector bodies, partners and external stakeholders. Exercise delegated authority in relation to compliance, due diligence and supporter care matters, escalating only where issues fall outside agreed an agreed risk tolerance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships across War Child UK and the War Child Alliance, to shape organisational approaches to fundraising compliance, risk management and due diligence, enabling innovative and sustainable fundraising activity.
• Act as UK Focal Point for Integrity & Safeguarding, working closely with the War Child Alliance Integrity & Safeguarding team and counterparts across the War Child Alliance to receive concerns, develop and deliver training, update processes and share best practice.
• Responsible for creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children and adults and compliant to War Child’s Safeguarding and PSEAH (Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse & Harassment) Policies.
• We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable workforce. All staff are expected to actively contribute to this by embedding principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging into their day-to-day work, decision-making, and interactions with colleagues, partners and supporters.

Lead the Supporter Care Function

• Lead the Supporter Care function, developing and implementing its strategy to ensure high-quality, supporter-focused service delivery aligned to War Child UK's fundraising, supporter engagement and organisational objectives.
• Hold accountability for the function's performance, including service standards, supporter experience, operational metrics, resource planning and continuous improvement.
• Exercise delegated authority for Supporter Care budgets and resource decisions, working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation.
• Lead the management of complex, sensitive or high-risk complaints, providing expert judgement, managing organisational risk and ensuring learning informs policy, processes and service delivery.
• Develop effective processes, service standards, reporting and ways of working that promote collaboration and excellent stakeholder experience, drawing on best practice from both the charity and commercial sectors.

Lead on Office Management and Health & Safety

• Provide strategic oversight of UK office facilities, health & safety and supplier relationships, ensuring compliance with organisational and legislative requirements. This includes training, promoting awareness, managing registers and directing the office management responsibilities of the Supporter Care Assistant.
• Act as War Child UK's designated representation for office health and safety, providing leadership and oversight of health and safety arrangements, ensuring compliance with legislative requirements, managing organisational risk and promoting a positive safety culture.
• Hold delegated authority for budget management within agreed limits, making decisions on expenditure, procurement and resource allocation to ensure effective delivery of Supporter Care, Compliance and Office Management objectives.

Contribute to Cross-Organisational Projects and Change

• Contribute to the planning and delivery of cross-organisational projects and change initiatives, collaborating with stakeholders across directorates as required.
• Lead discrete workstreams or support wider initiatives relating to compliance, supporter experience, organisational effectiveness or operational improvement.
• Influence and engage stakeholders to support the implementation of change and delivery of intended outcomes.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the post.

You Are

• An experienced fundraising compliance expert, with excellent knowledge of:
• Data Protection
• Premium Rate Services regulation
• Charities Acts (especially working with third parties and different legal definitions and tax implications, e.g. commercial participators and sponsors).
• Code of Fundraising Practice (and related guidance)
• ASA codes
• Gift Aid
• Gift/support acceptance rules and developing landscapes
• Experienced in working closely with or leading a Supporter Care function, with demonstrable knowledge of:
  • Supporting and motivating a team
  • Working with donors in potentially vulnerable circumstances
  • Complex complaints handling
• Someone who is experienced in creating and implementing policy frameworks and processes in the areas of compliance and due diligence, in a way which is appropriate to the organisation and rolled out in an engaging and audience appropriate way.
• Detailed, process driven and excellent at retaining and translating important information for fundraisers with little knowledge of compliance practices.
• Able to identify and effectively communicate potential risks or areas of concern for the organisation in relation to our policies and external regulation.
• Someone who enjoys working collaboratively to find creative solutions and mitigations to ensure War Child can continue to fundraise innovatively.