Head of Philanthropy - Global - Development and Alumni Relations Office - 57321Z26 - Grade 8
Join to apply for the Head of Philanthropy - Global - Development and Alumni Relations Office - 57321Z26 - Grade 8 role at University of Birmingham.
Position Details
* Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
* Full time starting salary is normally in the range £47,389 to £56,535 with potential progression once in post to £63,606
* Grade: 8
* Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to May 2027
* International Travel is required for this role
* Closing date: 5th January 2026
* This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University. Depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We also welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high‑quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham.
Background
The University of Birmingham is a global institution working within a diverse and vibrant City, offering an inspiring education to our students, and undertaking critically important research. We are a place of open, critical thinking, and the creation, sharing and dissemination of knowledge…
Office Overview
Our University has a proud history of philanthropy stretching back to its foundation in 1900. With a clear vision to change the lives of the people of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain raised the funds required to build the University from citizens and corporations based locally and around the globe. Since then, philanthropy has continued to play an important role…
Main duties
* Manage a personal fundraising portfolio of 80-100 prospective international donors, many of whom will be alumni of the University and explore potential to identify new alumni or non‑alumni prospective supporters
* Deliver against ambitious income targets including growth of five, six and potential seven figure gifts, as well as delivering underpinning KPIs such as meeting numbers, asks etc. You will regularly report on progress to the Associate Director of Fundraising.
* Demonstrate an understanding that successful fundraising is based on building effective relationships, which match a prospective donor’s philanthropic interest with an area of strength and/or opportunity at the University. Be responsible for the end‑to‑end relationship management process of your contacts including:
o Making the approach and managing a tailored cultivation process.
o Translating complex ideas, including academic research and University strategy, into compelling messages tailored to individual supporters.
o Asking confidently, passionately and effectively for key priorities.
o Building long‑term relationships that are centred on the donor, including maximising volunteering opportunities where appropriate.
o Stewarding the donor once a gift is made, ensuring the individual remains connected to the University, the project and the impact which they have made.
* Efficiently use CRM to log, record and report on activity – feeding into campaign data, team reporting and management information for the senior leadership team.
* Plan and personally lead on the development of a number of key University relationships with a portfolio of senior alumni and other current and prospective donors in the region, through regular, tailored communications, meetings and engagement.
* Support the University partnership with the British Schools and Universities Foundation and the Hong Foundation.
* Work with consultants, including Global Philanthropic (related to giving from Hong Kong), to ensure gifts are banked, thanked and recorded appropriately in line with gift accounting processes.
Team Leadership
* Work with the International Philanthropy Managers to develop a sustainable pipeline of prospects and philanthropic income by supporting them to build fundraising portfolios of 80-100 prospective international donors.
* Support, monitor and report on the performance of the International Philanthropy Managers.
* Support the team to identify in‑country cultivation event opportunities and work collaboratively with DARO colleagues to deliver these.
* Support the team to plan and execute high‑level visits including the Vice‑Chancellor, University Executive Board, other Senior Officers and academics, for the purposes of cultivating and soliciting prospects.
* Be responsible for adhering to relevant fundraising regulation and current data legislation in the UK and in target markets whilst ensuring fundraising is ethical and that due diligence is undertaken as necessary.
* Manage an agreed travel and activity budget.
Internal and External Relationship Management
* Work alongside the Associate Director of Principal Giving to develop international principal giving supporting prospect identification, cultivation, engagement and stewardship.
* Work alongside the Associate Director of Charitable Partners to support engagement with Global Trusts and Foundations.
* Work closely with Philanthropic Finance to ensure the smooth running and regulatory compliance of activities with the Hong Kong Foundation and British Schools and Universities Foundation.
* Work in partnership with Philanthropic Finance, Contracts, Legal and wider Research Finance teams to ensure gifts are processed in line with donor wishes, financial regulations and counted in compliance with the campaign methodology.
* Brief and advise senior University figures as appropriate and attend such donor or Foundation meetings in a key facilitating role.
* Work in partnership with other fundraisers and members of DARO to share best practice, discuss prospect development and collaborate with colleagues.
* Report to the Associate Director of Fundraising and other Directors on risk management, progress and other governance related issues.
* Supporting the University’s international student recruitment ambitions as needed by region.
* Share market/industry intelligence with colleagues in Business Engagement, International Relations and Birmingham Global developing opportunities to collaborate and drive the University’s international strategy.
* Actively manage equality, diversity and inclusion through monitoring and evaluation and actively challenging unacceptable behaviour.
* Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
* Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
Person Specification
* Relevant degree or relevant equivalent professional qualification plus substantial relevant experience evidencing the experience required in this role.
* Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role, including broader sector/commercial awareness.
* Experience of identifying and building long‑term mutually beneficial relationships with High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), donors, supporters, volunteers and corporates internationally.
* Developing medium and long‑term solicitation strategies and using these to maximise income and foster a “culture of giving” across the whole of your prospect pool.
* Experience of leading and managing a team in a fundraising or target driven environment.
* Experience of developing fundraising plans and tactics.
* Extensive experience of working to and delivering against financial targets.
* A track record of securing six figure+ gifts from individuals.
* The ability to work with initiative, navigate university hierarchy with ease and think creatively and laterally.
* Maturity of judgement to achieve credibility and influence, working independently, with philanthropists, senior alumni, Foundation Board Members, CEOs, senior academics, donors and partner organisations.
* Experience of a range of international cultures and the proven ability to interact with ease across cultural boundaries.
* Strong written communication skills with the ability to present complex information, in both written and verbal form, in an engaging and accessible manner to a varied audience.
* Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the necessary listening, facilitation, negotiation, influencing and diplomatic skills required to interact with senior individuals.
* The ability to act as an ambassador, representing the University internally and externally with confidence, diplomacy, and authority.
* Ability to work collaboratively with senior members of the University and effectively manage upwards.
* Ability to work with professional services colleagues working in the region, to create shared opportunities that support and advance the University’s international strategy.
* Ability to work under pressure and effectively prioritise a varied and diverse workload.
* Enthusiasm and energy to act proactively, backed up by the initiative, drive and self‑motivation to work remotely on a regular basis and through hybrid working, ensuring you play an active part and communicate well in the Development Office even while travelling.
* The flexibility and willingness to work unsociable hours (evenings and weekends) and travel frequently.
* Strong understanding of fundraising and data protection regulation.
* Ability to monitor and evaluate the extent to which equality and diversity legislation, policies, procedures are applied.
* Ability to identify issues with the potential to impact on protected groups and take appropriate action.
* Experience of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in own work area.
Dimensions
* Roles at this level provide authoritative professional advice across a range of activities and/or will lead and managediverse team(s) and resources. You will use your professional skills to resolve problems where the solution is not immediately apparent. Significant evaluation and independent thought is therefore required to resolve ambiguity.
* You will have wide discretion to decide on direction whilst ensuring activities are broadly consistent with operational policies. You will be able to influence policy through advising on the impact of policy change and implementation in your area of work. You will need to assess the impact of your activities across your area, with related areas and to ensure they fit with the broader objectives of the University.
Planning & organising
* Provide professional expertise, and manage resources and/or a diverse team; integrate and co‑ordinate work across different parts of the department/university.
* Lead and manage staff who are likely to be carrying out diverse duties, and ensure collaborative working to deliver a successful service.
* Project manage activities to facilitate major changes; develop policy within functional guidelines, and contribute to strategic development within own area; be accountable for the quality and professionalism of service delivery, with an appreciation of longer term issues.
Problem solving and decision making
* Anticipate, interpret and assess customer needs, identifying trends, generating original ideas and testing innovative solutions.
* Deal with significant people management issues such as change programmes; resolve issues which may not have arisen before through use of experience and judgement.
Internal and external relationships
* Has an excellent understanding of their own working area and a broad understanding of the contribution other areas make to the success of the University.
* Has an excellent understanding of how the University operates, together with an understanding of how academia operates in the UK.
* Demonstrates empathy with the academic endeavour and seeks to encourage others to do so; use coaching skills to motivate and develop staff.
* Proactively and sensitively manage the performance of their team and create a motivating environment; influence others (including across the University) to follow a particular course of action.
* Represent the department at internal and external meetings/events/network with colleagues in other institutions to share best practice.
Informal enquiries to Jenny Prigg, email: j.prigg@bham.ac.uk
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We believe there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.
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