RABI is the farmers charity.
RABI supports farming people across England, Wales and NI with expert, one-to-one practical, financial and emotional help, all year round. From confidential advice and mental health support to direct financial assistance, their tailored services respond to the unique challenges of farming life.
At the heart of RABI’s mission is a commitment to strengthening resilience; helping farming people feel valued, supported and better equipped to navigate uncertainty and change. RABI is working to close the farming wellbeing gap and build a future where farming people can thrive.
Over the past 25 years alone, RABI has delivered almost £250 Million in direct financial support to the farming community, whilst the charity’s professional counselling service has provided 11,500 free sessions to farming people since 2022. RABI’s wrap-around support services continue to evolve, reaching more people year on year.
RABI is on a journey to help shape a future farmers deserve.
Are you an experienced strategic leader with a passion for innovation and impact?
RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution) is seeking a dynamic Head of Business Development to shape and lead our research, pilots, and partnership programmes that address the Farming Wellbeing Gap. This is a pivotal role at the heart of our 2025–2030 strategy, ensuring that farming people have access to innovative, evidence-led support.
As Head of Business Development, you will:
* Provide strategic oversight of our research agenda, ensuring insights inform services and sector influence.
* Lead major pilots that support farmer wellbeing.
* Develop organisational grant and partnership frameworks to extend reach and impact.
* Build and lead a high-performing team culture within Business Development.
* Represent RABI with credibility to external stakeholders and partners.
About you:
You are an experienced leader in business development, service innovation, or research, ideally with a background in the charity, public, or rural wellbeing sector. You’ll bring strong strategic and programme management skills, confidence in building partnerships, and a proven track record of leading change. An affinity with RABI’s mission and farming communities is essential.
Key responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership:
* Provide strategic oversight of RABI’s research agenda, ensuring insights shape organisational direction, new initiatives and create sector influence.
* Lead the identification, scoping, and piloting of new services and programmes that address farming families’ health and wellbeing needs.
* Drive the development of organisational grants and partnerships frameworks to strengthen resilience and widen impact.
* Champion innovation while ensuring pilots and research are underpinned by robust evaluation and impact measurement.
Team Leadership & Management:
* Build and lead a high-performing team culture that is collaborative, ambitious, and aligned with RABI’s goals.
* Ensure team structures and resourcing reflect the organisation’s growth, creating opportunities for talent development and succession.
Research and Insights:
* Oversee the commissioning and delivery of the research strategy, ensuring a balance of community engagement, applied practice based work and academic partnerships.
* Ensure research outputs are usable, timely, and embedded into any new RABI service design or pilot, and shared wider in support of advocacy and profile building.
Innovation and Partnerships:
* Lead major pilots including Farmers Aid Critical Care app and Click & Chat Mental Wellbeing platform, ensuring effective design, launch and evaluation.
* Oversee the development of an organisational grants framework to support partners and extend reach and impact.
* Embed new service models into organisational practice ensuring a structured handover to Service Delivery or other delivery partners to create seamless transition into BAU.
Cross-Organisational Collaboration:
* Work closely with Communications, Service Delivery and External Affairs to ensure alignment of initiatives with the overall organisational strategic intent.
* Collaborate with IS, Volunteering and Fundraising to maximise impact and ensure integrated CRM data and insight.
* Contribute as an active member of the Senior Leadership Team to organisational strategy, planning, and risk management.
Representation & Advocacy:
* Act as a spokesperson for RABI, representing the charity with credibility to external stakeholders, partners, and media as required.
* Champion the needs and voices of farming people, ensuring services are designed with and for the community.
Person Specification:
Essential
* Proven leadership experience in business development, research, service innovation, or related fields within the charity or public sector.
* Track record of developing and implementing strategies that drive organisational growth and innovation.
* Experience of leading and managing multidisciplinary teams through periods of change and expansion.
* Strong understanding of overseeing a portfolio of research and its role in shaping services.
* Ability to oversee the design and delivery of multiple pilots that are scalable, sustainable, and evidence based.
* Excellent planning, programme management, and project evaluation skills, with the ability to balance a diverse portfolio.
* Skilled at developing and maintaining effective partnerships and external stakeholder relationships.
* Strong communicator, confident in representing the organisation externally at senior levels.
* Affinity with the goals and objectives of RABI.
* Full, clean UK driving licence and willingness to travel and work occasional unsociable hours.
Desirable
* Experience within the UK farming/agricultural community or rural wellbeing sector.
* Knowledge of grants and partnership frameworks within a not for profit context.
* Programme or project management qualification (e.g. Prince2, MSP).
This role profile is not exhaustive and is subject to review in conjunction with the post holder according to future developments at RABI
BENEFITS
* 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (based on full time working).
* Enrolment to Nest on commencement of employment and then opportunity to join RABI’s group pension scheme with Standard Life where RABI make contributions equivalent to 10% of your basic salary, provided you make a personal contribution of 5%.
* Life assurance from day one.
* Access to our Employee Assistance Programme.
* On site parking.
RABI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and aims to ensure that all employment practices secure equality of opportunity and that no prospective or current employee receives less than favourable treatment at RABI as a result of their sex, sexual orientation, age, race, religion, belief, ethnic origin, disability, marital, or for any other reason which cannot be shown to be justifiable. Our recruitment process strives to ensure that individuals are selected only based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications and abilities.
REF-224 884