Director of Development and External Relations

Job details

Job title: Director of Development and External Relations

Reporting to: Chief Executive

Responsible for: Head of Communications; Head of Policy, Partnerships & Impact; Development Manager. Overall size of Directorate: 11 employees

Based: Our Head Office is based in London, but we have an agile working policy enabling people to work at another UK location up to 4 days/week. Permanent remote working in the UK is possible and we welcome applications from people based in other parts of the UK. 

Terms: Full-time (35 hours per week), permanent. Requests for part-time or flexible working will be considered 

Please note that this role will involve some travel and occasional evening working for events (for example to Parliamentary events and receptions), as well as working over one weekend at a different location in the UK during the British Science Festival each September 

Salary: £60,000 - 70,000 per annum

Download the candidate pack for this role as a pdf or view our text-only version of the pack here.

Purpose of the role

The Director of Development and External Relations leads and oversees our fundraising, communications and policy & influencing work. Our current organisational fundraising target is approximately £500,000 per annum and our annual turnover is currently around £5 million.

The post-holder will be responsible for creating and delivering a long-term fundraising and business development strategy, as well as an action plan, in line with our 10-year objectives. They will provide strategic leadership for the department’s other key areas, including: brand and reputation; PR, social and digital media; thought leadership; policy and influencing; and stakeholder engagement.

As a member of our senior management team, you will also be working with the Chief Executive, Director of Programmes and Trustees to set our organisational strategy and budget; champion our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion work; and lead on internal communications.

Key responsibilities

Income generation:

  • Develop and deliver the fundraising and business development strategy for the organisation, with a particular focus on increasing the support we receive from corporate partners and Trusts & Foundations.
  • Manage the BSA’s fundraising budget and target, assessing and forecasting fundraising income and keeping updated on fundraising trends and best practice.
  • Research, identify and pursue new funding opportunities, including:
    • cultivating and nurturing relationships with potential funders;
    • writing and approving fundraising proposals (including preparing bids for funding from public bodies);
    • supporting colleagues with their income generation efforts;
    • identifying opportunities for members of Council (our Board of Trustees) to support the organisation’s fundraising - for example, by facilitating opportunities to broaden our networks; and
    • supporting host universities for the British Science Festival in bringing in sponsors.
  • Lead our small development team, providing support, guidance and development opportunities to maximise the impact of our fundraising work.

External relations:

  • Oversee our stakeholder management plans, processes and data, working closely with the Chief Executive and Chair of Trustees on stakeholder engagement and with our Operations Manager on the roll out, and championing best practice use, of our CRM (Salesforce) for relationship management across the organisation.
  • Ensure that the External Relations directorate supports the BSA’s commitment to improving equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), both within our organisation and the wider sector.
  • Provide strategic leadership for the Communications and Policy, Partnerships & Impact (PPI) functions of the BSA, including overseeing the successful delivery of:
    • our work around organisational brand visibility, increasing the BSA’s profile, reach and reputation as an authoritative voice and trusted provider of high-quality programmes
    • communications for our public-facing programmes, including the British Science Festival, British Science Week and CREST Awards
    • the BSA’s work on policy and influencing, including youth voice and public insights as well as wider research and communications
    • the BSA’s stakeholder-facing programmes such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Diversity & Inclusion in STEM and For Thought
    • our work to demonstrate the impact of our external relations activities on the awareness, attitudes and actions of key audiences.

Organisational leadership and governance:

  • Work together with the Chief Executive, Director of Programmes and Trustees to set organisational strategy and budget; report on progress against objectives; champion the BSA’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion work; and lead on internal communications.
  • Working closely with the Chief Executive and Trustees, lead the External Relations aspects of the BSA’s governance, for example the appointment of our President and Honorary Fellows.
  • Proactively support colleagues’ learning and wellbeing.
  • Undertake other duties as may be reasonably required as part of your role.

Person criteria

Essential criteria

CV

Interview

Task

Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering a successful organisational fundraising / income generation strategy

Y

Y

Y

Successful track record of soliciting funding from sources including corporate partners, Trusts & Foundations and/or public bodies

Y

Y

Y

Strong networking experience and an ability to build excellent relationships with funders, trustees and other senior stakeholders, as well as with colleagues at all levels in the organisation

Y

Y

Experience of financial management, including setting budgets and assessing and forecasting income and costs

Y

Y

Excellent oral and written communication skills and organisational skills

Y

Y

Y

Ability to lead and develop a high-performing team

Y

Y

Ability to see the ‘big picture’ without missing important details

Y

Y

Y

Commitment to the BSA’s mission and vision and an understanding of why our work is important – it is not a requirement that candidates have a science background, but interest in science and society is a must

Y

Y

Y

Commitment to social justice, societal change and issues of equality, diversity and inclusion

Y

Y

Commitment to embodying inclusive leadership behaviours that support a welcoming and inclusive working environment

Y

Y

We don’t expect applicants to have all of the following criteria, but having one or more of the following would be really helpful in the role.

Desirable criteria

CV

Interview

Task

Experience of overseeing the successful delivery of complex communications campaigns involving multiple messages and audiences

Y

Y

Experience of overseeing the successful delivery of research, policy and/or stakeholder influencing work

Y

Y

Experience of being part of a senior leadership team or undertaking a governance role (e.g. familiarity with operating / reporting at Board level)

Y

Y

Experience of working with VIPs, including senior politicians, business leaders and high-profile individuals

Y

Y

Understanding of charity governance

Y

Y

To apply

Please send a CV and covering letter (each of no more than two A4 pages) that summarises your interest in the role and details your ability to match the criteria.

Applications should be made via this link: https://prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/186241-director-of-development-and-external-relations/

The closing date for applications is Monday 13 November 2023

First interviews will take place on 22 and 23 November

Second interviews will take place on 30 November

You will be informed as soon as possible after the application deadline whether you have been selected for interview.

Published:

Updated:

Author: Anissa Alifandi

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