Job Description

Senior Philanthropy Manager– Leadership Giving

£54,000 - £59,000 plus benefits

Reports to:Leadership Gift Lead
Directorate:Strategy & Philanthropy
Contract:Permanent
Hours:Full time 35 hours per week
Location:Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)
Closing date: 10th April 2026
Recruitment process: 2 stage process, 1st stage via Microsoft Teams, 2nd stage in person at our head office in Stratford.
Interview date: Second half of April

Visa sponsorship:You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UKis notable tooffer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

Do you like getting to know people? Can you listen and connect, interpretmotivationsand inspire positive reactions? Are you looking for a role where your relationship-building moves us one step closer to a world free from the fear of cancer? Cancer Research UK are looking for an ambitious and proactive Senior Philanthropy Manager to join the Leadership Giving team.

This is a new post, created due to the significant opportunity for growth in securing gifts between £100,000 and £1m from HNWI in the UK and Channel Islands.

In thisrole you will inspire a portfolio of current and prospective major donors to make financial gifts of £100,000 – £1,000,000 and beyond. This role will alsobe responsible fora number ofstrategically important projects

Our sector leading Philanthropy team raised c£40million last year and we havehigh ambitionsand a clear strategy to grow. Following the launch of our ‘More Research, Less Cancer’campaign in February 2024, more than ever we are keen to expand our networks and build meaningful relationships with philanthropic individuals. Our goal is to connect and collaborate, offering opportunities to support our life saving research in a tailored and impactful way

In this senior role,you'llleverageyourexpertisein influencing, negotiation, and relationship-building to engage and steward a diverse network of high-value supporters. You could be from a philanthropy/fundraising background or come from a commercial role where you are used to meeting and exceeding financial KPIs. Either way, this role offers you the opportunity to use your skills and experience to have a real impact on patient outcomes.

What willyoube doing?

• Manage a portfolio of prospects,donorsand senior volunteers with a primary focus on raising gifts of £100,000 and beyond, with opportunity to lead on £1m+ capacity relationships

• Design and leadanumber ofstrategically important projectsto expand,cultivateand stewardthe pipeline, aligning with our CRUK values of Bold, Credible, Human and Together.

• Build robust and collaborative relationships to manage the supporter pipeline and deliver first class donor experiences

• Qualify prospects and utilise senior volunteer insight to develop the engagement and stewardship of the portfolio through the full cycle of giving and renewal

• Maximise the use of the CRUK engagement offer, including high valuespecial eventsand inspiring research content to cultivate prospects and steward donors to an exceptional standard

• Provide regular reporting and track metrics against goals to support portfolio reviews and ensure the portfolioremainson track to deliver organisational goals

• Partner with leadership, including scientific leadership and Philanthropy colleagues to develop and implement strategies for gifts of £100,000 - £1m+ and provide guidance to senior leadership on prospect strategies

• With support from senior colleagues contribute to the fundraising strategies for Leadership Giving objectives

• Develop a strong working knowledge of CRUK,in particular ourfundraising campaign priorities of Future Leaders, the Francis Crick Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges and Translation & Innovation. 

What arewelooking for?

• Extensive knowledge ofsolicitinggifts from both warm and cold prospects at the five, six and seven figure level, or transferable experience of securing new business in a commercial sales environment

• Experience of working across complex organisations, navigating ambiguity

• Proventrack recordof major gift fundraising in the voluntary sector or similar transferable experience gained in the commercial sector, including having met/exceeded KPIs and financial targets over a sustained period

• Proven experience of building effective long-term relationships with high level individual stakeholders and/or senior volunteers including delivering significant income from and through senior volunteers

• Excellent stakeholder management skills and ability to work with, and communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of individuals e.g. internal colleagues, institutional leaders, external collaborators,stakeholdersand donors

• Working knowledge of the principals of major gift fundraising to include identification, research,solicitationand stewardship

• Experience of raising funds for medical research desirable

• A focus on performance and targets

• Exceptional listening,writingand communication skills; an engaging and inspiring communication style, with emotional intelligence to influence and negotiate

• Flexibilityto travel to meet donors,primarily in London, but also across the UK. The post-holder willlikelymake4+ trips to the Channel Islands per year, often with an overnight stay.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition,courageand determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’relooking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

Ifyou’reinterested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills andexperiencewe’dstill love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visitingourcareers web page

How do I apply?

Weoperatean anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality,diversityand inclusion. CVs arerequiredfor all applications; but wewon’tbe able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our websiteor contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk  

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, Xand YouTube

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.