Job Description

Role Title: Stewardship Officer

Grade and Salary: Grade 5, £26,707 - £31,236 per annum

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35hrs per week); Open-ended

Reward and Benefits28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday). Use our total rewards calculator:  https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

Purpose of Role

Based full-time on the Edinburgh campus, the main focus for the Stewardship Officer role will be to provide support to Advancement activities within the Advancement Office. The post holder will be expected to support the advancement team to deliver a programme of global engagement and events activity across alumni, staff, students, prospects and donors – often acting as the front line to Advancement Office stakeholders and contacts. The post holder will also play a key role in supporting the overall work of the team, key team members and facilitate internal requests and collaborations.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Stewardship

• Monitor major gifts and pledges, reports and future stewardship actions on Raiser's Edge, monitoring these at regular intervals, producing monthly reports and prompting colleagues to action when appropriate.
• Develop, write and maintain process documentation for the Advancement Office in relation to stewardship, administrative and finance tasks.
• Act as administrator for specific In memorial, scholarships and bursary funds.
• Liaise with and assist colleagues in facilitating arrangements for major donors to visit the campus and view the impact of their support.
• Actively participate in the wider work of the dept, taking on special projects or additional duties from time to time, making a positive contribution to departmental issues and ensuring joined-up activity with other areas of the Advancement Office's work.

Events

• Support the planning and delivery of events as directed, across the Advancement Office - including but not limited to alumni engagement events, Advancement events and graduations.
• Assist with keeping the Advancement Office monthly events calendar up to date. Attend fortnightly events meeting, taking note of actions and updates to specific events
• Represent the Advancement Office at online and in person events, including Watt Club Staff branch meetings, donor cultivation, thank you events, graduations and more.
• Represent the Advancement Office at student fairs, recruitment days, open days, staff induction fairs and networking events to answer questions and present information about the Watt Club services and activities.
• Attend wider university, student, Advancement events on behalf of alumni team where appropriate.

Administration and Support

• Provide general administrative support across the team, including booking travel and accommodation when required, as well as processing invoices, maintaining the Advancement Office budget tracker, diary management and minuting key meetings where directed.
• Work across the Advancement Office, as directed, to ensure data, records and attributes are updated and maintained appropriately on Raiser’s Edge and SharePoint
• Contribute to preparation of Advancement marketing and communications material as directed. E.g. copy for brochures, pop up banners for events, website etc.
• Support administration of stewardship processes including liaison with schools and recipients
• Supporting Advancement workstreams and projects e.g. providing support for regular giving mail outs and telethons
• Attend meetings of University and keep up to date with events, publications and general Advancement activity within the wider HWU community.

Person Specification

These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made.

Essential

1. Degree-level education or equivalent professional experience in donor relations, customer service, fundraising support, or a related administrative role.

2. Demonstrable experience providing administrative support within a complex or large organisation, including handling financial processes such as invoicing, budget tracking, or expenditure monitoring.

3. Experience working in a stakeholder‑facing role, ideally involving customer, donor, alumni, or client engagement.

4. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently and professionally with donors, alumni, staff, students, and senior stakeholders.

5. Excellent organisational and time‑management skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks, competing priorities, and deadlines.

6. High level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly in written communication, data entry, and record‑keeping.
7. Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and confidence working with CRM or database systems.

Desirable

1. Understanding of fundraising principles, donor stewardship practices, and the donor lifecycle.

2. Knowledge of data protection legislation (e.g., GDPR) and ethical considerations in handling donor and alumni data.

3. Experience using Raiser’s Edge or a similar fundraising CRM system.

4. Experience supporting events, including logistics, guest management, and on‑the‑day delivery.
5. Experience working in a higher education, charity, or membership‑based organisation.
6. Confidence producing or editing copy for marketing materials, event collateral, or donor communications.

How to Apply

Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV

Applications can be submitted until 23:55 on Sunday 12th July 2026.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.