Development Officer (fundraising)

Environmental charity seeks dynamic individual to develop and lead our fundraising activities. The Development Officer will be responsible for developing and implementing Sylva Foundation’s fundraising strategy, securing income and managing relationships with donors. We offer a competitive salary, flexible working conditions, and a great working environment.

Salary: £30-35,000 p.a.

Location: Oxfordshire, OX14 4RA

Contract: Two years full time, with possibility for extension. Flexible working considered including partial homeworking.

Closing date:  Sunday 25th October, 23:59.

The Sylva Foundation seeks to appoint a Development Officer, to join its small team in rural Oxfordshire. You will have proven skills, experience and a track record in fundraising, ideally with Trusts and Foundations. An excellent communicator, you are able to build and maintain good relationships with donors and grant makers. We value your exceptional social and interpersonal skills, while your enthusiastic and optimistic outlook fits well with our dynamic staff. Two year full-time post, with possibility for extension. Salary £30-£35,000 p.a. dependent upon experience.

A Development Officer with responsibility for fundraising
The Development Officer will be a dynamic individual who will develop and lead on the charity’s fundraising activities. The Development Officer will be responsible for developing and implementing Sylva’s fundraising strategy, securing income and managing relationships with donors.

More about the role
You will lead the delivery of Sylva’s fundraising strategy and activities, focussing primarily on trusts and foundations, in addition to other income sources. Being a new role in the charity you will design and implement management mechanisms in support of fundraising, such as databases, memberships, subscriptions and personal contacts. You will represent the organisation externally and raise the profile of its charitable activities, especially among the donor community. You will secure funds sufficient to secure the post of Development Officer beyond two years.

Work for an innovative environmental charity
The Sylva Foundation is an environmental charity working to revive Britain’s wood culture. Founded in 2009 we work across Britain caring for forests, to ensure they thrive for people and for nature, and supporting innovation in home-grown wood. Situated just 10 miles south of Oxford, our offices are located in a beautiful rural setting.

We have a reputation for innovation and excellence, delivered by our great team of dedicated people. Some highlights to date have included: making 60 products from one oak tree alongside 450 children, scientists and craftspeople; developing a trading platform for ecosystem services across four EU countries; engaging 3,000 people in our national survey; holding trails and exhibitions at venues across Britain; supporting two Oxford-Sylva graduate scholars; sponsoring an award-winning book; nurturing sustainable forest management across 35,000 hectares with 2,700 woodland owners; launching Good Woods with help from B&Q; developing the Sylva Wood Centre to foster enterprise and support innovation in home-grown wood.

About You

• You will have proven skills, experience and a track record in fundraising, ideally with Trusts and Foundations.
• You will be an excellent communicator, able to build and maintain good relationships with donors and grant makers.
• You will be capable of developing effective collaborations with partners and other members of society.
• You will possess exceptional social and interpersonal skills, together with an enthusiastic and optimistic outlook.
• You will be eager to establish the organisation’s fundraising mechanisms, develop further your fundraising skills, and to experiment with new fundraising strategies in collaboration with other team members.
• You will be ready to accept the challenge to raise awareness about Sylva’s work, elicit interest in our activities, and create opportunities for Sylva to increase its overall performance and impact in society.

Salary and Pension

Salary in the range of £30,000 to £35,000 per annum, dependent upon experience. Sylva will contribute to a personal pension to a maximum of 5% of annual salary pro rata, matched to the employee’s personal contribution.

Flexible working considered including partial homeworking.

How to apply

Send a completed Application Form (available from our website), together with an Application Letter (on no more than two sides of A4) by email, with the subject line ‘Development Officer’, to the email provided on our website.

Closing date 23:59 on Sunday October 25th 2015.

Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing Monday 26th October 2015.

The Sylva Foundation is an equal opportunities employer. Please complete and return the equal opportunities monitoring form with your application (optional).

Documents (available from our website)

• Job Description
• Contract of Employment
• Application Form
• Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form