Head of Business Development and Fundraising

About The Advocacy Project

We help people who are marginalised or vulnerable because of their circumstances make their own choices about their lives. We support them to speak up and help improve important services we all need. We want to make sure people across all age and care groups – including learning disability and mental health – can:

•  voice their concerns 
• understand their rights
• make effective choices about what happens in their lives

We do this through advocacy services which support people individually, and user involvement projects that help organisations improve the services they offer.

About the role

The post-holder will ensure sustainable income generation for The Advocacy Project in line with the strategic plan. Our current focus is to grow and diversify our income through winning contracts in new areas, while maintaining our strong performance in delivering sustainable services in the local government and health sector. 

We are targeting growth in the following areas: 

•  central government
• trusts, foundations and community funds
•  corporate
•  training for health, social care, advocacy and safeguarding across all market sectors

The role is responsible for identifying, qualifying, bidding/tendering, negotiating and closing opportunities, while making sure any resulting contracts are financially sound and are operationally and contractually deliverable. 

The post-holder will work closely the Board of Trustees and CEO; they will coordinate the Business Development and Fundraising Sub Committee of the board.  They will also work closely with:

• Head of Communications and Governance to make sure messaging and communications are aligned with the strategic plan and with our income generation strategy 
• Head of Finance for budgets included in bids, and income projections
• Head of Service Delivery to establish whether a potential bid is operationally deliverable, and to hand over full information about contracts we’ve won and expectations around delivery so they can be mobilised and delivered.

The Fundraising Officer will report to this role (post currently vacant).

Key responsibilities

 Develop and deliver income generation plan to meet our mutually agreed income targets. 

 Actively lead on searching out opportunities for income and market development in line with our approach to qualifying opportunities. 

 Develop and maintain relationships with key commissioners (current and prospective) and with key influencers.

 Lead on creating and submitting all bids, proposals and applications. 

 Attend relevant training courses and be proactive in your own learning to ensure compliance with legal and service provision requirements. 

 Along with other members of the Senior Leadership Team, the post-holder will:

• provide corporate leadership

• provide guidance, coaching and support to staff 

• ensure clarity around priorities and goals for sustainable income generation

• work across functions with fellow SLT colleagues to ensure effective collaboration on shared goals

• meet timescales for quarterly reporting

• collaborate with fellow SLT colleagues for strategy and organisational development including leading strategic priority areas 

• make sure all work is inclusive and responsive to the needs of local communities particularly those who are marginalised and excluded (we describe this as prioritising those in greatest need, and having the voices of lived experience at the heart of everything we do)

• communicate operational results, emerging challenges, and key performance indicators to direct reports.

General responsibilities

• Participate in team meetings and training.
• Participate in personal, team and organisational development.
• Contribute to monitoring reports.
• Keep to our policies, including health & safety, and risk regulations.
• Work to our mission, vision, and values.
• Carry out other projects and tasks as needed.

Person specification

Essential:

• Strong track record of income generation and leading winning bids.
• Experience of successfully competing for, negotiating, winning, delivering and implementing strong relationship-based new business development opportunities, including statutory contracts and working collaboratively with commissioners.
•  Extensive experience of fundraising and income generation within the charity sector, able to evidence securing significant funds.
• Experience of successfully managing a mixture of short-term tactical opportunities and longer-term strategic opportunities.
• Evidence of substantial experience and a track record of achievement in senior management/leadership team role in a service delivery organisation. 
• Credible networker at a senior strategic level, with demonstrable experience of using your existing network to achieve outcomes.
• Demonstrable track record in financial management. 
• Passion for and commitment to The Advocacy Project’s mission and purpose, particularly making sure user voice is embedded in business development activities.
• Strong, clear and confident communicator, able to communicate very effectively at all levels outside and within the organisation, with excellent presentation skills.
• Solutions-focused self-starter with an ability to thrive in a busy environment. 
•  Ability to combine seeing the big picture with an eye for detail. 
• Relevant professional qualification or accreditation to a relevant body.
•  Evidence or commitment to ongoing professional development to ensure compliance with legal and mission requirements.
• Competent in using a range of IT tools, including databases, email, Word and Excel, Zoom and MS Teams.
• Ability to work as part of a team and on your own initiative, to plan and prioritise your own workload.
•  Commitment to working within The Advocacy Project code of conduct, equality and safeguarding policies.
•  Willingness to promote The Advocacy Project and its services in line with our mission, vision and values.

Desirable:

• Understanding of issues faced by people with mental health conditions, physical health conditions and learning disabilities.
• Knowledge of current government policy and programmes and how they might influence the charity’s projects and services.
• Experience of digital service development and knowledge of the digital landscape. 

 Benefits of working for us

We’re committed to providing an empowering, flexible and supportive working environment for all our staff.
Our employee benefits include 30 days annual leave (including up to 3 days between Christmas and New Year), participation in a pension scheme with 6% employer contribution, access to a free confidential counselling service, and an interest-free travel/bike loan.
All our staff are supported to learn and develop in a variety of ways, including a monthly lecture series where we invite sector experts to talk to our staff on topical issues.
We are a Disability Confident and Mindful Employer. 

How to apply

Send your CV and a supporting statement explaining why you think you’re the person we’re looking for and how your experience meets the person specification.
It’s a legal requirement that you are eligible to work in the UK for all our posts.
Upload your application via our website.