Associate Director - Fundraising

Employee Finder Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading military charity is seeking an Associate Director of Fundraising to secure six- and seven-figure corporate partnerships. This commercially-driven role will shape income strategy and build high-value relationships across sectors. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in senior sales or corporate fundraising, proven track record in securing large deals, and strong leadership skills. Salary range is £90-97k with a leading benefits package.

Benefits

Leading benefits package

Salary review after 12 months

Qualifications

• Experience at C‑Suite or Divisional Head level.
• Track record of securing major partnerships (£500k+).
• Ability to engage senior stakeholders effectively.
• Target-driven with strategic mindset.
• Strong leadership and team management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-value partnership acquisition.
• Shape and deliver a commercial income strategy.
• Build relationships with major corporates.
• Oversee a small corporate team.
• Monitor KPIs and income growth.

Skills

Senior sales experience

Business development

Corporate fundraising

Negotiation skills

Leadership skills

Job description

Rare opportunity to join a leading military charity in a senior role. This is a new post with a real chance to influence the charity's direction as they revamp their fundraising. Lead Major Partnerships. Transform Income. Support the Armed Forces Community.

Scope

My military charity is seeking applicants from those who consider themselves high performing Head of Department ready for the next step, or perhaps a current junior Director with the experience and knowledge to secure major corporate partnerships across both the defence and non‑defence sectors.

You will need to have a proven track record of personally securing large and smaller partnerships, alongside successfully managing a team and overseeing a sizeable expenditure portfolio.

Sector Experience: Charity, Defence, Aerospace, Technology, Infrastructure or Corporate Sales / Strategic Partnerships

Role Overview

We're recruiting an exceptional Associate Director of Fundraising on behalf of a leading national military charity — a role designed for a commercially driven senior partnerships leader who thrives on securing high‑value, multi‑year strategic deals. This is not a traditional charity fundraising role. It is effectively a Head of Sales / New Business position, focused on personally securing six‑ and seven‑figure partnerships across the defence, aviation, corporate and wider private sectors.

You’ll help build and convert a pipeline of major corporate partnerships (£500k‑£5m+), while shaping a high‑performance strategy that will define the organisation's future income growth. You will join at Associate Director level — above Head of Department, reporting into the Director of Fundraising. The title has been intentionally set to engage senior‑level decision‑makers in industry.

What You'll Be Doing

• Personally lead high‑value partnership acquisition, securing 5‑7 new corporate agreements per year, each worth six‑to‑seven figures.
• Shape and deliver a multi‑year commercial income strategy, focused on business development, social value contracts and cause‑related partnerships.
• Build senior relationships across defence, aviation, infrastructure and major corporates — positioning the charity as a strategic social impact partner.
• Oversee a small corporate team and line‑manage the Head of Events, ensuring aligned delivery across income streams.
• Deliver strategic showcase events to engage high‑level industry decision‑makers and unlock new partnership opportunities.
• Monitor KPIs, pipeline performance and income growth, ensuring revenue targets are hit and exceeded.
• Deputise for the Director of Fundraising where required, representing the charity at board and executive levels.

Strategic vs Operational Split

You'll initially operate at roughly 60% strategic / 40% operational, setting the plan and building momentum. Over time, this will evolve toward a 50/50 balance — leading delivery while continuing to close major deals yourself.

What Success Looks Like

• Significant uplift in corporate and defence income within 12‑18 months.
• A growing portfolio of six and seven‑figure partnerships.
• A clear pipeline and engagement metrics demonstrating strategic momentum.
• A respected presence across industry as the charity's senior commercial lead.

We're Looking For

Essential

• Senior sales, business development or corporate fundraising experience — ideally operating just under C‑Suite / Divisional Head level.
• A proven track record of securing major partnerships or closing high‑value deals (£500k+).
• Confident at engaging senior stakeholders (C‑Suite / Defence / Procurement / CSR / ESG leads).
• Target‑driven, strategic and highly persuasive — thrives on KPIs, negotiation and relationship building.
• Strong leadership skills, capable of managing a small corporate/events team and budgets (£250k).

Desirable

• Existing network or experience in defence, aerospace or infrastructure sectors, or previous exposure to MOD/RAF suppliers and social value contracts.
• Understanding of corporate giving, cause‑related marketing or social impact initiatives.

Why This Role Is Different

No endless meetings. No vague stakeholder fluff. This is a results‑focused, commercially accountable role.

Package

Leading benefits package, salary £90‑97k. No initial bonuses. Package and salary reviewed after 12 months.

Application Details

Should you be interested in this post, or would like to know more, we would be delighted to hear from you — please attach your CV and a brief covering note confirming:

• Availability for interview:
• Earliest start date:
• Minimum salary:

By submitting your C.V, we assume that you are happy for us to represent you and you wish to apply for the vacancy as described. Please contact the recruitment consultant concerned for more details.