Director of Development

South West Community Chaplaincy; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

South Hampstead High School seeks a strategic Director of Development to shape and deliver a bold fundraising and engagement plan. You will lead major gifts, campaigns, annual giving, trusts and foundations, and alumnae engagement, strengthening lifelong connections with the school community and expanding bursaries.

Working with senior leaders and GDST colleagues, you will drive philanthropy that supports opportunity, belonging and transformational education while building a sustainable culture

Qualifications

• Strategic, relationship-led development professional with philanthropy experience.
• Proven track record securing major gifts and managing donor pipelines.
• Experience delivering campaigns, annual giving and trusts/foundations.
• Credibility with senior stakeholders and ability to inspire support.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a bold, multi-year fundraising strategy.
• Lead major gifts, campaigns, annual giving and donor stewardship.
• Oversee trusts, foundations and alumnae engagement.
• Collaborate with Head, senior leaders and GDST colleagues.

Skills

Strategic fundraising

Relationship-led development

Major gifts fundraising

Campaign leadership

Job description

At South Hampstead High School, philanthropy is about more than fundraising. It is about widening access to a transformational education, strengthening lifelong connections with our community and creating opportunities for young women to flourish. Building on the momentum and success of the school’s recent 150th Anniversary campaign, the Director of Development will shape and deliver the next phase of the School’s philanthropic ambition.

As Director of Development, you will develop and deliver a bold, multi-year fundraising and engagement strategy that supports the school’s long-term vision, expands access through bursaries and further embeds a culture of giving across the South Hampstead community. Working closely with the Head, senior leaders and GDST colleagues, you will lead major gift fundraising, campaigns, annual giving, trusts and foundations, legacy giving, donor stewardship and alumnae engagement. This is a role with both strategic influence and visible human impact: strengthening lifelong connections with alumnae, parents, staff and friends while generating philanthropic investment that directly supports opportunity, belonging and transformational education.

About you

We are looking for a strategic, relationship-led development professional with significant experience in philanthropy, fundraising or advancement. You will bring a proven track record of securing major gifts, managing donor pipelines and delivering successful campaigns, alongside the credibility to work with senior stakeholders and inspire support from a wide community. Entrepreneurial, thoughtful and highly communicative, you will believe in the power of education to transform lives and be excited by the chance to build a sustainable culture of philanthropy aligned with South Hampstead’s values and the wider GDST mission.

About the School

Working at South Hampstead is stimulating, challenging and rewarding. Located in leafy Hampstead, with the buzz of central London’s cultural life close at hand, the school is very well served by public transport and there are excellent local amenities nearby.

The school is part of the GDST, the UK's leading network of independent girls' schools. We offer a variety of benefits, such as:

• Competitive salaries and pay progression
• Access to extensive professional development opportunities
• Training grants for qualifications
• Generous pension schemes
• Free life assurance benefit
• Interest free loans for training, computer purchase loans and travel season ticket loans
• A Cycle to Work scheme
• Competitive terms and conditions of employment
• A discount of up to 50% on fees for children at GDST schools

The process

South Hampstead is partnering with Alice Speers, Search Consultant at Ashmore Search on this appointment. If you would like an informal conversation about the role prior to application, we encourage you to contact Alice on [phone].

Key dates

Application Deadline: 9am Wednesday 11th November 2026.

First round interviews at South Hampstead: Tuesday 24th November 2026.

Final round interviews at South Hampstead: Tuesday 1st December 2026.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the position or if an offer is made and accepted.

The school may also conduct online searches (including publicly available social media searches) as part of our recruitment processes.

The GDST is committed to diversity, inclusion and real change: a family where every individual is valued, respected and included.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and child protection screening will apply to this post.