Director of Development (Faculties)

UCL; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Director of Development (Faculties) at UCL is a senior leader responsible for guiding a high-performing fundraising team that supports the University's non-Health faculties. You will drive ambitious major gifts campaigns through strategic relationship-building and donor stewardship.

Your experience and credibility will enable you to secure six- and seven-figure gifts, lead portfolios, and shape fundraising strategies that align with academic priorities.

Qualifications

• Significant experience securing major philanthropic gifts between £100,000 and £5 million.
• Demonstrable success securing six- and seven-figure philanthropic gifts.
• Proven success leading high-performing fundraising teams.
• Experience developing and delivering fundraising strategies.
• Strong understanding of donor strategy and prospect management.
• Experience managing complex fundraising portfolios.
• Strategic thinker with excellent judgement.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to ambitious targets.
• Ability to translate academic priorities into compelling donor propositions.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Negotiation

Entrepreneurial mindset

Donor propositions

Project management

Stakeholder management

Job description

About us

Two hundred years ago, UCL redefined the very idea of a university. We opened up university education to the many, not the few. Our bold founders committed us to innovation, inclusivity and excellence, and we haven’t stood still since. Today, UCL has over 50,000 students, 15,000 staff and 500,000 alumni, and is one of the world’s top 10 universities.

February 2026 saw the start of our bicentennial year and launch of our largest ever fundraising and engagement campaign that sets out our ambitions to solve global health, societal, climate and education challenges in UCL’s next century. We have been investing significantly in the team and have been building further capacity and expertise across the Advancement division. As part of this commitment, we have created 3 new senior roles in our Development unit – a Director of Development (Health), Director of Development (Faculties) and Director of Corporate Partnerships - and are seeking experienced and entrepreneurial high-value fundraising specialists to create a step change in our work and outcomes. There has never been a more exciting time to join the Advancement office.

About the role

The Director of Development (Faculties) is a member of the Development leadership team. In this senior role, you will lead and motivate a high-performing development team supporting the University’s non-Health faculties. Success here requires you to be an experienced major gifts fundraiser and inspiring team leader, bringing a collaborative, relationship-led approach to achieving ambitious results.

Your experience, authenticity and intellectual curiosity will enable you to establish credibility quickly, build trusted relationships and inspire confidence among the stakeholders you work with. You will also work closely with your peers focused on the health faculties and corporate partnerships, fostering a collaborative, joined-up approach to identifying and maximising opportunities that will help the University achieve its strategic ambitions.

About you

Qualifications, experience and knowledge

• Significant experience securing major philanthropic gifts between £100,000 and £5 million.
• Demonstrable success securing six- and seven-figure philanthropic gifts.
• Proven success leading high-performing fundraising teams.
• Experience developing and delivering fundraising strategies.
• Strong understanding of donor strategy and prospect management.
• Experience managing complex fundraising portfolios.
• Skills and abilities
• Strategic thinker with excellent judgement.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to achieving ambitious targets.
• Ability to translate academic priorities into compelling donor propositions.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience fundraising in higher education, education, culture, science or research.
• Experience working across a broad academic portfolio.
• Knowledge of campaign fundraising.

What we offer

In return, you will join a team of passionate individuals who work together to achieve remarkable things with a global impact. Our people really are our greatest asset, and we invest in them so that they can fulfil their potential. Equity, diversity and inclusion is important to us and we are committed to creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to give their best in a place where their unique experiences, perspectives and skills are seen as valuable assets.

We also prioritise work-life balance and offer hybrid and agile working as well as flexibility around working hours. We are happy to receive part-time applications for all of our job opportunities, and can consider a 0.8FTE working pattern for this role. And we particularly welcome applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We particularly encourage applications from candidates underrepresented in UCL’s workforce, including those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, and – for Grade 9 and 10 roles – women.

Applicants should also familiarise themselves with UCL’s policies on: Prevention of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy and Personal Relationships Policy.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

download: JD Director of Development Faculties.docx