Director of Development (Health)

CASE international; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

University College London (UCL) seeks a Director of Development (Health) to lead a high-performing team focused on securing major philanthropic gifts for health faculties. You will build trusted relationships with donors, peers, and senior stakeholders, shaping strategies and pipelines to achieve ambitious fundraising targets.

You will oversee strategy development, portfolio management, and collaboration across faculties and corporate partnerships, driving cross-unit synergies to maximize impact

Qualifications

• Experience leading fundraising teams across health/medical research space.
• Significant experience securing major philanthropic gifts between £100,000 and £5 million.
• Demonstrable success securing major gifts from individuals, trusts and foundations.
• Proven success leading high-performing fundraising teams.
• Experience developing and delivering fundraising strategies.
• Strong understanding of donor strategy and pipeline management.
• Experience managing complex fundraising portfolios.
• Strategic thinker with excellent judgement.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to achieving ambitious targets.
• Ability to develop compelling philanthropic propositions.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and motivate a high-performing development team aligned with the University’s health faculties.
• Establish credibility quickly and build trusted relationships among stakeholders.
• Collaborate with peers focusing on non-health faculties and corporate partnerships to maximise opportunities.
• Support the University to achieve its strategic ambitions through fundraising excellence.

Skills

Fundraising leadership

Major gifts fundraising

Strategic planning

Donor relationship management

Team leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation skills

Proposal development

Portfolio management

Communication skills

Ambitious targets

Job description

C16-00318
Professional Expertise
Fundraising and Philanthropy
Department
Vice-President (Advancement) (C16)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£80,000+
Contract Type
Permanent
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
01-Dec-2026

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 (Health) is a member of the Development leadership team, and will lead and motivate a high-performing development team aligned with the University’s four health faculties. You will 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 non-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

• Experience of leading fundraising teams across the health / medical research space
• Significant experience securing major philanthropic gifts between £100,000 and £5 million.
• Demonstrable success securing major gifts from individuals, trusts and foundations
• Proven success leading high-performing fundraising teams.
• Experience developing and delivering fundraising strategies.
• Strong understanding of donor strategy and pipeline management.
• Experience managing complex fundraising portfolios.
• Strategic thinker with excellent judgement.
• Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.Entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to achieving ambitious targets.
• Ability to develop compelling philanthropic propositions.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience within higher education.
• Experience fundraising for health, medicine or biomedical research.
• Knowledge of health philanthropy and research funding.
  

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.

Read more: UCL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

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 Health.docx