Grants Manager

Suffolk Wildlife Trust; Ashbocking; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension contribution

Birthday leave

Salary sacrifice benefits

Employee assistance programme

Flu vaccinations

Life assurance

GP/wellbeing services

Retail discounts

Visitor centre discounts

Logo clothing

Job summary

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is seeking an experienced Grants Manager to lead our grant fundraising programme and secure essential income from charitable trusts and foundations. You will work with the Head of Fundraising & Philanthropy to build a diverse funding pipeline and deliver compelling applications, stewardship and reporting.

You will research funding opportunities, collaborate across the Trust to develop proposals, manage grant reporting and foster strong funder relationships while supporting

Qualifications

• Experience leading grant fundraising programmes and securing income from trusts and foundations.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills for funders, colleagues and stakeholders.
• Ability to manage a fundraising pipeline and deliver high-quality applications, stewardship and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Suffolk Wildlife Trust's grant fundraising programme.
• Identify funding opportunities and develop proposals with colleagues across the Trust.
• Manage grant reporting, monitoring and stewardship for funders.
• Line manage a Grants Officer and build cross-organisational relationships.
• Demonstrate impact and secure income to support conservation delivery and community work.

Job description

Grants Manager

Closing date: Tuesday 15 September 2026 Salary: The starting salary will be up to £35,000 per annum depending on skills, knowledge and experience. Contract type: Permanent / Working hours: Full time Location: Brooke House, The Green, Ashbocking, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 9JY

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic Grants Manager to join Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Fundraising & Philanthropy Team at a pivotal time for nature recovery across Suffolk.

Our ambition is for 30% of Suffolk to be connected and well-managed for nature by 2030, helping wildlife recover and thrive while inspiring more people to take action for nature.

Working closely with the Head of Fundraising & Philanthropy, you will lead and develop Suffolk Wildlife Trust's grant fundraising programme, securing vital income from charitable trusts, foundations and other grant-making organisations to support our strategic priorities and core costs. You will lead on building and maintaining strong relationships with funders, developing a diverse funding pipeline and ensuring the delivery of high-quality applications, stewardship and reporting.

The role will involve identifying and researching funding opportunities, working collaboratively with colleagues across the Trust to develop funding proposals, manage grant reporting and monitoring and ensuring excellent stewardship of existing funders. You will be responsible for the management of grant pipeline & help shape a strategic and sustainable approach to grant fundraising.

You will also line manage a Grants Officer and build strong working relationships across the organisation, helping colleagues identify and develop funding opportunities that support conservation delivery, community engagement and support services development.

To succeed in this role, you will have a strong track record of securing income from trusts and foundations, together with experience of developing successful funding strategies and managing a fundraising pipeline. You will possess excellent communication and relationship-building skills, enabling you to inspire confidence and develop positive partnerships with funders, colleagues and other stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be self-motivated, highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities effectively. They will be strategic, proactive and results-focused, with the ability to identify opportunities, develop compelling cases for support and demonstrate the impact of Suffolk Wildlife Trust's work. Most importantly, you will be passionate about nature recovery and committed to helping deliver our vision of creating a more connected, resilient and wildlife-rich landscape across the county.

This is a permanent, full-time position working 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We operate flexible homeworking arrangements where colleagues spend more time working together than homeworking. The base of work will be Brooke House in Ashbocking and the starting salary will be up to £35,000 per annum depending on skills, knowledge and experience.

The interviews are planned on a rolling basis from 07 September 2026.

Our Employee Perks & Benefits include:

• leave entitlement increasing with service up to 38 days annually plus an extra day off for your birthday
• a 9% employer pension contribution with no employee contribution required
• salary sacrifice benefits
• an Employee Assistance Programme
• flu vaccinations
• life assurance
• access to a GP and wellness services
• you’ll also receive discounts at high street retailers
• discounts in our visitor centre
• if you’re in a public-facing role, you’ll get logo clothing

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we recognise the importance of diversity in both nature and our workforce of staff and volunteers. We strive to ensure that everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute to our vision of “A Wilder Suffolk where nature is thriving and abundant because everyone is doing more to help”.