Head of Prospect Research

King's College London; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

King's College London is seeking a Head of Prospect Research to lead a high-performing team. This role involves shaping the future of philanthropic giving by driving strategic fundraising decisions, nurturing relationships across the university, and developing innovative research approaches in a collaborative environment.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Collaborative environment

Diverse and inclusive community

Qualifications

• Experience in prospect research within academia or not-for-profit sector.
• Understanding of data analysis and statistical methods.
• Ability to communicate confidently with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the research team to support strategic fundraising.
• Build relationships with stakeholders across King's.
• Develop innovative approaches to prospect research.

Skills

Data analysis

Team management

Prospect research

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic vision

Job description

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About Us

Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement (P&A) provides a fundraising and alumni engagement function in support of King's College London . We are proud to work with colleagues across the university and its health partners to help them serve society through world-leading education, research and healthcare. Our work also includes a partnership with the Maudsley Charity in support of children's mental health initiatives between the university's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and the South London & Maudsley NHS Trust.

We are a committed team that brings together fundraisers working across different channels, alongside colleagues who promote King's College London's engagement with its worldwide alumni community. Our work is underpinned and enhanced by a range of dedicated professionals in supporting areas covering proposition development, supporter engagement, supporter operations and business operations.

We have an impressive, well-established track record of success in securing support that allows the university and partners to deliver on their missions. This includes our global, award-winning World Questions: King's Answers campaign, which set the standard in the sector and enabled us to raise substantial funds to help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges. Ambitious and innovative, the team has won awards such as a CASE Platinum Award for Fundraising and a CASE Gold Award for Donor Relations and Stewardship. We are strongly values-driven with a focus on sustaining an excellent and supportive culture, which we see as key to creating a successful team that can support the university and its partners in making a real and positive difference to the world we live in.

More on King's College London

King's College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. The university is dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. Through its commitment to exceptional education, impactful research and genuine service to society, King's College London is creating positive change in its communities, both in London and on the world stage. The Strategic Vision 2029 looks forward to King's College London's 200th anniversary in 2029 and sets out ambitious plans in five key areas:

• Educating the next generation of change-makers
• Challenging ideas and driving change through research
• Giving back to society through meaningful service
• Working with our local communities in London
• Fostering global citizens with an international perspective

About the role

We're seeking an exceptional Head of Prospect Research to lead our talented research team through this pivotal period of growth and innovation. This is your opportunity to:

• Shape the future of philanthropic giving at one of the world's leading universities
• Lead a high-performing team that drives strategic fundraising decisions
• Play a critical role in an ambitious campaign with transformative potential
• Build relationships with senior stakeholders across King's and our partner institutions
• Develop innovative approaches to prospect research in a dynamic higher education environment

We are offering you:

• The opportunity to play a pivotal role in an ambitious fundraising campaign
• A collaborative and supportive environment where your expertise will be valued
• Flexible working arrangements that balance on-site collaboration with remote productivity
• The chance to work with world-leading academics and healthcare professionals
• A diverse and inclusive community where differences are celebrated

You will be a strategic thinker with a passion for enabling philanthropic success through insightful research and analysis, bringing the essential skills listed below. If you're ready to lead a dynamic research function that enables transformative philanthropy, we'd love to hear from you. Together, we can build relationships that will change lives and make a lasting impact on society.

This is a full time (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract. P&A has a hybrid working approach, with a minimum of 40% of time in the office. Typically, this equates to two days per week, but we're very happy for colleagues to be in more frequently if they so wish.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Demonstrable experience of successful prospect research within academia or not-for-profit sector
2. Experience and understanding of data analysis, statistical methods and prospect management techniques to support philanthropic income generation
3. A sound understanding of the Data Protection Act, and proactivity in maintaining awareness of the developing principles of the General Data Protection Regulation in the UK
4. Collaborative approach with demonstrable ability to build and sustain effective working relationships, exhibiting a strong focus on service to stakeholders
5. Experience of managing and developing high-performing teams, including transferring skills to others, and mentoring junior staff
6. Proven ability to communicate confidently and professionally with senior leaders, academics, and other high-level stakeholders
7. Strategic vision with a proven ability to identify new opportunities for developing fundraising programmes

Desirable criteria

1. A sound understanding of the role of alumni relations and fundraising within universities
2. Awareness of current issues in Higher Education and the philanthropy sector
3. Strong analytical skills with the ability to apply knowledge creatively and share the insight through strong presentation skills
4. Experience of contributing to institutional gift acceptance or ethical review processes

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click "Apply Now". This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. In P&A we want to build a diverse team, which represents the communities served by the organisations we support.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including part-time, compressed hours and/or job shares, as appropriate and in the context of the business needs associated with the role.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ' How we Recruit ' pages.

We offer the opportunity of an "Ask Us Anything" Teams call on Monday 16th June 2.0-3.0pm. During this call you will be able to ask any questions you might have about the role, the selection process, our department, our core values and work culture, our current hybrid work policy, or simply listen to others' questions. To join please email Jenny Wills, [e-mail].

This roles with have three interview stages, an initial skills-based interview, a second formal panel interview followed (for up to two appointable candidates) by a Core Values interview.

First stage interviews are due to be held on 2nd and 3rd July 2025. Second stage interview is due to be held on 16th July. Core Values interviews are due to be held on w/c 21st July.