Managing Director

CHARITY PEOPLE; Bath; On-site; GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charitable organization in Bath is seeking an experienced Managing Director to drive transformational change in literacy, the arts, and young people's wellbeing. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in charity leadership and funding programmes. This full-time role offers a competitive salary and essential benefits, including 25 days annual leave and a pension plan. Interested candidates should send their CV to Ellen Drummond.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

10% pension

Private health insurance

Qualifications

• Experience in charity leadership, ideally within grant-making or philanthropy.
• Proven skill in building and managing funding programmes.
• Comfortable engaging with grantees, researchers, trustees, and the wider community.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of an ambitious grant-making programme.
• Drive external communications for the Foundation.
• Manage strategic partnerships and research initiatives.
• Build a high-functioning team and develop digital infrastructure.

Skills

Charity leadership experience

Building and managing funding programmes

Emotional intelligence

Diplomacy and relationship-building

Job description

Managing Director

Location: Bath (on-site)

Salary: £80,000 per annum

Contract: Full-time, permanent (5 days/week)

Benefits: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, 10% pension, private health insurance.

This is more than a job. It's a legacy in the making.

The foundation we are partnering with is at a pivotal moment in its history. With over 30 years of thoughtful, quiet philanthropy behind them and a bold new strategic vision for the future, this is a unique opportunity to shape the next era of charitable impact in the UK.

We're looking for a visionary and operationally brilliant Managing Director to help transform the Foundation into a national force for change in literacy, the arts, and the wellbeing of young people. This is a senior leadership role with the freedom and responsibility to build a modern, agile grant-making organisation from the ground up.

About The Foundation

Founded by the Brownsword family, whose values of creativity, community, and generosity run deep, the Foundation builds on a rich philanthropic legacy. Now, with significant new investment, the foundation is moving from modest regional grant-giving to a major player on the national stage with an ambition to give £5 million+ annually to projects that remove barriers to literacy, broaden access to arts and culture, and influence national policy through original research.

This is a "historic start-up," an organisation with deep roots and a brand-new mandate. It's time for the Foundation to find its voice, amplify its reach, and deliver transformational change.

The Role

This is an outwardly facing strategic and change-making position. Reporting directly to the Chair and working closely with an engaged Board of Trustees, you'll:

• Lead the design and delivery of an ambitious, fully integrated grant-making programme, ensuring it's transparent, inclusive, and effective.
• Drive external communications and sector influence, creating a confident and values-driven voice for the Foundation.
• Manage strategic partnerships and research initiatives that turn knowledge into action, and evidence into policy influence.
• Build a small, high-functioning team and develop digital infrastructure to support everything from funding applications to impact reporting.

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for an entrepreneurial leader who is as hands on as they are strategic.

• Experience (ideally) in charity leadership, ideally within grant-making, philanthropy, education, or youth sectors.
• Proven skill in building and managing funding programmes.
• Emotional intelligence, diplomacy and relationship-building skills, comfortable engaging with grantees, researchers, trustees, and the wider community.

Weare especially interested to hear from: Senior charity sector leaders; Grant-makers or philanthropic programme leads; Fundraisers with strategic leadership and grants experience; Cross-sector candidates with relevant governance and impact experience.

We'd love to hear from leaders who are excited by the opportunity to build something meaningful and who believe philanthropy can be a catalyst for bold, systemic change.

Please send a copy of your profile or CV to Ellen Drummond at Charity People as the first step if you'd like to find out more.

Deadline: 9am on Friday the 17th of October; First stage interview w/c 10th of November; Second stage interviews w/c 17th November

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.